A MERCHANDISING TOP TEN LIST BEST PRACTICES MADE SIMPLE

Tips By Merchandising Guru Ali Levy, Alijlevy@gmail.com 1. Reading is Fundamental! If you havent read Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping by Paco Underhill, pick up a copy as soon as you can. This book introduced us to iconic retail catch phrases such as the butt- brush effect, helped us identify our stores decompression zone and taught us how to shop like a man. Published in 1999, many of his theories withstand the test of time. He has since released a new book dealing with marketing specifically to women, entitled What Women Want. A great companion piece to his books is his website, envirosell.com. 2. Dude: Wheres my Camero? As with redneck hairstyles, store merchandising should follow the rule of business in the front (new arrivals and hot sellers) while party in the back (sale merchandise) should always reside in the back section of your store. Even if you are trying to blow out last seasons winter boots, displaying them in prime real estate which is the front of the store, sends the message that new merchandise isnt as important to you or your customer as getting rid of those old boots are. 3. Follow the Yellow Brick Road: Equally as important is to create a cohesive flow of traffic. Its a well- known fact that grocery stores guide you through the produce section first and always position the everyday staples such as milk and eggs way in the back, therefore deliberately making you shop the entire store. You should employ this principle in your store as well. Spend some time moving fixtures around and walking the route until it feels natural and directs your customers exactly where you want them to go. 4. Wait how do I get to the yellow brick road? Signage is important. I believe the statistic stands at around 3 seconds that a consumer will spend reading a sign. That means signage needs to be large enough to read and to the point. SALE, NEW FOR SPRING, MENS OUTERWEAR, etc. Stay away from hand - made signs (hand -made signs can be great when used in the correct context like a crafty window display). Stick to computer generated signs and invest in matching sign holders. You can visitgrandandbenedicts.com for options. I also like carlson-store-fixtures.com. 5. Let There be Light (preferably not fluorescent!). This is by far the most overlooked element to a retail space. Creating the best lighting to showcase product and highlight window displays requires some research. I suggest you start looking up while at trade shows and when shopping in grocery stores, book stores and other retail outlets. Get a sense of the good, the bad and the ugly in regards to lighting and discover what appeals to you and what makes you want to run out of a store. Good places to look for lighting resources are: ddimagazine.com, home improvement stores, even places like Ikea may offer some affordable solutions. 6. DUDE: WHERES MY SWIFFER? Lets face it. A clean store is a happy place to shop. My personal favorite dust bunny wrangler is the Swiffer. You know the drill: clean windows, glass display cases, mirrors, fixtures and dressing rooms on a regular basis. Invest in a good vacuum. Stockpile extra light bulbs when they go on sale and replace them religiously. Keep the area behind the cash wrap free of food, coffee mugs and clutter. 7. KEEP IT FRESH! The importance of rotating stock couldnt be more important right now. With manufacturers producing less and shrinking OTBs, refreshing your floor on a regularly scheduled basis is essential. Window displays should change every 2 weeks. Your entrance display should change weekly. Your weekly sales reports will identify slow movers and you should plan your floor change based on these findings. Same idea applies to vendor POP. Keep it fresh, updated and seasonally relevant. 8. COLOR THATS EASY AS ABC! Remember in grade school science we learned ROYGBIV? Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. I use this a lot when merchandising. It helps me put same style items in multiple colors together in a

manner that is pleasing to the eye. Another color guideline is to limit how many shades you have on a four way fixture. 3 5 colors are good. Anymore and it gets confusing. Use this same principle for wall displays. Check out pantone.com for color guidance and inspiration. 9. FIXTURES, ETC. Its important that your store maintain a uniform look. Using vendor supplied fixtures is a great way to showcase the brands you carry. If using generic fixtures, keep them consistent. Bear in mind the basics: keep signage and fixtures at eye level and dont obstruct the natural line of vision towards the back of the store. Furthermore I cant stress the importance of mannequins and body forms. They are instrumental in helping your customer put outfits together and guiding them on proper usage. They also provide high cross merchandising opportunities by adding shoes, skis, packs, goggles, etc. Check out ozmannequins.com. I like these because they are lightweight and made in the U.S.A. 10. FINALLY, CREATE A LIGHTS ON TO LIGHTS OFF TO DO LIST: Most stores do this anyway, but if you dont then create a spreadsheet that has daily to-do duties on it with boxes next to it to check off when each job is complete. Better yet laminate this and use dry erase markers so you can reuse it each day. This gets employees used to keeping the store neat and tidy every day. As they say, if you have time to lean, you have time to clean. To do

What not to do

SIA is working with visual merchandising consultant Ali Levy, to provide Members with some fresh merchandising ideas for increasing sales and interest from buyers. Levys impressive resume includes managing retail, buying and trade show/retail merchandising efforts for some of the industrys biggest names including The North Face, SmartWool, Cloudveil and Marmot. For more information about her company, contact Ali at Alijlevy@gmail.com or visit her website, www.alijlevy.com.

Top 10 Internet Marketing Strategies

Internet marketing can attract more people to your website, increase customers for your business, and enhance branding of your company and products. If you are just beginning your online marketing strategy the top 10 list below will get you started on a plan that has worked for many. 1. Start with a web promotion plan and an effective web design and development strategy.

2.

Get ranked at the top in major search engines, and practice good Search Optimization Techniques.

3.

Learn to use Email Marketing Effectively.

4.

Dominate your marketing niche with affiliate, reseller, and associate programs.

5.

Request an analysis from an Internet marketing coach or Internet marketing consultant.

6.

Build a responsive opt-in email list.

7.

Publish articles or get listed in news stories.

8.

Write and publish online press releases.

9.

Facilitate and run contests and giveaways via your web site.

10. Blog and interact with your visitors.

By following the above tips you'll be on your way to creating a concrete internet marketing strategy that could boost your business substantially.

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