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To
determine the focal points of your store, walk in the front door
as if it was the first time. Notice where you look first. What do
you see next? Which way does your head turn? Have your staff follow
this procedure, and write down the points they notice first. Use a
consensus of opinions to redefine the most important display areas
in your store.
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The “big buy spot” is near the front entrance and should
establish your store’s image, attract attention and showcase new
merchandise. It also can be used for impulse items and exotic
merchandise. Unusual items that stand out should be included in your
inventory and should be featured regularly in the “big buy spot.”
Many florists also believe that it is important to display the
merchandise in which you have made the highest dollar value
investment in your initial point of customer contact.
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Other important focal spots are behind the “big buy spot” and to
the right and to the left. These areas can be used for rotating
items that have been used in the “big buy spot” display previously.
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The cash register should be as far away from the entrance as
possible to expose customers to your whole line of merchandise. The
cash register counter should be attractively decorated. It’s also
the perfect place for impulse merchandise in the $10 to $35 range.
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Smaller shops can benefit from creating aisles in the form of an
“X.” Merchandise displays can be clustered within the indentations
of the “X” outline, with the inverted “V”-shaped space at the bottom
of the “X” being the “big buy spot.” This pattern invites customers
to walk throughout the store.
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Display merchandise in a variety of price points. Although the
overall look of a display may be elaborate, each display must
comprise merchandise that a wide variety of customers can afford.
For example, if a customer is drawn to a Victorian display, a
high-priced brass container may invite him or her to that area, but
there needs to be a less expensive piece that may be made of plastic
but looks like brass. In addition to maintaining merchandise in a
wide variety of price ranges, don’t overlook the importance of
ordering an adequate amount of stock for all of your prominent
display points.
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Don’t clutter up your store. Many retailers forget that
customers need space to move around the store comfortably. Limited
walkway space has been shown to make people feel confined and want
to get out of the store as fast as they can.
How
to lay out and merchandise your shop for the holiday rush