Merchandising as the art of sales promotion: from setting goals to choosing effective technologies. Key merchandising tools Purposes of using product display

Merchandising is “planning” the sale of the desired product.
in the right place, at the right time,
in the right quantity and at the right price.
America economist Paul Mazur 1927

In-store visual merchandising manages the process of guiding customers through the space in a logical sequence, encouraging them to stop at certain areas and make purchases. Ask customers: why do they like their favorite store so much? Most of them will probably answer: “because it is spacious, comfortable, easy to find the product you need, POSM is clear and contains the necessary information, etc.” These responses confirm the effectiveness of in-store visual merchandising.

The work of a specialist depends on the type of store in which he works. In a small boutique or company store, he will follow the principles of visual merchandising throughout the store. When thinking about the distribution of goods throughout the store, choosing a place for each specific item, we must always remember about the buyer. The merchandiser’s task is to make his stay in the store pleasant, to help him find a model “created especially for him,” to make the product desirable, and to make the process of finding the right product in the store convenient and easy. He must identify the client’s values that can be counted on when offering this or that product. And the correct display of goods helps the buyer more easily navigate the space of your store. After all, merchandising is not a set of rules and dogmas invented to complicate the life of a “simple worker.” This is a system that makes it possible to present a product in the most accessible and understandable way for the buyer. The whole set of rules is aimed at ensuring that a person can, without even contacting the seller, choose a model, a set, or maybe a mini-wardrobe, which generally reduces the work of a merchandiser to one model, namely:

Attracting attention (store display);
Maintaining interest;
Formation of interest;
Provoking action.

Thanks to this model, visual merchandising can distinguish a store from its competitors by focusing on key competencies promoted brand using a specific set of tools.

layout of retail space;
zoning of product groups;
retail store equipment;
Interior Design;
lighting design;
showcase;
mannequins;
display of goods;
POS materials;
aroma communication;
audio communications.

And the use of these tools can increase sales by at least 15%.

The first visual merchandiser tool:

"Planning of retail space"

The planning of the retail space begins at the moment of developing the store design project. First of all, the direction of the main consumer flow to the Shopping Center (or street retail) is determined.

The main criterion is to find out on the diagram of the shopping center the location of the entrance to it, the floor (escalators, elevator, stairs) and the location of large anchor tenants (these can be grocery stores, household appliances and electronics stores, etc.), which provide the main customer flow of the shopping center .

Next, you need to find out where in the trajectory of the main customer flow the selected section is located. Afterwards we outline the cash register area. Important! The cash register should not be located in the most visible place in the section.

Then, we highlight the fitting area and the utility room area. Important! The entrance to the fitting area should not be visible from the entrance to the section.

The 4th point is the entrance group, that is, the showcase and the entrance to the section. The depth and dimensions of the display case are determined according to the concept of the store and the specific shape of the existing section.

The 5th point determines the Focus Point, that is, the main point of your store, and only after that, on the remaining area, island equipment is distributed. Important to remember that the lowest type of equipment is located at the entrance (as a rule, these are tables), and near the farthest wall is the highest - boats (gondolas).

And don’t forget about the distance between product carriers: the higher the segment of the product offered, the greater the distance should be between it.

Exists several rules of visual merchandising, used at this stage of creating a store.

Law of the Golden Triangle. The cash register, the store entrance and the Basic collection should be located among themselves in such a way as to create a triangle with maximum area. Products that are most relevant at the moment should be placed inside this triangle.

Law of Obstacles. The trajectory of the buyer’s movement through the retail space should be planned in such a way that the buyer has to change the vector of movement and angle of view as often as possible.

The law of large and small forms. Most buyers are right-handed, so small products are located on the right along the trajectory of movement, and large ones on the left.

Law of free space. The relationship between equipment and free space is proportional to the price positioning of the product (brand, store) on the market.

Zoning your store

VM specialists divide the trading floor into 3 shopping zones.

Hot is the zone where the buyer most often goes when entering the store. A cold zone is an area that buyers don't notice or notice after viewing the hot zones. And the impulse buying zone. An impulse purchase is a purchase made on the basis of sudden decisions.

You often ask yourself questions: “Where should I hang the new collection?”, “How to present accessories so that the client notices them?”, “How to highlight a discounted product during the season of the regular collection?” etc. In order to get answers to these questions and achieve maximum effect, VM specialists study in detail the trajectory of consumer movement in the sales area and identify all the main points of sale.

