A New Season

 

This months article has to do with preparing for the new season  and how to deal with slow selling merchandise you need to move out to make room for your new purchases.

Your new merchandise will be in your stores soon and here are a few suggestions that will help make your Fall selling season more successful.

1.. Take a look at your store with critical eyes.

Start at the outside of your store and look at the front of your store from a customer’s viewpoint. Is it inviting? Does it make you want to come in? If you have displays in your window, are they timely with new merchandise that’s geared to the current season?

2..Come inside and take some notes.

Look at your store and decide if it looks like you want it to look.  Think about where you’re going to display your new merchandise when it arrives. Make an informal floor plan of your store and plug in where that new merchandise is going to be. The merchandise isn’t there now but it soon will be, and be sure you have a plan for where it will be displayed.

3.. The season is changing

It’s  August and you can see the Department and Specialty Stores starting to change their merchandising to Fall selling. You need to think that way too. Start making some displays of Fall merchandise now, Halloween and Thanksgiving  merchandise will give your store a new , fresh look to your customers.

4..Mark it down, move it out

You need to take a critical look at your merchandise and  decide what needs to go. You’re going to need that space for new merchandise soon.

Remember the two rules.

1..Don’t fall in love with your merchandise.. That means that we all make mistakes in buying. We think something will be the greatest thing since sliced bread and it doesn’t happen. When it’s gone through a reasonable time to sell, just get past the emotion and mark it down.

2..Your first loss is your best loss. This means that when you’ve decided a product has to go then make a meaningful markdown, at least 50% and get rid of it. Don’t start with a small markdown and expect to get the result you want.

Right now, I suggest you look at the markdown merchandise you already have and  decide if it ever will sell. If the answer is no, get it out of your store. Donate it to a Charity ( tax deduction) or dispose of it some other way.

Then you’ll have room for some new markdown merchandise.

Then look at the merchandise in your store with critical eyes. You probably have targeted some slow selling merchandise already. Get that merchandise marked down now and on your markdown table.. You might have a sidewalk sale if your Shopping Center permits it.

If you do the things above, you’ll be ready to display your new merchandise in a meaningful way when it arrives.

But have a plan. With a floor plan prepared that shows you where you want the new merchandise to go when it comes in.

6..Christmas selling

We all know that Christmas is the big Gift buying period . You should get a share of that Gift business. But you need to start preparing now .Your Rep has some great Gift items for your store. I won’t go into that in this newsletter, Your Rep will make Gift item suggestions.

You need to select and order the Gift merchandise you want to carry  soon . Remember the Department stores start putting out Christmas Gift suggestions before Halloween. Plant the seed in your customers mind that your store is the destination for Scrapbook Gifts in your area.

7.. Diversify

Something many Scrapbook Retailers have been doing the past few years is to introduce some merchandise into their stores other than  traditional Scrapbook products.

A good example is Card Making. I see a lot of interest in card making among Retailers and vendors. Be sure to take advantage of this trend. It’s been developing for a while and I can see

It getting stronger. Don’t miss out.

Good selling this Fall

Sandy