Selectability is a term coined to represent the increasing complexity in selecting merchandise. Issues at the shelf include sizing, compatibility, language, technical information, and brand clarity. Selection is a process of elimination.
The wine merchant has first categorized them into whites and reds. If the consumer wants a red wine, for instance, he can immediately eliminate […]
While each store is unique, consumers use some natural biological patterns to move through a store. The direction they turn upon entering a store, how they approach an aisle, or how long it takes them to notice merchandise after they walk into a shop are more a function of human nature than cognizant behavior. Harnessing […]
Learning about your most valued customers depends on determining the size and distribution of each identified segment. Groupings may be established on a variety of attributes:
1. Age
2. Gender
3. Income
4. Education
5. Lifestyle
Life Stage
Household Size
Ethnic and Cultural Background
9. Geography
These are traditional groupings and must be used in the context of your more targeted segmentation. They should be […]
A. Competing in the New Marketplace
Your competition is not just another online store—nor is it just retail, nor just catalog. Today, it’s every store, and tomorrow it will increase even more. The more you know about your competition, the more you’ll know about how to acquire and retain customers.
Understanding your competition will help you […]
Managing Multiple Stores and Shelves
In the process of selling through one channel, it’s important to consider all the other selling motions. At any given time, customers can have access to any one of the stores—whether they are physical, virtual, or in print. Multiple channels spawn additional stores, and the proliferation creates a variety of ways […]
What am I doing wrong? I guess they don’t have it,” Charlotte muttered to herself while she attempted to hide her frustration. The fact is the major retail website Charlotte was exploring did have the product she was looking for; she just couldn’t find it.
Charlotte is representative of hundreds of shoppers who participated in major […]
Misusing Research
Research is intended to provide information to make decisions and strategically influence the programs you design or implement based on new insight. It is not intended to substantiate a given position. If the research you conduct contradicts your prior data, you must be open to reevaluating your results.
Research helps you not only target and […]
The following techniques incorporate the best practices from retail and catalog merchandising and blend them with technology innovations to create a profitable and satisfying online store. The online store provides its own best practices that are part of its technological inherent nature. It is this hybrid combination that creates new methodologies for merchandising.
Each online store […]