There are several proven patterns of customer behavior in the retail space that can be adopted in your stores:

80-90% of buyers bypass all points of sale located along the perimeter of the sales floor and only 40-50% of buyers bypass the inner rows.
The “hottest” places are the beginning of the customer flow and the checkout area. Near the cash registers, the buyer spends time in line and is not occupied with anything. Therefore, the checkout area is attractive for those goods that are most often purchased under the influence of impulse. These are items that are necessary as additional elements to maintain the overall style of the collection. For example, belts, jewelry, key chains, wallets, branded perfumes, etc.
65-85% of purchasing decisions are made impulsively at the point of sale.
Most buyers are right-handed and in a retail space, 70% of them walk along the perimeter counterclockwise.
sales of the same product vary depending on location on shelves, etc.

But these rules are not an axiom; they can be adjusted. Because The natural direction of customer movement can be determined at the store design stage, and will depend on many factors - the location of the entrance, the location of retail equipment and cash registers in the hall. Each project must be approached individually.

Room design

Various department stores around the world have formed amazing retail empires. They have stood the test of time with their majestic facades, like Harrods (in London), whose thousands of light bulbs sparkle like a shopping paradise. However, with the advent in the 1980s. theories of visual merchandising in retail trade, there was a need to create similar conditions for customers inside stores. To achieve success great importance purchased the room design. Today, many store owners, especially leading fashion designers, spend time and significant sums not only on their collections, but also on him.

Interior design covers all aspects of visual merchandising: storefront and interior design, as well as store fixtures and lighting. VM specialists, architects and interior designers always work hand in hand to create a retail environment that, above all, inspires shopping and helps increase sales.

Store design supports brand image and is the foundation of a successful retail strategy. Businessmen use store design to attract customers inside. While some entrepreneurs prefer a sophisticated design, others like something flashy and even shocking, and as a result, these stores are the talk of the town. Before choosing an interior design direction, you need to determine the demographic composition of your customers. Traditional shoppers may not be happy if their local department store changes its look to a modern and futuristic one. Traditional stores such as Marks & Spencer are likely to suffer if they are suddenly transformed into an avant-garde department store; the risk in this case is very high, since even the most loyal customers may turn away from the store.

However, there are times when breaking stereotypes turns out to be a good thing. An example of this can happen at the Selfridges store in September 2003. It adopted a modern look and moved away from the style of the Oxford Street buildings of London in the early 20th century when it opened a futuristic branch in Birmingham. According to G. Selfridge, the new department store with its hundreds of silver discs and decorative blue plexiglass is treated with both love and hostility, but at least it is noticeable and is constantly discussed.

At some point, all retailers must consult with an architect, either on the design of a new store or the refurbishment of an existing one. They usually consult with an architect who has retail experience, which is different from home building because it takes into account the factor of attracting the public to the store. In most cases, businessmen turn to architects who have experience in store design, but sometimes they attract young talented designers to design them. Before starting an order, the designer collects information about the product and trademark, which makes the task much easier to understand. He needs to know the entire range of products and their placement on each counter, since the counters will be part of the overall design concept. Cash registers, warehouses and offices are very important and need to be included in the final design, and their design is part of the job of a VM specialist.

How does store design promote sales? The main purpose of store design is to demonstrate best qualities goods. This is achieved by combining ambient stopping, functionality and attractive design. Stores differ from each other depending on the range of goods: in a supermarket, a little more emphasis should be placed on functionality, in stores selling luxury goods, it is necessary to create an appropriate atmosphere.

Independent store owners can certainly take risks with more adventurous designs. Particularly striking examples of this approach can be seen in Japan.

Basic laws of VM:

Law of "atmosphere": the results of experimental studies have shown that for “impulse” buyers, the attractiveness of the internal environment is a relatively more important factor than the price and quality of the product.
"The Law of Brand Identity": the ideological and artistic concept of design and the choice of means of artistic expression of the store must be identical to the brand concept and meet the expectations of the target audience.

Retail store equipment

In my opinion, this is one of the most interesting topics in merchandising. We live in a world where we can produce absolutely anything we can think of in our creative heads. As a rule, the design of the equipment should be one with the interior of the store. If you have chosen an ECO-style store design, then the equipment is selected exclusively from natural materials, except for the brackets, of course, they are always made of metal. This means shelves, tables, various designs for presentation of accessories, etc.

