Make the Most of Your Merchandise

Display related merchandise on both sides of an aisle, rather than around a gondola where the customer can see only half the merchandise at a time. Cross-aisle merchandising makes many department’s stock seem more complete.

Shelf space — Shelf space is wasted when a store:

• Overstocks one item while understocking another
• Fails to refill bins or shelves when the basic stock is reduced
• Stocks the same items in several places
• Uses the wrong shelf profile
• Does not relate shelf space to customer demand fluctuations

It’s more effective to merchandise vertically. That is, display similar goods up and down, on perfboard and shelves, rather than stretching them out along a gondola. The display is more attractive and it’s a lot easier to reorder and restock.

Wall-fixture profiles — Although the shelf profile is only one element in effective display, it’s an important one. The way the shelf is placed on the fixture is only one element in successful merchandising. How you arrange the merchandise on the shelves is also important. Three quick tips:

• Show as much as possible. Most large stores try to avoid backroom stock.
• Display the most profitable items between belt and eye level.
• Never display a single item. Use the “good, better, best” approach so the customer has a choice of quality.

Information provided by the National Retail Hardware Association and Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors of America.