Page 156 - DMGT550_RETAIL_MANAGEMENT

Unit 9: Merchandise Management

shows the customer what the product actually looks like, not some flat and intangible picture of Notes
it. Few other forms of promotion can give such a vivid presentation of both the merchandise and
character of a store.”
The effectiveness of these cornerstones of merchandising display strategy can be increased by
remembering several other tips as well, including the following:
1. Allocate merchandise display space and expenditures appropriately in recognition of
customer demographics. If the bulk of your business’s customers are males between the
ages of 20 and 40, the bulk of your displays should probably be shaped to catch their
interest.
2. Be careful of pursuing merchandise display designs that sacrifice effectiveness for the sake
of originality.
3. Make certain that the cleanliness and neatness of the display is maintained.
4. Do not overcrowd a display. Customers tend to pass over messy, busy-looking displays.
Instead, Ralston and Foster affirm that a display should feature a single item or point of
interest…. Every primary article [in a display] must interact with every other so that they
all come together as a group. If they don’t it will look as if there is not one design, but
several.
5. Combine products that are used together in displays. For example, pairing ski goggles
with other outdoor apparel is apt to be more effective than placing it alone or with some
other product that is only tangentially related to skiing.
6. Small items should be displayed so that would-be customers can get a good look at them
without having to solicit the help of a member of the staff.
7. Pay attention to details when constructing and arranging display backgrounds. For
example, Foster and Ralston counsel business owners to “avoid dark backgrounds when
customers will be looking through a window, since this makes the glass behave as a giant
mirror.”
8. Merchandise displays can sometimes be utilized to educate customers. A well-conceived
display could, for example, illustrate a product use that may not have occurred to most
customers. “In addition to selling actual merchandise, display can be used to introduce a
new product, a fashion trend, and a new ‘look’ or idea,” explained Martin Pegler in Visual
Merchandising and Display. “Display can be used to educate the consumer concerning what
the new item is, how it can be worn or used, and how it can be accessorized. The display
may also supply pertinent information, the price, and other special features.”

All of these considerations need to be weighed when putting together a merchandise display.
But ultimately, the final barometer of a display’s worthiness is its ability to sell products.

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:
1. Buying and ............................ department should work closely to increase traffic flow into
the store.
2. A collection or a group of various items found in a particular retail store is called
............................ .
3. Retailers most commonly use ............................ as the basis for store grading.
4. Various merchandise display techniques are intended towards increasing ......................... .

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