Best Merchandising practices to incorporate in your store.

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Retail merchandising is one of those things that can make or break the success of your store. When implemented correctly, visual merchandising can lead customers to the right products, entice them to buy, and create an excellent in-store experience. But do it wrong, and you’ll drive people away.

To help keep people in your store (and convert them into paying customers), we’ve put together some expert-backed tips and insights on retail merchandising. Go through the pointers below and see how you can apply them to your retail store.

So what is retail merchandising?

Retail merchandising (often referred to as “visual merchandising”) is the act of showcasing products to attract shoppers and generate sales. Product presentation is a key component in this practice. Good retail merchandisers are skilled at optimizing how products are displayed in-store and ensuring that their features and benefits are highlighted.

1. Develop a customer-centric merchandising strategy

Retail merchandising success starts with having the right knowledge — and the best information always comes straight from your shoppers. For this reason, it’s important to involve your customers in the planning stage of your merchandising initiatives. You can do this by having conversations with your target shoppers.

2. Make your window display count

Already have a strong merchandising concept in mind? One of the best places in which to bring it to life is your window displays.

🟠 Find the right theme. Start by choosing the right theme for your windows. Window displays need to grab the attention of passersby while also being welcoming and inviting. Retailers can accomplish this by using bright colors, sticking to a theme, and steering clear of clutter.

🟠 Place items at eye level. You know what they say… “eye level is buy level.” Pick out the key products to showcase in your display and position them at eye level.

3. Turn your staff into retail merchandising statements

Visual merchandising isn’t just about fixtures and displays. Your employees should also play an active role in showcasing your products. This is particularly useful when you’re selling slow-moving stock. Your sales team can be utilized as “mobile merchandising statements that help move your products.

4. Keep things fresh

Change your product displays regularly to keep customers interested and products looking fresh. Focus on the big displays in the front of your store; change them up to highlight new and seasonal products once a week. And don’t neglect your window display. Make sure you’re showcasing timely, popular, and interesting products.

Stay on schedule by using a merchandising calendar. And remember that the frequency for how to switch up your merchandising also depends on the season. Most experts recommend changing up in-store displays once a week, and window displays at least twice a month. But you may need to do these things more often if you’re in a high-traffic location or if you’re in the middle of an important shopping season like the end-of-the-year holidays.

5. Implement cross-merchandising

Identify products in your store that would go well together and put them in a single display. View your merchandise from a customer’s perspective. For example, if you were a shopper looking at a particular dress, is there anything in the store that would go well with it?

6. Use in-store Tech

In-store technology can enhance the in-store experience and encourage customer engagement. Tablets, for instance, can offer more product information and help shoppers select the right item to buy.

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