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In Category(s): News & Features :: Fitness Headlines, Sales Tools & Advice :: Merchandising Know-How, News & Features :: Outdoor Headlines, Sales Tools & Advice :: Retail College
It's frustrating to scrounge around a disorderly toolbox. You can waste valuable time and energy fumbling for that one critical item. We at SNEWS® want to make life easier for you, so we've developed this handy article-finder chart for our many Merchandising articles published since 2003. With a quick glance, you can scan the chart to find the subject matter that fits your immediate need. Also, you can read a summary to make sure that the article provides the info you need for the job at hand. Simply click on the article headline link to access any article.
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Post a release| TESTING YOUR MERCHANDISING IQ | |
| Merchandising Know-How: Test Your Retail IQ - Part 1 | Here's a chance to test your retail IQ and find out how much you know about "shopping psychology." We'll give you the answers next week! |
| Merchandising Know-How: Test Your Retail IQ Part 2 -- The Answers | Here are the Retail IQ test answers from last week's questions (box checked and in bold for each correct answer and an explanation of why the answer is correct is provided at the end of each question section). To score your level of knowledge, match your correct number of answers to the scale: 10 = A, 9 = B, and 8 = C. If you scored less than eight correct answers, you'd better get Paco Underhill's book, "The Science of Shopping" and start studying archived stories in the SNEWS® rRetail College Merchandising section! |
| CONSUMER BEHAVIOR |
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| Merchandising Know-How: Tracking customers in-store | Do you know how long customers stay in your store? How they move through your store? Or, the size of the average customer purchase related to location in your store? If you do, you can stop reading, but, if you don't, you'll want to read on to learn the methods of tracking customer behavior. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Have you heard? | There are a lot of insights on how customer behaviors and preferences influence their buying habits circulating around the web. Every so often, something pops up that is relevant to those of us in the outdoor industry. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Displays and demographics | In the current political landscape, the word "change" is used incessantly. It seems everyone is looking for change or, at least, mentioning it. Not to be outdone, here's a change for you. There's a new retail movement afoot to arrange and position displays that appeal to certain demographics at certain times of the day. |
| Merchandising Know-How: What do your customers think of your store? | Do you have a good handle on how customers perceive your store? You might want to find out, as recent studies have shown that just having satisfied or even loyal customers is not enough these days. As the marketplace becomes more competitive, shopper satisfaction does not necessarily mean an emotional relationship is being established. Retailers now have to develop customer advocates. |
| Merchandising Know-How: In or out, it's all about consumer-driven trends | Is there anything worse than being out of touch, behind the eight ball, out in left field or just plain old fashioned? Your teenager can tell you exactly how in the know you are, and it's usually not good news. The trendy magazines publish those in and out lists to remind us how backward and uninformed we are. Don't feel bad. Did you know that hula hoops are back? Drop that in casual conversation at the dinner table! Not to be outdone, SNEWS® has its own merchandising-inspired ins and outs for 2007 and they're all about retail: |
| Merchandising Know-How: Buying on Impulse | Impulse buying generates more than $4 billion in annual sales volume in the United States, according to reports. Because impulsive purchases are associated with irrationality and emotion, people are more likely to make a purchase if they can visualize a need for it. A cross-merchandised display complete with signage that suggests how the products can be used is highly effective. Products featured in displays are more likely to lead to impulse purchases. |
| Listen and Learn: Creating an advisory board | As a small business owner, you might think you can't afford to hire a research firm to keep track of how you're doing, but the good news is you don't have to. Instead, you can establish a customer advisory board to find out what your customers think about your business. |
| FIXTURES | |
| Merchandising Know-How: Finding fixtures at Summer Market | Outdoor Retailer Summer Market is not the best place to find store fixtures. In fact, the official show directory didn't even have a listing for merchandising products. But, in spite of that, we found a couple of very good resources. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Outdoor Retailer offers a small fixturing selection | It's a mystery why more fixture manufacturers don't exhibit at the Outdoor Retailer trade shows. Retail owners and buyers tell us they are always looking for ways to upgrade their stores and their fixturing systems, and Outdoor Retailer would be as good a place as any to find them. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Space Planning | Because there never seems to be enough space, it takes careful planning to ensure you carry enough merchandise to "make your numbers." You should start by taking a fixture inventory. |
| LIGHTING | |
| Merchandising Know-How: Lighting Refresher -- Quick tips to better light | Lighting for retail is all about contrast and focus. Too much of any type of lighting reduces contrast and focus. To achieve the best lighting, balance ambient and accent lighting. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Visual merchandising trends | A trend is defined as "the popular taste at a given time." It may not be readily apparent, but there are definite trends in the visual merchandising field. A closer look reveals innovations in color, graphics, lighting and technology all designed to enhance store environments. |
