Merchandising for Maximum Effect

First impressions are everything, particularly in retail. It’s essential that customers get a good feel about your store from the moment they look in the front window. Use signage and displays to advertise and promote your retail products. The better customers feel about your shopping environment, the more likely they are to part with their money and spend it with you. Here are a few basic tips to encourage buyers in to your store and entice them to spend more.

1. Make sure your window display is stylish and clear – don’t make the classic mistake of cramming too much in to try and show all your wares. Less is more in merchandising. If you can include an item that’s eye-catching (whether it’s an item you sell or a prop for display purposes), then that will add to the affect. 
   
   
2. Keep it clean – make sure your store and your windows are always clean. A dirty environment will give a message to customers you don’t care about your retail space or the products within it, so take time each day to clean and tidy your shop - including underneath and ontop of gondola shelving.
   
   
3. Change it up - Keep your retail space fresh by changing the displays every 4-6 weeks. If there’s a holiday/season coming up then merchandise your store accordingly. If not, create a themed display throughout your store and display items together, either through range, colour or use. This will keep it updated and entice customers back for more. On that note, whenever you have new merchandise, create a special display to show customers you have new things for them to look at. 
   
   
4. Prioritise the display in favour of impulse buys over stock standard items - Customers will always find or ask for the things they “need”, so make sure you use your premium retail space (i.e. by the cash registers) for the last minute buys they “just have to have”. View our impulse displays for ideas and merchandise display options. 
   
   
5. Stand out from the moment a customer walks through the door - Second to your window display, the area next to the front door is the most important for impact. Place your champion products here to entice customers and to give a strong first impression. Add colourful elements and mannequins to showcase how customers can use your products and include add-on or matching items to upsell through your window displays.
   
   
6. Make your store logical and easy for shoppers – There’s nothing worse than walking in to a store during a busy period, not being able to ask a shop assistant straight away and having to hunt down the item you’re looking for. You can help shoppers by making your layout logical (i.e. placing relevant items together, using signage for different sections and putting price tags on everything). Most people want to engage with shop assistants as little as possible, so consider this when placing, displaying and signing your products.
   
   
7. Lighting, lighting, lighting - Many shop owners dismiss the importance of lighting. When you are budgeting for a store fit-out, include a sizeable portion for lighting. You want to make sure that products can be seen and that they look as good as possible, so don’t scrimp in this area. Take a look at our LED under shelf lighting to highlight products on your shelves.
   
   
8. Keep refining your approach to merchandising – Take note of the displays that work (i.e. generate sales) and those that don’t. Once you have a good feel for this pattern, you will be more successful in your ongoing sales. Be agile- if you change your display and after a week it’s not working, change it straight away to improve sales. Move displays and merchandise around the store until you find the best selling place for that particular range of products. 

For more information about merchandising products to maximise the success of your retail space, please call us on 1300 434 775.