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Chapter 2 Leaders Know Their Strengths and Weaknesses Either you move forward and grow, or you step back and gain safety. Abraham Maslow The better you know and understand yourself, the better you make decisions and the higher you get

* Calculations use average data for Russia

As William Wells said, "The store is the meeting point of the customer, the product and the money." And thanks to the art of merchandising, the meeting place can be changed to better side possible at any time.

In order for the meeting of the “buyer, goods and money” to be successful, it is necessary to provide the most favorable conditions. It is the creation of these ideal conditions for sale that the science of merchandising is engaged in. The term merchandising comes from the English "to merchandise" - "trade" - and means, respectively, the art of sales, or marketing within the walls of the store (according to the same Wells.)

Like any science, merchandising is multifaceted and requires a lot of special knowledge. We do not set the task in one article to reveal all the subtleties of the organization of sales in the store, our task is different - to suggest a direction for you and try to give general recommendations in the specified area.

Entry group requirements. Sales start at the front door. It is when looking at the front door that the buyer forms a desire or unwillingness to enter the store. Therefore, in terms of space organization, the doorway should be wide enough (so as not to put pressure on the client) and well lit. If there is a constant congestion at the entrance, then the client may get the feeling that the store itself is quite crowded, which means that an impressive queue will have to be defended at the checkout. It is strictly not recommended to place on entrance doors negative information such as “purchased goods are not subject to return and exchange”, “stationery department under repair”, etc.

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The mall is like a labyrinth. Having entered the store traditionally, the buyer begins to move counterclockwise around the perimeter, and it depends on the skill of the merchandiser how long the buyer will stay on the trading floor. And here the specialists of the store go to all sorts of tricks. The classic way to get a customer to walk around the entire store (and therefore make unplanned purchases) is to place departments with consumer goods in remote locations. Almost everyone noticed that in order to buy a loaf of bread in a supermarket, it is necessary to show the skill of an experienced detective.

And in order to purchase tea for the purchased muffin, you will have to thoroughly delve into the labyrinth of racks. At the same time, the enticing smell of smoked meats will surely take you somewhere to the side, and along the way you will certainly get sweets for tea.

Sound effects. In Western supermarkets, in order to keep the customer in the store as long as possible, attention-getting techniques are used, such as the sound of the surf in the fish department, the clinking of glasses in the alcohol department, or the babbling of a stream in the department. drinking water. In general, the soundtrack has a significant impact on the behavior of buyers. According to research by American scientists, the right music (taking into account the specifics of the bulk of visitors) can increase the duration of the buyer's stay in the store by 18 minutes. And how many purchases will he make in these 18 minutes!

Color solutions. Color contrasts are an obvious way to attract attention. They are the basis of any promotional materials used in the store. Scientists have proven that red and blue colors have a strong stimulating effect, while green can reduce the activity of buyers. In general, color in merchandising is used not only to shade the goods themselves, but also to create the overall atmosphere of the store. So, a light floor makes you step faster, while a dark one creates a feeling of strength.

Display of goods. The location of goods on the shelves is traditionally the most popular and well-known direction of merchandising. And this is natural. Sellability largely depends on the presentation of goods on the shelves. So, ceteris paribus, the best is to place the goods on the right on the shelf at eye level and near the cash register. And if your product is also in the neighborhood of the most purchased product (the so-called “magnet product”), you can expect a significant increase in sales.

In general, you can influence the level of sales simply by moving it:

from chest level to eye level - plus 63%;

from the level of the belt to the level of the eyes - plus 73%;

from the belt level to the lower shelf - minus 43%.

At the same time, goods located on the lower shelves are perceived by buyers as the best-selling and cheapest. The same feeling of increased demand is given by the display of goods on floor displays.

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The distance between the racks also has a significant impact on sales - the farther the buyer is from the rack, the more items he can see.

Also, when placing goods on the shelves, it is worth considering the gender of the buyer. It has been noticed that women usually do not pay attention to the topmost shelves, and men immediately find the necessary departments, but often do not see the goods under their noses.

price tags. And finally, about the price tags. Often, store owners pay insufficient attention to this invariable attribute of goods. But often the buyer does not take the right product simply because he cannot find the appropriate price tag.

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Another common mistake many stores make is not considering the customer's viewing angle when placing price tags. For example, a price tag located on a shelf above your head should be slightly tilted down, standing on a shelf at eye level should be strictly vertical, and price tags on lower shelves should be tilted back, up to horizontal placement near the floor.

