Give Your Products Breathing Room
Recently I visited a store that was so slammed pack with product that I could barely see what was available. Now I expect this from stores like H&M and TJ Maxx, but this seemingly cute boutique seemed lost in their own space. I couldn’t identify any direction in the store as to what products were where and where I should turn next to attempt to shop! I was so overwhelmed that I left without making a purchase – which was suppose to be easy since I walked in there knowing I needed a hostess gift for an upcoming party I am going to. Not only did the store look like chaos, but it turns out my thoughts went into chaos, as well.
Now don’t get my wrong – every store has their own flavor, so to speak, and I love stores that offer a vast assortment of products with shelves and tables of endless displays. But there is a difference between products merchandised with some rhyme and reason versus products merchandised in no organized, or at least understood, fashion. This was a case of a store that had the space and the fixtures to merchandise accordingly, but instead it was one confusing mess. So I ask you… Is your store merchandised so that your customers can easily shop it or are you not giving your products enough breathing room?
Just like most of us, products need their space. They can’t stand out and do their job (sell!) unless they have the tools to do this. It’s up to you to give them these tools. Consider how your customers view your products once displayed. Again – I repeat – consider how your customers view the product – not you. Sometimes it takes a new set of eyes to explain to someone why something is or isn’t working. Have a friend, associate, consultant or even trusted customer give you feedback on your merchandising if you think there is room for improvement. Let’s face it – we all can’t be great at everything! It’s okay to have to lean on others for some support sometimes, and if merchandising isn’t your thing – this is a great place to get support for. The value it can add to your store in appearance alone is near priceless, but what is even better in value is that you should sell more product!
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Ted Hurlbut
Too much assortment leads to excess inventory tieing up cash, damages, obsolescence and markdowns. Because there’s so much, nothing stands out, so impulse appeal is destroyed, as does the customer’s sense of urgency. Sales suffer, margins erode and profits sink. I’ve seen it too many times; when over-stuffed stores cull their assortments to create more compelling presentations, sales margins and profits go up. i call it lean retailing – doing more with less.
EvieB
Great Post. There is nothing more headache inducing,than a store with too much stuff. Nothing stands out and it all mashes together. How is anything supposed to sell? I tell my students all the time- “Less is more, and a well edited store will do you justice”!!
-E
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