Retail merchandising is simply the retail art of one thing; Increasing sales. To do this, however, is not always as easy as some may think. Retailers need to fully understand their customers and exactly HOW your customers shop. Analyzing your products and how they sell, depending on where they are located and their promotional material, is the key to retail merchandising and determining the bestselling location in your shop. Once this location is determined, placing your best selling or best priced product here is usual best practice by retailers. Small details such as height of products on shelving can make a huge difference to the number of products that you sell.
Do’s -
- Giving your customers something that will capture their attention will often draw them to look closer and be enticed by the product - Get creative with your promotional material or create some art out of your products to create an eye capturing display.
- Test what works with your customers. Customers are different for every business and every sector so always check how your products are selling once they are placed. Adjust your products and displays to make customers more interested.
- If you’re displaying a number of products together, make sure they are clearly identifiable. Use the rule of three so that customers aren’t overwhelmed with products and information.
Don’t
- Don’t overload your customers with lots of products and information together in one area. Customers simply won’t read it and won’t be interested in looking at your products closer
- Whilst you want to place products close to the entrance of your shop, be careful not to have lots of products too close that your customers will just walk past.
- This same rule also applies for any promotional material for your products. Don’t try to make things too colorful or complicated for your customers.
To summarize, the key to good retail merchandising is finding the balance between catching the attention and overwhelming your customers. Your products, as well as information and marketing material, need to be simple and easy to view and read, whilst still being exciting enough to capture the attention of your customers. Don’t forget a theme as well that should be used throughout your products, information and marketing material.
The most important thing to do though is to test. Use your staff and test how you’d shop yourself if you were a customer. Would you notice your important products if you were a customer visiting your shop?