Or you choose the LOFT style, then the equipment can be rough with minimal processing of the material, perhaps creative, such as in the store in the photo.

When selecting equipment, we first of all pay attention to the product that we offer to the client, to the client himself (target audience) and to the price segment of the market in which we position our product.

If a store works for a Lux segment client, then the equipment must be made from the best and modern materials, usually using a large number of glass and mirror surfaces.

Let's look at one example. We own a store selling business suits for women with an average retail price of 10,000 rubles. We decided to use forged equipment, a table with curly legs in the Baroque style... do you think our client will come to this store? Would she be interested in a product presented on SUCH equipment?

Store lighting design

I am sure that you have noticed, when entering a store, a feeling of discomfort or, conversely, relaxation. One of the reasons for this is the lighting of the store. The light atmosphere greatly influences mental condition and a person’s well-being, it can lift the mood, or it can cause irritability, red eyes among store employees, and cause a desire to leave the store.

Light is an important tool in the hands of a designer. Light can change not only the perception of your store, but also the color of your product. With the help of light, you can build a trajectory of consumer movement and promote those areas of the store that are performing so-so.

So, a little theory...

Lighting can be:

General– uniform lighting throughout the retail space and display cases.

Accent- with uniform lighting, additional bright lamps are used, with the help of which you can highlight a look or an important detail on a mannequin in a display case.

Creative– in the absence or minimum level of lighting, lamps with color filters are used. To be used exclusively in display cases.

Lighting has 2 main functions:

Product promotion. The product is highlighted so that the client clearly understands what this store offers, at what price and for whom.
Image promotion. With the help of accent and colored lighting, we create a sensory feeling about the brand for the client.

Very important! Think about the type and method of lighting at the store design stage. In a store, lighting allows you to create the most favorable atmosphere for making a purchase and present the product from the most advantageous side. Light should always attract, and not repel, the customer from your product and store.

There are many more interesting and important points in using light in a store. I will tell you all this and much more at the next seminar or during an individual consultation, studying your store.

Working with mannequins

In a clothing store where the clothes on offer play a key role, the equipment, interior and mannequins are equally important to achieve excellent results. It’s mannequins that we’ll be talking about today.

There is not a single store that does not use mannequins. They are an integral part of product presentation and have always been of high importance in retail sales. Many brands have recently ordered mannequins based on their own sketches, thus reflecting the style of the brand. It is also no less common when the appearance and poses of mannequins are ordered for a special display window design.

Mannequin fashion is as fast as clothing; global changes in the style of dolls we can notice every 5 years, because. they become obsolete both morally and physically. Updating mannequins - the “calling cards” of clothing stores - is as natural as updating the collection of clothes themselves. Keeping up with the times in this business is the key to prosperity.

Today the most popular mannequins are:

faceless, with slight outlines of the facial contour, in active poses and bright colors;
no less interesting are wooden mannequins with/without heads, with wooden bendable arms, stylized to match one or another theme of the store.

Before purchasing mannequins for your store and using them most effectively, you need to follow the following rules:

Determine the type of mannequins based on the style of your store.
Choose the poses of the mannequins, paying attention to the area intended for them. If the display window/podium in the sales area is smaller in size than the mannequin you have chosen, then you will no longer be able to work with this mannequin.
Select the type of fastening of mannequins, because the possibility of using shoes depends on this.
Determine the frequency of clothing changes on mannequins. Frequent changes of clothing may damage the mechanisms of the mannequin's body parts.
Think in advance about the placement of mannequins in the window/retail space, as well as ways to group them. A group of mannequins representing a certain plot/story is always more interesting and attractive than a row of mannequins displayed in the form of “soldiers”.

Mannequins are special equipment. Consequently, both mannequins and display windows should reflect the unified style of your store, the distinctive features of the collection, aimed at the emotional perception of the brand, with the best side present the product offered.

To achieve these goals, I offer you several rules for working with mannequins:

Grouping mannequins by gender. If your store offers goods for men and women, then we group the mannequins by gender: man to men, woman to women. There may be minor exceptions if the idea of your window display is to represent a “married couple”/group of friends.
A group of mannequins in one area/display should reflect one collection in one color scheme.
The use of an accessory group - belts, scarves, beads, hats, etc., in a word, accessories allow you to create a stylish and unique look.
In youth brands we use the principle of multi-layering and unusual images.
We create interesting images, corresponding to fashion trends.
All clothing on mannequins must be ironed, with a perfect fit, which can be achieved using pins.
The frequency of changing clothes on mannequins is every 2 weeks.

