Elevate customer experience and boost sales with strategic remerchandising techniques
Optimizing your sales floor to reflect post-market purchases in home furnishings stores can significantly impact your sales. Lori Friedlander, a seasoned consultant for the home furnishing industry, shares her insights on remerchandising and focusing on how design and strategy can boost sales. This comprehensive guide delves into key components such as store layout, merchandising mix, and cohesive branding to help you transform your retail space into a revenue-generating powerhouse.
The Fundamentals of Remerchandising
1. Evaluating Your Store Layout
An effective store layout is crucial. It not only helps in organizing the products but also enhances the customer experience. When thinking about store layout, consider the following:
Entrance: Ensuring that the entrance is open and uncluttered is the first step to making customers feel welcome.
Navigation: Aisles should be at least three feet wide to avoid tripping hazards and to make movement easier.
Accessibility: The store should be easy to navigate, helping customers find what they are looking for without confusion.
2. Crafting the Right Merchandising Mix
Understanding your merchandising mix will allow you to make data-driven decisions about which products to display. This involves:
Styles and Price Points: Identify which styles and price points dominate your sales and allocate the right amount of floor space accordingly.
Square Footage Per Category: Ensure that the floor space for each category (e.g., upholstered beds, sofas) reflects its contribution to overall sales.
Branding: The Silent Ambassador
1. Visual Storytelling
Design acts as a silent ambassador of your brand. Effective visual merchandising can:
Reflect Brand Identity: Your store should tell a visual story that aligns with your brand’s image and values.
Engage Customers: When customers connect with your merchandising, they are more likely to engage and make purchases.
2. Consistency Across Touchpoints
Your brand should unfold consistently across all customer touchpoints, including:
Music and Temperature: Maintain appropriate levels to keep customers comfortable and inclined to stay longer.
Scents and Ambiance: Signature scents and enjoyable music can evoke positive emotions and brand recall.
The Importance of Store Maintenance
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Daily Interior Checklist
A well-maintained store signals to customers that you care about their experience. Key elements to monitor include:
Lighting: Ensure all lights are functioning and correctly pointed.
Cleanliness: All surfaces, furnishings, and accessories should be clean and dust-free.
Product Display: Keep displays full and well-tagged to avoid confusion and frustration among customers and sales associates.
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Seasonal Updates and Replacements
Regular updates are essential for keeping the store fresh:
Seasonal Displays: Timely updates give customers reasons to revisit the store.
Product Holes: Avoid empty slots, as every square foot should generate revenue.
Strategic Merchandising Decisions
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Historical Data and Market Analysis
Before making any merchandising decisions, it’s essential to consult historical data and gather input from sales staff and customers. This ensures that your choices are not just data-driven but also customer-focused.
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Performance Analysis
Analyze the performance of each vignette:
Sales Per Square Foot: Identify and replace poor performers while expanding successful ones.
Stock vs. Special Order: Adjust floor space based on current sales trends and customer preferences.
Leveraging Lifestyle Merchandising
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Customer Personas
Using lifestyle merchandising to create relatable vignettes can be highly effective. Ask yourself, “Who lives here?” and build vignettes around your ideal customer personas. This strategy enhances customer engagement by making them envision your products in their own homes.
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Color Coordination and Accessorizing
Streamline your market trips by adopting a specific color scheme for different styles. This helps in quickly identifying what accessories and decor items are needed, making the shopping process less overwhelming.
Effective Collaboration with Vendors
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Data-Driven Vendor Relationships
Maintain a balanced relationship with vendors:
Sales Percentage by Vendor: Ensure that the floor space allocated to each vendor reflects their contribution to your overall sales.
Avoid Emotional Decisions: Base your purchasing decisions on data rather than personal relationships.
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New Product Training
Proper training for your sales staff on new products ensures they are comfortable and confident, leading to better sales performance.
Remerchandising your sales floor post-market purchases isn’t just about rearranging furniture; it’s about strategically transforming your space to better reflect your brand and meet customer needs. By focusing on effective layout, cohesive branding, regular maintenance, and data-driven decisions, you can create an inviting and engaging environment that drives sales and enhances customer satisfaction. Remember, your store is more than just a place to sell products; it’s a visual story unfolding across every customer touchpoint.
