BUILT FOR GROWTH Expanding Your Business Around the Corner or Across the Globe

Chapter 6. Merchandising: Maximizing Your Profits

A DISCUSSION OF MERCHANDISING usually begins with some of the basic principles: Have clear sight lines; that is, arrange the furnishings so that customers can see all of the main displays, all the way through the store. Make it easy for customers to move from one shopping area (“grazing area” in retail parlance) to another. Provide a visual attraction, focal point, or a necessity at the back of the store to draw customers farther in past more products. Provide a smooth, obvious route through the space and an efficient checkout process so the customer leaves with a positive impression. All of these rules are important, but they are presumptuous. They presuppose that the customer is already inside ...