Cross-merchandising

Every storeowner wants to increase sales, but not everyone knows how. For this purpose, merchandising was invented. It is a direction in marketing that is responsible for the method of selling goods in the store.
Merchandising is designed to determine the set of goods sold in a retail store, ways of displaying goods, supplying them with promotional materials and price tags. Today we will talk about one of the techniques of merchandising - cross-selling. Cross-merchandising (or complementary merchandising) is aimed at stimulating sales with a special product layout: related products are displayed next to the main product. Accordingly, cross-selling is an additional sale of related goods to the main one. What is the main product, and what is the accompanying one?

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This type of merchandising has rules that will help increase an average check:

Let 's take an example:
The client came to buy a laptop. A laptop is the main product, and what can act as a companion? Most likely, such goods will be covers, special bags, wipes for wiping the screen, and so on.

Usually gift sets are composed according to the rules of complementarity of goods. Now only metrosexuals use shaving brushes, but in premium cosmetics stores there is a shaving gel and a brush made of natural pile on the shelves.

Rule 1. Different categories

A product of one product category and a product accompanying it, but from another category, are displayed together. For example, sauces are often exposed above freezing.

Rule 2. The relationship between goods

The main and related products are to be displayed in such a way that the client immediately understands their relationship. Thoughts “why is this item being sold here?” should not arise. The aperitif to the table is often grouped according to the principle of cross-merchandising. Cheese plus pear, honey, nuts. If you want to increase sales, you need to use an unusual combination — the client will try a new one, and he probably has already bought the usual combinations with honey and pear.

Rule 3. Visibility

An additional (complementary) product should be noticeable to pay the customers attention on it and thinks about the purchase.

Rule 4. Distance

The client should come for one product and not waste time looking for an additional one: the goods should be located as close as possible to form a logical connection.

Rule 5. Formation of sets

You can offer your client a comprehensive solution: this primarily concerns clothing stores. For example, you can offer a hat or scarf from a new collection to a coat: this way the customer will buy more, spending less time.

Basic techniques of cross-merchandising

Pair layout

A pair layout is the simplest method for grouping goods. In this case, you can combine one type of main and related product. For example, a laptop and a case for it.

2. Thematic zone

The thematic zone works on the principle of “anything for anything". In this case, you can combine more products. For example, the island “prepare your child for school”: a suit, new shoes, a backpack can act as basic goods, and pens and pencil cases can act as additional ones.

3. Situational sector

The situational sector is similar to the thematic zone, but additional purchases in this case will not be planned and conscious. For example, in a flower shop, you can place an entire department next to the flowers, which will have shovels, new fertilizers and pots. These products are related to plants, but the client hardly planned to buy everything until he saw them.

It is important to understand that placing goods once and enjoying endless profit will not work. Seasons change, customer tastes also change. You have to monitor sales figures and then change the techniques and layout in accordance with them.