Merchandising is a set of strategies adopted by brands and retailers to optimize the presentation of products and their encounter with the consumer. It is a determining factor in the retail industry. It is the art of organizing, arranging and presenting products in such a way as to stimulate sales and meet consumer expectations.

In the context of the physical store, merchandising encompasses product range management, product presentation and visual communication, all with the aim of arousing consumer interest and leading to the act of purchase.

The Importance of Merchandising

As mentioned in our article "What ismerchandising and how can it be optimized to increase sales?", merchandising is of crucial importance for several reasons. First of all, it highlights a product's strengths, reinforces the brand's impact and creates differentiation from the competition. Customers enter stores with high expectations in terms of the shopping experience, and well-executed merchandising can meet these expectations. Attractive displays and fluid organization of products can make the act of buying more enjoyable, keeping customers coming back for more.

What's more, as the number of products available on the market increases, so does the importance of merchandising. Customers have less and less time to shop, and merchandising is the ideal tool to help them understand what's available.

To encourage impulse buying, which is often decisive for sales, brands cannot overlook the central role of merchandising, in particular product presentation and point-of-sale advertising (POS).

The Three Facets of Merchandising

Merchandising can be broken down into three distinct facets, each with a specific role:

1. Organizational merchandising: aims to simplify the search for products by structuring their layout.

2. Management merchandising: the aim is to optimize product visibility by adjusting proximity, height, width and the number of units and references per unit.

3. Seductive merchandising: This is the most common form of merchandising today, focusing on the creation of attractive, seductive shelves using POS and other merchandising techniques.

In conclusion, merchandising is an essential tool for retailers to optimize sales and enhance the consumer's shopping experience. It encompasses a variety of strategies designed to attract customers' attention, simplify their shopping experience and encourage them to make spontaneous purchasing decisions. In an increasingly competitive retail world, merchandising remains an essential pillar for long-term success.

However, successful merchandising isn't always easy, and that's why we're here!

At Retail VR, we offer innovative tools to simulate customer journeys and optimize your merchandising. With our virtual reality platform, we help our customers to optimize the visual merchandising of their points of sale.

By modeling POS and decoration elements, and automatically creating 3D planograms, you can easily create a store that reflects your image, with visual merchandising that can be tested before going live. Our tools are easy to use, so you can be even more productive. Our centralized SAAS platform enables you to modify your entire assortment at the click of a button within your virtual points of sale, speeding up your execution in physical outlets.

‍

Boost your efficiency and offer your customers a unique experience with Retail VR

‍