Showcases

Showcases... As they say, “the face of the store”, this is the first impression that cannot be repeated!

Showcases can be bright, stylish, unusual, interesting, but they can also be unattractive, banal and sad...

Working with shop windows is always an exciting and fascinating process that allows you to realize your creative ideas. The only difficulty can be in the implementation of the idea, limited budget and the possibility of replication.

Many creative people dream of creating beautiful showcases, but when they encounter difficulties (see above) and do not have information on how to create the right showcase, then all fantasies immediately disappear. Therefore, not everyone will be able to come up with and implement not just a beautiful idea, but also an effective one, i.e. attracting attention and promoting the presented product.

I will tell you a little about shop windows, its types and specifics, so that you have an understanding of how interesting and exciting this process is.

There are several types of displays that in one way or another attract attention and increase sales:

Each of the listed showcases works! But in order to get the result that we see now, it is necessary to go through several stages of its creation.

Stages of creating showcases:

Creating an idea based on studying the product range, target audience (for example, women's clothing, casual style, age 18-25 years).
Finding out the purpose of the window display (sale, new collection, Valentine's Day).
Determination of display area.
Determining the window display budget.
Drawing a sketch (in graphics programs).
Approval of the idea by the customer.
Search for a manufacturing company to produce the elements necessary for window display design.
Order samples of all elements of the future showcase.
Calculation of the number of items for a store/chain of stores.
Placing an order for the entire batch of elements from the manufacturing company.
Development of a planogram for window display design.
Design of a store/chain of stores.
Receiving a profit.

Display of goods

I think we all understand that merchandising is not only window dressing and beautiful mannequins, but it is also the correct display of goods. The display of goods in a store is one of the fundamental tenets of merchandising. Rules and laws that allow you to present a product in its best form can increase your sales from 5 to 50% - this is a fact.

First, compare 2 photos and determine which store you want to go to and which one you don’t.

In photo 1 (on the left) we don’t see a beautiful and interesting set: only a jacket and jeans in black are unattractive, and most likely they won’t buy a shirt to go with this look, despite the fact that it is presented next to it. In photo 2 (right) we see a product presented exclusively in interesting sets. The client will most likely purchase a ready-made set, or perhaps 2 at once, since the presented products are combined with each other. Thanks to this, when purchasing 2 sets, we get at least 4!!!

I would like to draw your attention to related products - accessories and shoes, which allow you to create a complete look and increase the price of the average bill.

This is the main point of laying out merchandising: to present the most interesting and complex sets so that the client purchases as many units of the product as possible at a time.

If we talk about the basic laws of layout that allow you to increase your profits, then there are not many of them. The product can be presented:

by kits;
by product groups;
by color blocks;
by size;
by style\collection.

Some rules are used simultaneously. For example, presenting a product in sets in the same style and color scheme.

If we talk about the rules for displaying goods, there are not many of them.

There are rules that apply exclusively to the low segment, and there are rules that apply to both the low and premium segments. For example:

The “Refrain” rule is the presentation of the same model in 3 planes: frontally, horizontally and in profile. We can find this rule in all segments of the store.
Rule of View and Position - the frontally presented product must be distinguishable against the background of the wall. For all segments.
House of Cards” - the display of goods should not cause the buyer to fear that the presentation of the goods will fall apart. Most often found in the premium segment. And so on.

Aroma and audio communications

When you are in a store, you probably feel either comfortable or uncomfortable. This is influenced by a number of factors, one of which is the atmosphere created not only by the interior, but also by good background music.

Aroma communication is one of the most important tools for influencing the buyer. It has been noticed that the faster and louder the music, the faster the buyer moves around the store and makes a quicker purchasing decision. Pleasant background music relaxes the buyer and also contributes to a positive decision to purchase the product. This polarity only works in one case: if the music is selected in accordance with the price segment of the fashion market.

In order for music to help increase sales, several important factors must be taken into account when selecting music:

Music style
Volume level
Rhythm of the music

For example, in the bridge and lux segments they use relaxing music (lounge), with a low volume level and a medium or slow rhythm. Why? Because customers in this category of stores are looking for relaxation and comfort in the store, and loud and fast music contributes to strong tension and sometimes irritation.