The size and location of information on the price tag should also be carefully considered. Depending on the distance from the eyes, the font size should change, and the style itself should be as simple and readable as possible. It is desirable that price tags with information about similar products have a single format.

And the last recommendation: if possible, try to place homogeneous products in ascending order of price. In this case, even without finding the appropriate price tag, the buyer will be able to imagine a price range, and hence make a purchase decision.

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“Many went broke because they tried to buy a penny cheaper,” said B. Franklin. We will rephrase the politician’s statement and clarify: “Many went bankrupt trying to SELL a penny cheaper.”

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Making decisions on the organization of merchandising on the trading floor of the store begins with determining the assortment positions and the necessary sales stock, which must correspond to the sales area, the image of the store, and its target audience. Then the issue of planning the trading floor of the store is decided.

The layout of the store in accordance with merchandising technologies includes the distribution of the trading area into departments, sections, the location of racks and goods on them, determining the route for the movement of buyers along the trading floor, which allows distributing the cognitive resource and physical potential of visitors adequately to the goals of the retail store. commercial enterprise and other participants in the producer-consumer chain.

The rational distribution of the area of ​​the trading floor and the correct placement of equipment, goods and calculation units, as well as the targeted organization of the movement of customer flows in the store are among the most important and priority tasks of merchandising specialists.

Work begins with the selection of a suitable premises for the organization of work on the sale of goods and customer service. Practice shows that the most convenient and optimal form of a trading floor is a rectangle with an aspect ratio of 2:3 or 1:2 and a height of at least 3.3 m.

In the store you can always find the corners that are least visited by customers, they are called "cold zones", and the places that are visited most often, they are called "hot zones". The job of the merchandiser is to find a way to turn cold spots into hot spots. For example, in fig. 2.1 shows a diagram of a trading floor, the configuration of which contributes to the formation of a "cold zone", if certain measures are not taken to prevent its occurrence.

The reason for the formation of a "cold zone" in this case is due to the fact that people, by their nature, as a rule, do not want to change the direction of movement. In our example, if the buyer flow is directed counterclockwise, a small part of potential buyers will visit the far corner, and most of them will continue to move, bypassing this site.

To turn a cold zone into a hot zone, the merchandiser can use the following options:

1) change the movement of the customer flow by creating a barrier of commercial equipment or placing a calculation node in its path in a clockwise direction. At the same time, most of the buyers will not find the corner and will go to the end;

2) influence the direction of movement by reducing the lighting in the right corner and widening the passages in the left part of the hall;

3) place in the right corner goods that are more attractive to buyers.

At the same time, practice shows that buyers prefer to go counterclockwise and along the edges. This leads to the formation of a "cold zone" in the central part of the trading floor. Therefore, merchandising specialists must attract customers to this part of the sales area using various means that redistribute traffic routes and the attention of visitors.

Enter exit

Rice. 2.2. Change in the direction of movement of consumer flows, preventing the formation of a "cold zone":

· buyers move in a counter-clockwise direction - the main stream;

· buyers move in a counter-clockwise direction - visitors to the "cold zone";

Buyer flows are oriented in a clockwise direction - the main flow

Probable characteristics of the behavior of the buyer at certain stages of his movement on the trading floor:

1. Purchase zone - the visitor has fully adapted to the environment; passionate about making planned purchases; stimuli are not perceived.

2. Return zone - the buyer has reached the goal and is free; feeling of relief and reduced attention; easily influenced and dependent on external stimuli.

3. Adaptation zone - the buyer easily reacts to stimuli and can evaluate them; unconsciously looking for an answer to the question of what to spend the money saved when achieving the main goal.

4. Exit zone - the buyer speeds up the passage to the checkout; does not linger.

In the adaptation zone, it is desirable to place goods that have:

1. Consumer characteristics are well known to the visitor.

2. Objectivity of perception does not require a great concentration of attention.

3. Possible distortions of perception are not related to consumer properties goods.

In the shopping area, goods known and necessary for the visitor should be placed.

Having selected the necessary goods, the buyer has reached his goal. Nothing delays him and he speeds up the passage to the checkout. At this stage of the buyer's journey, attention-grabbing factors such as shape, size, color, smell, position, and so on can be manipulated. This section of the visitor's route and part of the trading floor is conditionally called the "return zone".

