Intimo più mare n° 196 - Luglio 2014

ENGLISH TRANSLATION
INSTRUMENTS on page 14
THE GOLDEN RULES OF MERCHANDISING
Tips from the MASH Company in Paris for optimizing store performance
The secret to a successful, well-functioning store can be summed up
in one key term: merchandising. The MASH Company, which for a
long time now has been presenting its retail displays at the Parisian
fairs serving the underwear and beachwear sector, has revealed the
golden rules of merchandising in a series of targeted workshops.
“First of all, it is essential to understand what is meant by merchandising”,
explained Hélène Genter of MASH, who was also in charge of
the workshops at the most recent Salon International de la Lingerie
in Paris. “Merchandising is all about putting oneself into the shopper’s
shoes, presenting the best product at the right moment and
at a competitive price, offering a sufficient quantity and ensuring
effective placement in the store window, an appealing presentation
accompanied by adequate information. Managing the merchandising
makes it possible to optimize the selection of the various segments
featured in the stone (men’s and/or women’s underwear, men’s and/
or women’s beachwear, hosiery, accessories, etc.) as well as the
commercial performance. The type of merchandising we could call
seductive serves to create environments, to set shoppers dreaming, to
kindle desire and promote purchasing. Organizational merchandising,
on the other hand, serves to create a shopping track of path, while
making the best use of available space. Conceptual merchandising
has more to do with display / store furnishings and is meant to make
it easier to access the product in the store”.
THE BASICS OF MERCHANDISING
According to research conducted by MASH, the basics of good
merchandising involve promoting sales by means of a clear, coherent
selection, while at the same time enhancing it by creating a little
world, telling a story, stimulating the imagination and making the
shopper who comes in the store dream. Indeed, 50% of the women
who walk into a store do so for the simple pleasure of looking around
and investigating the new collections.
“Merchandising should serve to encourage shoppers to indulge in
impulse purchases rather than planned ones”, explain the experts
from MASH. “It should also generate an experience, a sort of pathway,
composed of pleasant surprises and the latest new developments in
order to maintain at a constantly high level the desire to purchase
which tends to fade the longer one remains in the store (from 100%
to only 10%), so the shoppers should also be entertained and have
fun in order for them to want to remain in the store longer. The longer
they stay in a store, the more likely they are to make a purchase. In
the store it is important to define the so-called hot zone (featuring
the products intended to stimulate impulse purchases, the most
up-to-date items) and the cool zone (necessity items) and to vary
the respective display techniques in order to avoid confusion and
monotony. It is useful to present complementary products together
in order to promote multiple sales. When it comes to the display units
it’s best to select pieces with different heights, starting with the lowest
display pieces at the entrance and gradually increasing height as you
move to the back of the store and against the walls. In order to ensure
the well-being of shoppers entering the store, the COS (coefficient of
occupied space) should be kept to less than 35% and this number is
obtained by dividing the surface area taken up with furniture by the
overall floor space of the entire store. The furnishings should be as
little noticeable as possible, with the emphasis always on the product.
The furnishings and display units should never obstruct the passage.
The walls can serve to help convey a theme, while the central display
pieces serve for the presentation of the different worlds of products.
The dressing rooms should never open toward the store entrance in
order to ensure a sense of privacy and security for the customers.
The dressing room seating should be appropriate for the size of the
particular dressing rooms. And the lighting should be adequate, a
very important consideration”.
THE SILENT SALESPERSON
Store merchandising is to all intents and purposes a silent salesperson.
The goal of any store is to sell as much as possible to as many
customers as possible, earning the greatest possible amount of money.
The merchandising of a store may be either vertical or horizontal.
“Horizontal merchandising involves putting everything at the same
level”, explained Hélène Genter. "Vertical merchandising tends to
highlight the various different brands. The ones that are arranged in
the highest and the lowest positions are, naturally, less visible. The
lowest positions should therefore be reserved for less expensive items,
while the higher areas should feature the most expensive products”.
The advantages of the vertical approach: it offers all the brands the
same degree of visibility; it facilitates rapid identification of the brands
and product categories, enabling the shopper to more easily take in
the entirety of the selection; it provides a pleasant sensation of an
easily understood, clear selection. The disadvantages are the following:
it requires a sizable storage facility which takes up a lot of precious
store space. The advantages of the horizontal approach: it provides
the sensation of a wide selection, making it possible to present a wide
range of brands and categories with less storage space required for
each product. The disadvantages are the following: it penalize certain
brands depending on the level at which they are displayed; it may
tend to create the impression of a lack of order.
THE WINDOW
The research conducted by MASH revealed that women spend no
more than an average of five seconds in front of a store window. And
three is the key number to bear in mind. There are three focal points,
three different height levels (one for each focal point), three colors at
the most that should be utilized (minor, intermediary, major), and three
products or groups of products. 160 cm represents the ideal height
for displaying products in a window (more or less corresponding to
the eye level of an average person).
“The window has to capture the eye of people passing by on the
sidewalk”, explained Hélène Genter. “It should therefore be highimpact
in order to motivate a pedestrian to wander on into the store.
It should elicit an emotion response and even inspire a sense of admiring
wonder in passers-by. We have used marshmallows as if they
were snow flakes or accumulated a lot of the same products. For sale
situations the best policy is to create a stage prominently featuring
just one product. Remember, the window is a store’s calling card”.
“It’s better to change the windows more frequently, the ideal time
between window changes is two weeks” commented Hélène Genter
of MASH. “It’s mandatory to display prices in windows. Product tags
and labels may be concealed or not prominently featured”.
Windows are constructed using a pyramid type of construction process.
The three key points for arranging the products in the window
are a hot point, i.e. one that naturally tends to attract the greatest
attention, then a so-called major point and a minor one, always calculated
by tracing imaginary lines between the bottom of the window,
the sidewalk and the gaze of passers-by. One always assumes that
a window has only five seconds to capture the attention of people
walking by. There are different kinds of windows. In the case of a
single-item window the pedagogical message involves the presentation
of just one product and this strategy is usually employed in
the luxury sector. A creative message in the intimate apparel sector
utilizes lace as the symbol of lightness. The pedagogical message in
the case of a multi-product window, on the other hand, is based on
the concept of accumulation; the repetition of a simple item tends
to capture attention and this strategy is reserved almost exclusively
for sale situations. The creative message may involve the utilization
of sweets or other products evoking an association with the pleasure