So, it has been empirically proven that:

the higher the price segment of the store, the slower and quieter the music
the younger the target audience, the louder and faster the music
the younger the target audience, the more modern the music
in the morning the music should be faster, and in the evening it should be calmer
The radio is not used in the store, because the target audience is blurred and distracted by advertising.

1. store design (both external and internal);
2. store planning (more precisely, planning customer flows);
3. advertising and other tools at the point of sale;
4. color blocking- on average, a supermarket visitor scans the shelves of goods at a speed of 1.2 m/s from a distance of 2.5 meters. To make packaging stand out from hundreds of others, retailers and designers sometimes use color blocking. Its essence is that products with packaging of the same color are placed together on the shelf. As a result, a single-color block of products is created. At the same time, blocks that combine different colors can create associations that are useful for selling. For example, blocks of white, green and blue can evoke a relaxing and refreshing surf. This combination is good to use in the department where shower gels and other detergents are sold.

The opposite way of attracting can be contrast - not only in color, but also in shape. For example, a familiar product - a liter pack of juice - clearly stands out on the shelf due to its narrower and elongated packaging. Unfortunately, some stores are afraid to experiment with packaging of non-standard shapes due to the fact that they take up a lot of space.

5. merchandise ranges- no product, in theory, should “take a neutral position” in terms of impact on the buyer. So, it is better to display fruits or perfumes in front of a large supermarket or department store. This helps create a feeling of freshness and luxury. Products related to impulse purchases are placed in key positions. The joint arrangement of products that complement each other (cross-merchandising) encourages the buyer to make a complex purchase. For example, T-shirts and shorts, pasta and pasta sauce. The joint display of bread, cheese and sausage on one shelf in one large supermarket significantly increased the volume of purchases of all three products. Approaching this shelf, the buyer remembered the sandwiches and took everything he needed at once.

The well-known maxim: “full shelves sell out better” applies well to giant shopping centers, but is not entirely true in small boutiques.

6. comprehensive measures - Imagine walking into a multi-story supermarket and being greeted by a 3D head projection. As you walk, the head moves with you through the air, without visible support, and tells you about the new products in the store. Then a pair of huge lips on the glass begins to move and invites you to get acquainted with new collection winter clothes. Moreover, the lips explain, you don’t have to try it on. All you have to do is stand in front of the magic mirror, choose a clothing model, and in a matter of seconds your reflection will be dressed.

This system has been used for many years. The only problem with high-tech tools is that the buyer focuses on them instead of thinking about the purchase. On the other hand, this system allows you to attract the buyer to specific products, which, in otherwise, would go unnoticed among several thousand others in the supermarket.

The use of sound effects is widespread. Moreover, it is not limited only to the transmission of oral announcements. Sound effects can create an appropriate atmosphere in different departments of the store (for example, dynamic music in the sports department and loud sounds from video walls) or an appropriate mood (for example, forcing the buyer to move faster or, on the contrary, relaxing). There are also audio dialogue systems that can ask customers questions. Finally, using sound you can control children's attention.

To change the buyer's mood and provoke him to make purchases, various smells are often used inside the store. Science Center Chemistry company Monell in Philadelphia has launched pilot projects to study the impact of certain odors on customers. For example, the famous in this case The floral-fruity smell made casual visitors to the jewelry store linger longer. And very low levels of some odors could change an individual's train of thought and mood (for example, relaxed and trusting). In the UK, some home goods retailers use the smell of a bakery/café to entice customers to enter the store and buy goods that have nothing to do with food: clothes, lighting equipment, etc. Note that in supermarkets the smell from the fish department is not so strong , like the pervasive smell of freshly baked bread from the bread department.

There is a London-based firm called Marketing Aromatics, which offers to create “a unique atmosphere in a store, relax a patient in a waiting room, energize sales staff or evoke associations in the minds of customers” using a variety of techniques: “from central ventilation systems to hand-held sprayers, liquids, granules, gels and powders. There are even pressure-sensitive tapes with microcapsules. All this creates the desired mood, eliminates unpleasant odors, impregnating the product or corporate literature, confirming the unique feature of the company - the aromatic logo.”

