Let’s get cooking! Well, not exactly, merchandising cooking! We are going to call this “The Three Ingredients to Merchandising; Experience, Exposure, and Efficiency.”

Experience

Every business owner’s goal is to draw customers in, right? Yes! Therefore, the most important “ingredient” is to draw customers into the shop and close the sale, which is all dependent on the aesthetic quality of your retail displays. According to NPD Group research, windows influence purchases 24% of the time, on average! Not every store can create exhilarating and complex displays. So, how do you take that same concept and make it practical for your store? What is the experience you want your customers to have the moment they walk by your store? What will make them stop in their shoes before they even open your door? Jot your answers down!

QUICK “Merchandising Baking” TIPS:

• Make sure you measure out eye-level and build different elements from there.
• Keep it simple and uncluttered.
• Consider all angles. It’s rare that someone walks up to your window straight on. Be sure to find opportunities to grab their attention from any direction.

Exposure

It may seem obvious, but your products must be in the right place, facing the right direction and properly stocked. Where you place your merchandise can directly affect if it sells or not. This means you need to find ways to display your products and also need to keep it fresh!Let’s try two basic ingredients to try and maximize this…

#1: Try picking three areas in your store that you would move merchandise every so often, or as you get low or sell out. Seek out high contact areas – register, where people may wait in line, or in front of the store.

#2: Have fun with displaying your gift cards! This is a huge opportunity that is often underutilized. Create a visual display that highlights your gift cards in a new and exciting way! And remember, you can display them in a few different areas. According to the National Retail Federation, 63% of shoppers will purchase a gift card during the holiday season. Make it your store!!

Efficiency

Efficiency is one of our favorite “ingredients” here at The Complete Boutique! Think of it this way, merchandising is where you can literally design the ultimate up-selling automated machine! For example, mannequins, why do people purchase the entire outfit? People like easy and quick…little to no effort! When “baking” your displays, keep these two rules in mind!

Rule #1: Group items that are alike, complimentary, or enhance what you are selling.

Rule #2: Maximize the areas where your customers will linger.

Here we go! This is it! Don’t wait for the perfect time to start “baking.” Implement the Three Ingredients to Merchandising now! You’ve got your ingredients – go make it great. And remember, done is always better than perfect.