Most expecting women, in their second and third trimesters, prefer to wear maternity clothes. Today, there are so many maternity merchandise options from department stores and discount superstores to women’s clothing stores and boutiques. Styles range to suit the needs of all pregnant woman including designer, trendy, cheap, athletic, plus size, formal, swimwear, business attire, sleep and lingerie, outerwear and more.
So, what can you do to differentiate yourself from competitors, as well as ensure your business’s success? Effective merchandising in your store will catch your target customer's attention, and entice them to make a purchase. Your space is your most productive sales associate; how you go about optimizing your floor is a science and the proven results can be easily replicated.
1. Make smart buying and merchandising decisions
-Understand your customer base and keep price points in mind at all times.
-Have the right mix of products in your store making sure to think about gender colors and prints.
-Accessories allow you to provide up-sell, they are easily replenished, yield a nice margin and require minimal space.
2. Keep your target customer in mind
-The majority of your audience will be pregnant women, make your space practical and welcoming; chairs are a must, racks should have enough space to maneuver, and merchandise should be kept at eye level.
3. Focus on "sales per square footage”
-Decide on a floor layout, test it, then change it, and test again for results until you achieve your optimal result.
4. Get inspired
-There are resources available in the form of blogs, boards, and more…jump online and get some ideas.
5. Sensory branding
-Use visual cues like colors and lighting, play mellow music enticing customers to browse and relax, give customers the ability to touch and try out products, and create a distinct pleasant smell to control both emotion and memory.
6. Merchandise display
-Set up your merchandise display in a way people identify with and could envision on themselves using mannequins or staff.
-When creating a display, arrange your products in three’s.
-Work accessories into apparel displays for up-sell.
-Gift packaging and point-of-purchase displays are effective, especially for bath and body products.
-Larger, well-stocked displays with more variety create more attention.
7. Group like products
-Entice consumers to buy more. Grouping creates attention and prevents wandering and confusion.
It’s also important to recognize that the field of merchandising encompasses a lot of distinctive retail design topics that were not discussed, like window displays and signage, but utilizing these simple tools will help you stay ahead of the competition.