For many parents, going to the store with their children is sheer agony. Children want and ask for something all the time. Some stores offer the following service. The child is given packets of yogurt upon entry. A baby engrossed in food is less capricious. And then at the exit, parents pay for these yoghurts by presenting empty packages.

Another interesting invention in this area, which also appeared in Russia, is fairy tale telling machines. They look like animals, trees or Santa Clauses. They continuously read fairy tale after fairy tale in choreographed voices, which can also captivate children for a long time.

Products for children are not recommended to be placed too high, out of sight of the child. He must see and want. It's even better if the child touches the toy. Touch is the oldest and one of the first forms of declaring the right to property. It will only strengthen the desire to own this particular toy, and the child will ask you to buy it for him.

The winning features of a product can be emphasized by properly selected lighting. General illumination also affects the buyer's reaction. For example, in a room with dim light he feels more relaxed. At the same time, a person tends to move from a less illuminated area to a more illuminated one, so dim lighting, which may be good in an antique shop, cannot be used in a supermarket.

A good way to attract additional customers is to sell products through vending machines. There are a number of goods that are very convenient to purchase this way, for example, cigarettes and drinks. Or products related to the intimate sphere, for example, contraceptives, which people are usually embarrassed to buy from real sellers.

A long-known way to persuade people to buy is to demonstrate the properties of the product in front of the consumer. For example, a special fabric stretching machine will demonstrate how durable the denim is. Or the strength of shoes, which an insensitive machine abuses, either bending them or lowering them under water.

When posting products, you can make a link to complementary products that are not included in the standard package, because it is easier to convince the buyer to immediately purchase a set of things than to come back for a purchase again. In addition, many buyers love recommendations and suggestions about which product goes best with which.

And many other merchandising tools can be used comprehensively in large stores. However, sellers are often obsessed with the idea of compact placement of goods and obtaining maximum profit from each square meter of space. This leads them to stubbornly refuse the merchandising tools provided by the manufacturer.

Interestingly, merchandising tools are the same for different countries. But each of them has its own combinations and ways of using them, just as in painting, with the same brushes and paints, pictures are created that bear a national imprint.

If we consider the essence of merchandising in more detail, we can highlight several important components:

1. Placement of POS materials. POS materials are advertising and information materials that are placed directly in the area of the store where the product is sold. Let's look at the characteristics of the main advertising media currently used in stores and the features of their use:

Today, almost all manufacturers use these technologies to attract customers. And since the competition is great, then, accordingly, manufacturers and their advertising agencies are faced with the need to choose more and more unique, more interesting, and, consequently, more effective methods product promotion. That is why these new ones are appearing today: sound, light, taste solutions.

2. Working with sales staff(sellers and sales floor administrators) - is the most important.

Store employees must understand the comparative features of the goods presented in the store. They must communicate with customers and recommend that they make this or that purchase, and must be able to talk about the advantages of this or that product. In the absence of a merchandiser, it is the store employees who can maintain the display of goods and monitor the availability of POS materials on the sales floor. Lack of proper attention by store employees to price tags, advertising materials located on the sales floor, and even their own signs often leads to simply comical situations.

Listing the most important points, forming the essence of merchandising, we understand that it is a useful applied science that combines knowledge of trading and advertising methods with the fundamentals of design and composition, elements of logistics, sociology and psychology.

No art can exist without support from psychology. The psychological basis of merchandising, as well as the basis of advertising in general, is the method of combined sensory influence on the buyer.

The sensory components of the impact on the buyer include such factors as:

Lighting. An integral part of creating a good mood and positive emotions for a store visitor. Good lighting helps to present the product favorably and thus increase sales; accordingly, poor lighting has an extremely negative effect on their volumes. The main thing here is not to overdo it! Special lighting effects attract the buyer's attention, distinguishing the product from similar ones. But the lighting, for example, should not be too bright, otherwise the buyer, literally, will be “blinded” by the magnificence of the product and will not be able to look at it - due to complete blindness.

Use of colors and color combinations. Color has a physiological effect on a person, causing bad or wellness, increasing or decreasing efficiency advertising exposure. There is a special theory of color perception, relying on which will help you choose the right colors of printing POS materials and combinations when displaying goods in a window or on a shelf in a sales area. A combination of shapes and objects. The impact on a person can be neutralized or aggravated depending on the shape of the object (attractive, intriguing, pleasing to the eye or hand), the size of the room, or a combination of both. Using the architecture of space, you can attract customers to the store or create an impression of the importance or insignificance of a particular product. It is known that shape and color combinations can be used as a specific code of influence.

