Retail Merchandising

Retail merchandising is the organization of merchandise in brick and mortar retail stores, in such a way so as to engage the shoppers and inspire them to purchase more than they previously planned on. The aim of retail merchandising is to increase sales and profits, and a credible retail merchandiser oversees the creation of store displays and creates and distributes sales tactics to boost and grow revenue numbers.

But like every aspect of a business, there are roadblocks and challenges that are strewn on the path to entrepreneurship. We shall be taking a look at some of the commonly asked questions on retail merchandising that are asked by retail business owners:

What Are Some Of The Products That Need To Be Placed On The Path Of Customers When They Enter Your Store? What Should Be At The Front-And-Centre?

When customers are walking by your store windows, there are about 6 seconds for the item on the window display to pull in their attention. If you are displaying small articles on the window display, then chances are that it will go unnoticed- get a larger piece to put on the window display.

From there on out, you have around 10 seconds or less to capture the customer’s attention when they walk by the front door of the store. Depending on the size of the store, you must have 5 to 15 feet between the front door and the display aisle(also called the decompression zone). Whatever you put in this zone, customers aren’t seeing until on their way out.

There are retailers that put up signage there of class schedule, and of merchandises which don’t end up selling. The reason is that the 5-15 feet in which customers don’t really look at the merchandise in the store. The way to understand this zone is to walk 15 feet from the inside of the storefront door, turn around and make a “V” with your hands horizontally. The space you see is the most important selling space in the store where you keep the new and hot merchandises that you don’t want customers to miss out on.

The area right after the ‘decompression zone’ can be considered as the lakefront property, and this lies to the rightmost customers are more likely to turn right and look. The next piece of great floor space for merchandising is the left of the depression zone.

How Often Must A Retailer Move Things Around Their Floor Layout?

The area surrounding the “V” zone or depression zone, needs to be changed every other week. You don’t want to be stuck with the same merchandise on the front, for six months straight. Along with that you also need to move the entire sales floor once a year, or maybe even better would be once a quarter. This is what is called “tossing the sales floor.”

How Should You Direct The Customers To Follow A Path, To Increase The Likelihood That They Interact With A Product?

Retail Business Owners

It is fair to assume that 50% of the store might not be viewed by your customers. Most of the people that enter through your store doors have something on their minds on what to buy, and they will move to that area. But we can’t have them miss out on the rest of the store in the process, can we?

What we do is to disrupt the designated path, and instead have them walk around and find other things in the retail store. You may also have to place the fixture in such a way so as to lead the customer’s attention throughout the store. You should be able to make them stop and look, without having to inhibit their way. We can create ‘speed bumps’ in the path so that they stop and look around.

Create a disruption and make customers move around a bit, to ensure that they bask in the entire experience in the store and give every item a share of their attention.