There is one in every industry, organisation and retail space. The often silent contributor that hides in plain sight, the glue that helps it all hang together, the unsung hero.

In retail, it is merchandising. It goes by relatively unremarked when done well, but done poorly it leaves customers feeling frustrated and dissatisfied.

Merchandising is a broad term but for the purposes of this article it is the activity of promoting the sale of goods, especially by their presentation in retail outlets. This can include anything from product displays, to fixtures and shelves layout. It is the merchandisers’ job to make sure they maximise the potential of the stock, and their ability to do this well has a massive effect on sales and profit.

The efficient management of the retail space has a strong, often subconscious, influence on consumers’ shopping behaviour. We would even go as far as to argue that retail merchandising, done properly, makes in-store shopping preferable to shopping online. People are less likely to buy products when only a few products are left and they are displayed in a haphazard and untidy fashion. Effective retail merchandising can encourage consumers to buy the premium versions of the products that they are looking to buy and it entices customers to select items that go well together, from other departments. In short, it encourages up and cross selling, tempting consumers to make those impulse purchases.

To achieve high quality retail merchandising takes a tremendous amount of time and effort. It requires a huge workforce on the ground to cover the various activities involved. These include facing, ensuring the product is displayed to its best advantage; stocking up, to ensure adequate supplies; inventory control; arranging products according to corporate merchandising standards; the placing of price tags, which also need to reflect any price reductions and/or special promotions; as well as the cleaning and rotating of products according to expiry date. This arrangement and positioning of products is part of a well-orchestrated plan to designed to engage customers and increase sales.

For any brand, retail merchandising is an essential yet cumbersome task. Guaranteeing the quality and consistency of merchandising across dozens of retail spaces in multiple cities can be an onerous undertaking and many brands outsource this to experienced agencies, such as FMI.

The advantage of outsourcing is that an agency such as FMI has the manpower with the knowledge, skill and expertise to execute a professional and seamless retail merchandising service. Understanding the subtle, yet crucial art of merchandising is fundamental to driving sales instore. If you require assistance with your retail merchandising, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team to discuss your requirements.