Mobiles. Posters attached to the ceiling

Special price tags. Ordinary price tags, only increased in size and with the manufacturer’s logo

Posters. Typical retail decoration

Leaflets and dispensers. Same. Namely trays for handouts

Neck hangers. Price tags for bottles placed on the neck of the product

Smells can also change the buyer’s mood and provoke him to make purchases. Therefore, aromatic influences can also be used in stores. Unlike visual accents, smells have a larger area of effect. And although not all customers have a positive attitude towards the aroma in the room, many stores are of the opinion that smells are a good “lure”. It’s just important not to overdo it here: the aroma should be true, and in addition, create a feeling of comfort and lift your spirits. For example, in holidays Traditional scents of cake and vanilla increase sales to the maximum.

It is known that people react very sensitively to all the positive aspects accompanying their purchasing activities. From a psychological point of view, sellers and merchandisers are people who can link the interests and plans of the buyer with the ambitions of the manufacturer.

And yet, no matter how much merchandising is called an art, it is, first of all, a direction of marketing, and one of the most important factors determining the use of merchandising remains the promotion of goods. Merchandising begins from the moment the buyer sees the next store, and ends when the buyer leaves the store with with full hands purchases, and the manufacturer pockets the profits.

Speaking about new promising merchandising opportunities for manufacturers, it is impossible not to mention its new dynamically developing technology, namely on-line merchandising, developed in 1999 by American specialists. Its essence is to create a project management information system with on-line access. Placing such a system with authorized access on the Internet allows the agency client to personally monitor the development of a merchandising project, namely: promptly receive reports from points of sale and personally monitor sales statistics in real time.

Theory

The amount of money they are willing to spend and the time that a person is willing to spend in the sales area depends on whether a pleasant environment has been created for customers on the sales floor. These results were obtained by John Rossiter and Robert Donovan using a model they developed to assess the impact of the retail environment on consumer behavior. Interestingly, the same studies showed that store visitors do not care whether they are manipulated or not. Of course, if the manipulations do not become overly intrusive.

In this case, the urgent task for merchandisers is to decorate the sales area so that customers receive positive emotions while in it, and at the same time purchase goods that are most beneficial to the owner of the outlet. To solve the problem, there are merchandising tools that have been tested by time and practice, the use of which requires a good knowledge of the theoretical basis, an understanding of the characteristics of the store’s products and good practical skills. Since inept use of technology can lead to a decrease in customer flow and revenue, it is better to invite a real master of his craft, for example, an employee of the Klever marketing agency.

Merchandising theory states that there are several basic techniques that ensure effective manipulation of customer opinions. This:

design;
space planning;
subject semiotics;
POS materials;
color and lighting;
sound exposure (both with and without voice);
aroma;
tactile sensations;
display.

The key tools for in-store merchandising are product display and floor planning. These are the basics of designing a trading area; a mistake made in them will be very difficult to correct. In the three-tier merchandising concept, these techniques are located at the center and apex of the triangle. In any case, applying the above methods one at a time is a futile task. The required results will be ensured only by their competent combination.

Space planning

The rule that describes how to most effectively position significant points on the sales floor is called the “golden triangle” in merchandising. What is the meaning of this concept? In any sales area there are three most important points for customers: entrance, cash register and then place where the goods are located , for which they came. These places form the conditional vertices of the triangle.

The merchandiser's task is to ensure that each side of the triangle is as long as possible and filled with a variety of related products. This strategy works best for large self-service stores, but can also be useful for convenience stores. The point of organizing space in this way is to increase the time spent by the buyer in the store and the number of products he sees. In this way, an opportunity is created to make additional purchases beyond those planned. It is necessary to arrange product groups so that they influence the associative range of visitors and complement the purchases already made by the client.

When choosing places where key points will be located, it is important to remember that most often it is more convenient for a person to move counterclockwise, so that the display case with the product is on the right.

Display

This is one of the most effective merchandising techniques in retail, allowing you to quickly sell off stocks of unsold goods, attract customers' attention to a profitable new product or focus it on the store's branded positions.

Principles for placing goods on the sales floor:

horizontal;
vertical;
blocks;
display;
multi-product;
"in bulk".