| COLOR | |
| Merchandising Know-How: Art in retail | To succeed in today's competitive environment, retailers have to connect with their customers on an emotional and intellectual level. Competition is forcing them to differentiate. More and more, retailers need to communicate their values and their culture in new ways. Many are turning to their local arts community for inspiration. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Visual merchandising trends | A trend is defined as "the popular taste at a given time." It may not be readily apparent, but there are definite trends in the visual merchandising field. A closer look reveals innovations in color, graphics, lighting and technology all designed to enhance store environments. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Is it time for a color change? | Take a look around your store. Is it time for a new paint job? If so, you have a lot of options to consider. However, working with color can be tricky. If you are going to stick with white, you may have fewer sleepless nights wondering what a fresh coat of paint in a not-so-basic color might mean for your sales. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Product merchandising by color | When it comes to clothing, color is the first thing that attracts customers to the rack. Most people know what colors they look good in and what colors they like. In fact, we all have an emotional response to color and that has a definite influence on what we purchase. That's why it is a good idea to group styles within categories by color. |
| Merchandising Know-How: In Living 'Colour' | You say color. I say colour. You don't need to care how it's spelled, because if you love color and want to stay up on the latest trends, there's a website for you! On Colourlovers.com, people can post colors or palettes they like, vote on their favorites and send notes to other color lovers. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Color in Display | When creating a new display, you need to pay attention to the balance of products in the display, the dominance of certain elements and the rhythm or flow of the product positioning. In addition, it's necessary to formulate a color plan. |
| Back to Basics: Working with Color | Color is a complex subject and one that takes serious study. We don't have the room or the necessity to study it in depth in this column but, because color is the first thing that attracts customers to a rack or display, we need to be reminded how to effectively merchandise with it. An understanding of color will drive sales. |
| STORE LAYOUTS & DISPLAY PLANNING |
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| Merchandising Know-How: Making an entrance | Too often retailers neglect the front of their stores in favor of giving attention to the interiors. That's a big mistake as the storefront is the retailer's first message to customers. An attractive storefront communicates the store brand and seduces them into entering and experiencing what's inside. It's almost like a billboard that can be viewed even when the store is closed and it's your first chance to make an impression. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Study of store layouts -- which one is best for you? | A recent article in the Dallas Morning News reported that retailers are gearing up for a "more organized" Christmas. To keep shoppers spending, retailers are planning free shipping, lower prices, customized gifts and remodeled store layouts. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Moving customers through the store | Whether you are designing a new store, remodeling an existing one or just rearranging your fixtures, one of your first considerations will be how you want people to move through the store. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Avoiding Display Mistakes, Part I | There's an easy way to judge the effectiveness of your store's displays -- use AIDA. It's not the famous opera with its story of love, revenge and sacrifice -- although some visual merchandisers may see some commonalities. AIDA is an acronym for attention, interest, desire and action. Call attention to the display to create interest, desire and action. That's what good displays are designed to do. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Avoiding Display Mistakes, Part II | Displays are the "windows" of a store. Each one is there to highlight merchandise and promote sell-though. Don't make the mistake of thinking of them as simply another task to get done. Put some thinking, planning and design into them and they will become a valuable business asset. And when creating your displays, remember AIDA -- attention, interest, desire and action. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Create a display calendar | Picture this. It's Monday and you've just received shipments of spring merchandise. You stand in the backroom checking it in and wondering where you are going to place it on the floor. Sound familiar? |
| Back to Basics: Display Principles | This spring Horny Toad challenged its retail accounts to an artistic and creative display contest, and 24 stores stepped up and utilized display spaces of all sizes to show Horny Toad product. The first-place winner was Trailblazer in New Haven, Conn. Runner-ups included Doug's Sports in Hood River, Ore.; Champlain Surplus in Champlain, Ill.; and Ski Rack in Burlington, Vt. |
| TRAINING | |
| Merchandising Know-How: Tips for a successful merchandising clinic | There are two kinds of merchandising clinics -- the good and the bad. It's a fact that a lot of time is wasted in clinics that don't result in increased sales and more informed salespeople. |
