Care Oil and Wax: Small Products That Bring Customers Back

A customer who has just bought a good wooden board is ready to protect it. Care oil and wax cost little, take almost no shelf space and give the customer a reason to return.

1. What to stock

• Food-grade mineral oil: neutral in taste and smell, and it does not go rancid
• A beeswax and oil blend: leaves a slightly thicker protective layer and a soft sheen
• A care kit: oil, a cloth and a fine sanding pad

Keep the range short: one oil, one wax, one kit.

2. What not to recommend
Cooking oils such as olive or sunflower oil can turn rancid and leave a smell. Say so, because many customers reach for them first.

3. Explain it in one sentence
“Oil keeps water out and stops the wood from drying. Once a month, five minutes.”

4. Place it where the decision is made
Next to the boards, and again at the till. A small bottle by the checkout is a typical add-on purchase.

5. Show the effect
Oil one half of a dry sample board and leave it on display. The difference in colour and grain sells better than any text.

6. Build it into the board purchase
Offer a set price for board plus oil, or include a small bottle with premium boards and sell the refill later.

7. Use it to stay in touch
A bottle lasts for months. A reminder email, “time to oil your board”, with a link to the refill brings the customer back. So does a simple board refresh service in the store.

8. Train the sentence at the till
“Do you have oil for it at home? It makes the board last for years.”