Each of these options has its own advantages and disadvantages. Thus, a display layout, which involves placing some of the goods on a separate stand, remote from the main location of these items, allows you to attract the attention of buyers. The “bulk” option performs a similar function. In this case, the items to which attention needs to be drawn are chaotically dumped into a cart or other capacious object.

The multi-product method is suitable in cases where it is necessary to present customers with several product options, united by one characteristic. This display can be done taking into account the colors, shape, size and other parameters of the product.

An important part of displaying goods on the sales floor is Facing. This is the process of determining the optimal number of rows (faces) of a product presented on a shelf. If there are too many or too few, sales will decrease. Depending on what type of merchandising we are talking about, facing will depend on different parameters.

Category merchandising, that is, working with one group of products, implies the most optimal placement of this group within the space allocated to it. If we are talking about a specialist representing the interests of one company, then his task will be to win the most profitable space for his products. In the case of combined merchandising, it is necessary to calculate the number of faces so as to select the optimal facing for each type of product and at the same time place on the shelves all the items present in the assortment of the outlet.

Another concept known primarily from the merchandising of self-service stores is golden shelf. This is a shelf located at eye level for a person of average height, from which it is most convenient for him to take goods. Usually, products that are most profitable for the store to sell are displayed there.

POS materials

This term refers to a variety of means to attract the attention of buyers: flags, stoppers, wobblers, varied souvenir paraphernalia and even price tags. Some of them are used to improve facing on shelves, making it clearer and more understandable for customers, while others are used to highlight individual items. For example, wobblers placed between different faces will help separate one brand from another and draw attention to the desired product.

Price tags are the easiest and simplest way to increase the attractiveness of products. They must be clearly visible, with a clearly stated cost. When using emoticons, product images, and other graphic images on the price tag, buyers begin to show more interest in the product. Another option is a price tag that combines the new price and the old one crossed out, or a price tag with the old price crossed out and located next to the new one. This good way to interest customers, the main thing is not to use it too often. The best ratio between regular price tags and discounted ones is 80/20.

Souvenir products placed next to the product can perform several functions at once. Firstly, this is a good way to convey information about the product to consumers, since not everyone is ready to seek advice from a store employee. Secondly, beautifully designed materials can visually attract attention or, if offered as a gift with purchase, increase the desire for possession. You should not place such products to the detriment of established and proven effective facing.

Subject semiotics

To understand the essence of this method, it is necessary to find out what semiotics is. This the science of signs and their use in communication . In the retail space, the principles of semiotics can be used to highlight important groups of goods and attract attention to them.

This can be done by using signs that most buyers have a positive association with the purpose of consuming the product. You can complement the signs with the help of different colors, which also affect associative chains. This is more of a targeted method than a massive one; you shouldn’t overload the environment with various signs.

Design and Feelings

Earlier it was said that an environment that is pleasant to a person makes you want to spend more time in it and, if we are talking about a retail environment, spend more money. Other merchandising tools are responsible for how comfortable it is for a visitor to be in the sales area: design, sound, aroma, tactile sensations, light and the use of different colors.

Everything is obvious here: an unobtrusive pleasant smell that stimulates the appetite or demonstrates to visitors the properties of the product (if we are talking about coffee, perfume, etc.), pleasing to the eye retail space, etc.

These tools also have their pitfalls. Thus, using colors that don’t match or that evoke the wrong associations can turn off buyers. It is recommended to select a color combination depending on the profile of the store (pharmacy, alcohol, grocery, etc.)

It is important not to forget the principle of appropriateness : A discounter outlet that is too chicly decorated will repel potential buyers; a poorly decorated hall of a store specializing in expensive goods will have the same effect.

Music on the trading floor is also a controversial phenomenon. The work of Rossiter and Donovan found that only those who came for unplanned purchases responded positively to music. If voice announcements are used, care must be taken that they are not too intrusive or unexpected.

The task of each merchandiser is to create an atmosphere in his area of responsibility in which the emotional desire to purchase additional goods will be stronger than critical thinking. Regardless of whether you need category merchandising, exclusive or other types of merchandising at a retail outlet, it is better to entrust the work to professionals. If sales are not encouraging and customers are avoiding your store, it’s time to think about outsourcing merchandisers. The specialists of the marketing agency "Clover" have all the necessary skills; we have many successfully solved cases to our credit. We work in Moscow, St. Petersburg and others largest cities countries.