How you display your merchandise is a very large part of making the sale. From working in retail for many years and managing a floral shop, I have a few thoughts on the subject that I’d like to share with you.
-Cleanliness
I can’t empathize this point enough. No one wants to pick up merchandise that is dusty or covered with smudges. Sparkling clean shelves and dust-free stock is a must if you want to sell. The floors should be swept up and nothing in the walkway where the customer is browsing. The counter should be clear of everything but what is pertaining to running the register, any displays of sale items, clearance or things of that nature.
-Pricing
How many times have you picked up an item in a store only to put it down because it wasn’t correctly priced? Yes, you could have asked the sales clerk how much it was, but did you? The majority of customers will just put the merchandise back and walk away-----a lost sale! Making sure the price is prominently displayed with the correct price will make sure that’s one more step in making that sale.
-Sales
When you put merchandise on sale, place it in a spot that will grab the customer’s attention. Have the stock arranged attractively and the sale price marked where it can be seen. Make sure that nothing in the display was moved from another area that isn’t on sale. This can cause a problem if the customer thinks it’s the price of the sale. You will either have an unhappy customer if you don’t sell it at sale price or an unhappy boss if you have to sell it at the sale price.
-Display
Displaying the product to catch the eye of the customer is important. Use of color, lighting and visual aids can make all the difference. You want the customer’s eye to travel smoothly. A jumbled up pile of stuff not only is distracting, it’s unprofessional. If you have crystal or glassware to display, make it sparkle by putting light by it. You have vases that are an array of color? Place them to their best advantage. Offset them with the opposite color on the color wheel if you don’t want everything to match. Have something that is a little subtle? Display it on a pretty piece of material that draws attention to it. Groupings of like items is also another way to attract the customer.
-Idea Usage
Okay, so you overbought on the white vase with the pink polka dots. What do you do with 24 of them and how do you move them? Well, they can be used as vases for Valentines Day, true, but what about for the other days of the year? How about using them for vases of pink and white flowers for baby girl bouquets? What about for a little girl’s birthday? Mother’s Day? A lot of times thinking outside the box can move stock that has been sitting or you have too much of. You just have to brain storm and see what you can come up with. Some of the best ideas are ones that you wouldn’t think would work.
These are just a few ideas that have worked for me and hopefully they’ll work for you. Displaying merchandise correctly is the key to making a sale.
By Linda Lee Ruzicka
Linda Lee Ruzicka lives in the mountains of Western PA , happily married and with her 8 cats and three dogs. She has been published in Twilight Times, Dark Krypt, Fables, Writing Village, June Cotner anthology, The Grit, Reminisce , the book, Haunted Encounters: Friends and Family. She also does freelances work for Nexxt and Saleshead.com. For further reading of Linda’s blogs, you can go to Saleshead.blog.
-Cleanliness
I can’t empathize this point enough. No one wants to pick up merchandise that is dusty or covered with smudges. Sparkling clean shelves and dust-free stock is a must if you want to sell. The floors should be swept up and nothing in the walkway where the customer is browsing. The counter should be clear of everything but what is pertaining to running the register, any displays of sale items, clearance or things of that nature.
-Pricing
How many times have you picked up an item in a store only to put it down because it wasn’t correctly priced? Yes, you could have asked the sales clerk how much it was, but did you? The majority of customers will just put the merchandise back and walk away-----a lost sale! Making sure the price is prominently displayed with the correct price will make sure that’s one more step in making that sale.
-Sales
When you put merchandise on sale, place it in a spot that will grab the customer’s attention. Have the stock arranged attractively and the sale price marked where it can be seen. Make sure that nothing in the display was moved from another area that isn’t on sale. This can cause a problem if the customer thinks it’s the price of the sale. You will either have an unhappy customer if you don’t sell it at sale price or an unhappy boss if you have to sell it at the sale price.
-Display
Displaying the product to catch the eye of the customer is important. Use of color, lighting and visual aids can make all the difference. You want the customer’s eye to travel smoothly. A jumbled up pile of stuff not only is distracting, it’s unprofessional. If you have crystal or glassware to display, make it sparkle by putting light by it. You have vases that are an array of color? Place them to their best advantage. Offset them with the opposite color on the color wheel if you don’t want everything to match. Have something that is a little subtle? Display it on a pretty piece of material that draws attention to it. Groupings of like items is also another way to attract the customer.
-Idea Usage
Okay, so you overbought on the white vase with the pink polka dots. What do you do with 24 of them and how do you move them? Well, they can be used as vases for Valentines Day, true, but what about for the other days of the year? How about using them for vases of pink and white flowers for baby girl bouquets? What about for a little girl’s birthday? Mother’s Day? A lot of times thinking outside the box can move stock that has been sitting or you have too much of. You just have to brain storm and see what you can come up with. Some of the best ideas are ones that you wouldn’t think would work.
These are just a few ideas that have worked for me and hopefully they’ll work for you. Displaying merchandise correctly is the key to making a sale.
By Linda Lee Ruzicka
Linda Lee Ruzicka lives in the mountains of Western PA , happily married and with her 8 cats and three dogs. She has been published in Twilight Times, Dark Krypt, Fables, Writing Village, June Cotner anthology, The Grit, Reminisce , the book, Haunted Encounters: Friends and Family. She also does freelances work for Nexxt and Saleshead.com. For further reading of Linda’s blogs, you can go to Saleshead.blog.
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