Merchandising: How Companies Entice Customers To Spend

September 28, 2022

merchandising definition

Merchandising includes all the non-verbal tactics retailers use for presenting and promoting their goods in-store. This includes your store layout, the products you choose to sell, how you arrange them, and even your pricing strategy. Retailers use merchandising in their stores to cultivate their brand image, improve customer experience, and drive sales. Stores display the product design, packaging, benefits, and related information, such as pricing and discount, to encourage consumers to buy instantly. Advertisement banners and signage are the best ways to make this approach impactful for increased product sales. Other presentation elements used by physical and digital stores can include spacing, color selection, lighting, web design, online videos, etc.

Types of Merchandising with Examples

Shopping products are the main class of retail merchandise, comprising products consumers want, are willing to research and comparison shop for, and are generally in demand for either a consumer or business audience. It is not important if your merchandising efforts are not giving you immediate or instant results. Once a customer visits your platform, it will leave a good impression on his/her shopping experience.

Merchandising is everything you do to promote and sell your products once the potential customer is in your store. When we talk about merchandise, we are talking about products available for sale, typically in a retail setting. Merchandising, especially in connection with child-oriented films, TV shows and literature, often consists of toys made in the likeness of the show or book’s characters (action figures) or items which they use. One of the biggest challenges of merchandising is keeping up with changing consumer preferences and trends.

Money-saving Merchandising Tips

  • Retailers sell their products directly to consumers, while wholesalers buy from manufacturers and sell to retailers.
  • Adam received his master’s in economics from The New School for Social Research and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in sociology.
  • Email marketing initiatives, digital product displays, and digital marketing are also a part of digital merchandising.
  • The type and quality of products, the type of store, consumer spending behavior, and the available space help determine the strategy.
  • In a retail store, banners, 3D art, and floor patterns are a part of visual merchandising.
  • Making products visible and displaying them in an appealing manner increases their appeal and the number of customers that see them, ultimately helping sell them.

If your store is different every time they come in, they will visit more often to look for new items. Don’t worry, we will look at upkeep best practices further down in this article. Ecommerce merchandising is the practice of displaying and promoting products on your online store.

Products

Therefore, such materials are often located at the entrance to the sales area or in the hall itself. It also employs the peculiarities of human psychology, namely the visual perception of consumers. This type of merchandising involves the creation of a beautiful picture; that is, you must combine the goods on the shelves and attract customers’ eyes. Also, visual merchandising is responsible for the sales area’s general atmosphere, including music, lighting, and flavours. This type of merchandising involves displaying products in the sales area so that the goods complement each other. For this purpose, cross-selling techniques get used when related products get placed next to the main product – for example, shampoo and hair conditioner, phone and charger, or running shoes and sports bags.

Examples of merchandising in a Sentence

When products are easy to find, accessible to customers, displayed attractively, and priced well, they sell faster. I cannot tell you how many times I would move a slow-selling item in my shop to its own display area or feature it in a more appropriate spot and it would be gone within the week. Making products visible and displaying them in an appealing manner increases their appeal and the number of customers that see them, ultimately helping sell them.

The use of one product or brand for selling another product or brand is also a type of merchandise. The next type of merchandising is related to promotions, special loyalty programmes, and offering customers trial products. It can be particularly effective for promoting new products and increasing demand for seasonal goods. Additionally, promoting specials or sales will draw customers into your space by enticing them with the possibilities of deals. Promotional events create a sense of urgency among buyers, causing them to want to make immediate purchases to capitalize on limited-time deals.

  • Even though the items are often housed within a company’s retail location, the business functions as the authorized reseller, often for a fee, of another person’s or entity’s merchandise or property.
  • Merchandising includes all the non-verbal tactics retailers use for presenting and promoting their goods in-store.
  • Buyers, having recognised a popular brand, will also pay attention to the product of an unknown brand, subconsciously putting it on par with the branded one.
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  • Display signs, coupons, banners, glamorous presentation, free offers attract more customers that are willing to spend their money.
  • All this arouses interest among consumers, informs them about the most favourable offers, encourages impulse purchases and increases brand recognition.

The five ‘rights’ of merchandising are displaying the right product at the right store at the right time in the right quantity at the right price to encourage customers for purchases. As soon as a consumer enters a physical store, the first thing that functions is their vision. As a result, it is critical to keep products organized to make them presentable. Consumers are more likely to notice visually appealing goods than randomly stocked ones. Another technique to persuade customers to buy things displayed in the store is to use shelf-signage ads and giveaways. Rearrangement of shelves, aisles, and interior space of the store are mandatory for effective merchandising.

merchandising definition

Because consumer savvy is broadening, and technology is playing such a massive role in merchandising, companies need to stay ahead of consumers’ expectations. Innovation and experimentation have a central role in retailers’ merchandising strategies. Even though the items are often housed within a company’s retail location, the business functions as the authorized reseller, often for a fee, of another person’s or entity’s merchandise or property. Generally, they are never the true owner of the item because the person or entity that placed the item on consignment may return and claim the item if they so choose. Since retailers may or may not be producers of the goods they sell, measuring the gross value of all sales provides insight into the company’s performance. This is especially true in the customer-to-customer market, where the retailer serves as a third-party mechanism for connecting buyers and sellers without actually participating as either.

In bad weather, a significantly higher percentage of people would walk by our shop without a second glance or would even knock on our unlocked door to see if we were open. Having effective merchandising outside our storefront significantly improved our foot traffic. The promotion takes place online or offline platforms, depending on the kind of product and its presence. Businesses can also target specific customers for product merchandising with the help of different modern techniques. Since the goals are too vast for the retailer, the merchandising strategies also differ with category or even with each segment to target a specific customer.

benefits of effective merchandising

As a result, tactile sensations and contact with the product contribute to its purchase. Famous and sought-after brands often get merchandising definition placed next to products of little-known companies. Buyers, having recognised a popular brand, will also pay attention to the product of an unknown brand, subconsciously putting it on par with the branded one.

Merchandising also implies using the company’s corporate style, logo and slogan, and colour scheme on product packaging, exhibition stands and showcases. All these form in the consumer’s mind a unified and memorable image of a particular brand, allowing to strengthen the company’s position in the market, increase customer loyalty and attract new customers. From conversion rates to foot traffic and customer satisfaction—effective merchandising is key to making your store appealing and converting sales.