| BOOKS, MAGAZINES AND WEBSITE RESOURCES | |
| Merchandising Know-How: Read all about it! | As you know, it's hard to find books about merchandising. You can't go to your local bookstore and just come across them. Amazon has more than 40 books on visual merchandising and store design, but it's hard to know which ones are going to be the most helpful. So, here are some of the books that have proven most helpful to me along with two new ones I recommend. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Smart Retail | One way I keep up with what's happening at retail is through my online subscription to the National Retail Federation's NRF SmartBrief. Each day I receive an update on articles dealing specifically with retail issues that have appeared in a variety of print, broadcast and online media. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Tips for fall merchandising | A recent article in Women's Wear Daily lauded this fall's outerwear, stating it is like never before because of the variety of fabrics, colors and silhouettes. A recent study by Cotton Inc. found that 57 percent of women it polled are planning to buy something new and different in outerwear. Of course, while stats are nice, it's actual sales that count. Meaning, it behooves specialty retailers to ensure their outerwear will capture the eye and pocketbooks of potential shoppers. |
| MERCHANDISING KNOW-HOW FROM TRADE SHOWS |
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| Merchandising Know-How: GlobalShop '05 -- Visual Stimulants | In my last two columns, I've shared with you the things I found at this year's GlobalShop held in Las Vegas. While much of what is displayed at the show isn't useful for the independent retailer, anyone could walk away with plenty of good ideas to spruce up their store. Now's the time to step out of your box and try some new display and fixturing methods -- things you might think are too mainstream for an outdoor store, but really aren't. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Going Global, As In GlobalShop | For the last two years, the annual GlobalShop trade show has been staged in the Sands Convention Center. Itâs a show that you may want to consider attending, as it's a good source for lighting, props, fixturing, signage and top-rate seminars. I was fortunate to walk the three-day show with an outdoor retailer and see what interested him and what he thought he could use in his stores. In the next few issues of Merchandising Know How, I'll list some finds I think could prove useful in your stores. Let's start with the following: |
| Merchandising Know-How: Favorite New Merchandising Tools | I'm always on the lookout for new, cool merchandising items that I can tell retailers about. One of the best places to find new things is the GlobalShop trade show held each year in March. There's always something to find among the custom fixtures, lighting systems, flooring, wall coverings, props and graphics suppliers. This year was no exception. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Secrets of a trade show "dresser" | Ever wonder who makes trade show booth displays look good? Or, how the outfits on mannequins are posed, accessorized and spiffed up? It's really not a trade secret. Known as "dressers," these men and women work before the shows open to make sure the products look good enough to buy. |
| Merchandising Know-How: GlobalShop â The Show of Shows | Every visual merchandiser should attend the GlobalShop trade show at least once, and preferably every couple of years. The 2006 show will be in Orlando, Florida, March 26-28. GlobalShop can be a bit confusing because it actually combines six specialty shows. Here's some background info on each show to help you make the most of your time. |
| Merchandising Know-How: GlobalShop '05 -- Fixtures 411 | If you read the previous MerchandisingHUB article, "Merchandising Know-How: Going Global, As In GlobalShop," you know that I'm reviewing fixtures, props and good ideas I found at this year's GlobalShop trade show in Las Vegas. |
| MISCELLANEOUS |
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| Merchandising Know-How: The "Easy Button" | It's always helpful to keep an eye on the big boys to find out what they're doing right or wrong. Spending millions on advertising does not necessarily guarantee success. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Window films that work | One of the most persistent problems facing retailers is sunlight fading products in front display windows and the accompanying heat that pushes up the costs of store cooling. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Sidewalk sales | If you think sidewalk sales are hokey, think again. They can be very successful, even fun, and may surprise you with what they can return for your store. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Let's Table It | Let's talk tables -- table merchandising that is. The next time you're in a Nordstrom or specialty men's shop notice how tables are utilized to show T-shirts, folded dress shirts, shoes, ties and accessories. There's a reason retailers like to use tables. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Check It Out! | Every so often it's a good idea to walk through the front door of your store and take a visual inventory. Too often, we get so absorbed in the everyday tasks of ordering, accounting, restocking, pricing, etc., that we lose sight of how our stores appear to our customers. If you're reading this and own a store, do a walk-through with one or two of your employees to get their perceptions of what needs to be changed, updated, deleted or left alone. |
| Merchandising Know-How: Pet Peeves | Besides the fighting in Iraq and the President's environmental policies, two things have really bothered me lately. The first is not being able to find what I'm looking for in a store because of sloppy maintenance. |
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