How do you develop and train your merchandising staff and foster a culture of excellence and creativity?

Merchandising is much more than the above. In a retail organization, Merchandising is the revenue-producing area. Merchants set the strategy for the business and collaborate with cross-functional partners (marketing, legal, store operations, planning, etc)to execute these strategies. They use data and customer insights to set the assortment strategy and constantly evolve it to adjust to the changing macro environment. Merchants understand the company's customer base and partner with product development & design to develop relevant products to surprise and delight her/him. Merchants are looking to the future while managing the present to achieve the metrics (revenue, turn, and margin).

Merchandising revolves around the art of storytelling. Let's face it – in the museum business, we offer items that are not "necessary" in life. Consider the typical array of mugs, t-shirts, and magnets – do you truly need another one? We're really selling a narrative, a memory waiting to be shared, a means of supporting the place that piqued their interest enough to visit. It's about more than customers acquiring an item; it's about connecting. Our shoppers become ambassadors, introducing friends and family to the place that left an impression on them. Our merchandising skills evoke that feeling of connection, sharing, and understanding the purchase supports our mission. Retail for a reason. Profit for a purpose.

Merchandising and marketing are two distinct yet interrelated concepts within the realm of business and sales. Merchandising refers to the activities involved in presenting and selling products or services to customers. It focuses on the physical aspects of product display, packaging, pricing, and placement within retail environments. Merchandising aims to maximize sales by attracting and engaging customers through visual appeal, effective product positioning, and creating an enjoyable shopping experience. In summary, merchandising is concerned with the visual presentation and selling of products, while marketing encompasses a broader set of activities aimed at understanding and satisfying customer needs and promoting products or services.

I agree! Merchandising is so much more and is typically the backbone to any successful retail business. Throw an off price strategy in there and you add even more complexity and a whole lot more profit!

In the world of business, a Merchandiser is like a conductor of profit, weaving a symphony of proactivity, steadfastness, and solution-focused thinking. Possessing a natural go-getter spirit, they steer clear of procrastination, sidestep unproductive time drains, and remain on the righteous path of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). It's a dance of vigilance and initiative, marking their journey with operational finesse and financial success.

Merchandising and sales are two interrelated aspects of retail operations, but they refer to different functions within the overall retail process. Key aspects of merchandising include: 1. Product Selection: Determining which products to carry based on customer demand, market trends, and profitability. 2. Product Placement: Strategically arranging products in-store to optimize visibility, accessibility, and cross-selling opportunities. 3. Pricing and Promotions: Setting competitive prices and running effective promotions to drive sales and increase customer interest. 4. Visual Merchandising: Creating compelling displays, using signage, lighting, and other visual elements to attract attention and enhance the shopping experience.

Sales and merchandising are complementary strategies that work together to create a positive customer experience and build a strong brand. Sales focuses on direct interaction and closing deals, while merchandising focuses on the visual and aesthetic aspects of presenting products to customers. Both are essential for a successful business, and they work together to create a positive customer experience and build a strong brand.

Merchandising also entails working with many cross-functional partners, and therefore influencing, communication and storytelling are crucial skills that merchants need to be trained. These skills are indispensable when merchants are presenting to stakeholders within or beyond the company, so that they can effectively transfer product knowledge, build enthusiasm for customer solutions and describe the benefits for the end-user. The ability of taking people on a journey to get them on board with the merchandising strategy is a sign of a well-trained merchant.

Merchandising is a backbone department of any Retail or distribution company. It is very important to train merchandisers with special skills to achieve the company's goal. Basic merchandising skills can be taught easily but it's very necessary to make merchandisers more skillful by giving them trainings like awareness of the ethnicity of the markets, improve and maintain the market shares of the Company's Brand, Brand should always get attraction of the consumer, Competition activities awareness and lot more. These skills and knowledge training would boost the company's brand to the top in the market.

We must arrange training sessions for skill development of the team. First of all, we need to set goals and standards we want to achieve. Most of the cases, we should focus on communicative skills and technical skills. Some soft skills are also highly encouraged to develop specially google sheets, outlook and AI. There should be clear SOPs to follow.

In my experience of 16 plus years in retails, merchandising plays a vital role in any product development from concept to the shelf. It’s compulsory that they know the necessary skill set related to the product starting from planning level to customer to the shelf so they’ll be able to do justice to the final product to get on board. Providing them right training would definitely take them where you want them to be in terms of a good skilled merchandiser and always encourage them to achieve best of their abilities and reward them where it needed.

DATA Do the work preparation in advance. accumulate the right information . Transferring the right information to the right person At the right time . Analysis of past and forecasting the future.

Merchandisers are limited to the policy of the business where the product is displayed. Some merchandisers lack the engineering experience to be building displays over 4' high. I have seen displays collapse many times, so the fundamentals of merchandising. Following preplanned display building instructions is a good idea. The purpose of merchandising is to sell more. We used to say, more show, more go. The key is to figure out the perception of the product the display offers. For produce, the perception is fresh. Grocery, the perception is buy more save more, as examples

Para fomentar uma cultura de excelência e criatividade, estabele?a uma vis?o clara, promova a colabora??o, valorize a inova??o, estimule o aprendizado contínuo, dê autonomia aos colaboradores, promova a melhoria contínua, comunique-se abertamente e tenha uma lideran?a inspiradora.

To foster a culture of excellence and creativity for your merchandising staff, create and maintain a positive and supportive work environment, and encourage and inspire them to innovate and improve. Encourage your merchandising staff to think creatively and strategically, and to experiment and test new ideas and approaches. Involve and empower your merchandising staff in the decision-making and problem-solving processes, and solicit and value their input and feedback. Celebrate and share the successes and learnings of your merchandising staff, and foster a culture of collaboration and learning. Create and maintain a clear and shared vision and mission for your business, and align your merchandising goals and strategies with them.