Merchandising is based on the psychology of the buyer's behavior in a confined space. On the trading floor, merchandising is used, firstly, to present the goods, and secondly, through the exposition, the client's choice is influenced. Thirdly, merchandising stimulates the desire to buy more goods (of this particular brand, in your store).

"Product in its place" (an article about merchandising)

Word MERCHANDISING it is difficult to translate compactly into Russian. In some manuals, the translation “store building” is found. Yes, not very bulky. But not close to the functional essence of merchandising - the architectural context of this word is very strong. Although merchandising has nothing to do with construction. It is easier for residents of French-speaking countries - there "merchandising" is sometimes translated by the word "etalage" (etalage), which means "laying out goods on a window and counter." However, the layouts are different. There are those that are made for reasons of general aesthetics, according to the law of still life (“so that it is beautiful”). And there are also active expositions - based not only on the laws of artistic composition, but also on the methods of psychology, carrying a certain message, an impulse addressed to a person. This is the realm of merchandising.

MERCHANDISING was first used by representatives of large concerns - such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Wrigley "s, whose goods belonged to the category of goods of impulse demand. Therefore, these firms decided to use the opportunity to influence customers to the maximum - at all stages of the movement of goods. Concerns carried out analytical work and came to the paradoxical conclusion that two-thirds of shoppers entering a retail store do not yet know what exactly they want to buy. And if they do, they don't know what brand. It turned out that retail stores are the last frontier between the buyer and the seller, when you can influence not only the work of the seller, but also the nuances of the product display. Western experts came to the conclusion that the correct exposure gives an increase in trade turnover from 12 to 18%. Therefore, soon merchandising began to be used not only in working with goods of impulse demand, but also in the trade in goods of other groups.

WHERE TO BEGIN?

All of us, citizens, live in a tense rhythm and move along the streets at a fairly high speed. And we go to the store at the same speed. It is necessary to "slow down", to make the buyer move through your store more slowly, "thoughtfully". What need to do?

If the store consists of several floors, then the staircase in the hall makes the buyer slow down. Placement of advertising and information structures at the entrance serves the same purpose. Finally, a delicate change in the trajectory of movement: the buyer enters the store lobby in a straight line, but when moving from the lobby to the trading floor, he is forced to turn. So, speed reduction is achieved.

The second point is the trajectory of motion. Most people are more comfortable moving around the hall counterclockwise. The buyer should be given this option. In this regard, the so-called "actual path" was thought out - bypassing the perimeter.

Observations show that 80-90% of shoppers walk around the perimeter of the store and only 40-50% enter the middle zone of the self-service store. It is more convenient for the buyer to take the goods located on the right in the direction of his movement.

The third point is the visual vertical. Products on the shelves are located at eye level, above eye level, at hand level and above floor level. First of all, the buyer pays attention to the goods located at eye level. In this regard, 40% of the goods should be placed at eye level, 20% - above eye level, 30% - at hand level and 10% - above floor level. This is the optimal placement. At eye level, it is recommended to place the most popular products. It is more convenient for us to view the goods from left to right and from top to bottom - our gaze moves in the same way as when reading. The buyer should have the opportunity of such a familiar inspection.

It is not recommended to place the goods too high. As the vertical distance from manual access, the "purchasability" of the goods decreases. A separate case - demonstration samples. It is not forbidden to place them even under the ceiling - there they are most noticeable. A similar demonstration technique is often applied to large-scale soft toys, sporting goods.

A harmonious color scheme of the interior and commercial equipment contributes to the creation of a comfortable atmosphere.

Another nuance that is typical for self-service stores: customers are buying up goods, and the shelves are gradually emptying - here and there, “clearings”, voids are formed. It is necessary to prevent the appearance of such gaps and promptly report the goods to empty areas. Otherwise, the buyer begins to experience discomfort. He must feel that there is a lot of goods, that he is new. The feeling of "an unopened treasury" for the buyer is better than the contemplation of emptiness.

Fourth moment. Entering the store, the buyer goes to the section with the goods he needs, then turns to the checkout. That is, it moves along a triangular trajectory. The zone formed by these vectors was called the golden triangle by the merchandisers. It is necessary to ensure that the buyer spends the most time in this golden triangle. Finally, the area of ​​the golden triangle can be increased.

Fifth nuance. Any buyer comes to the store with a subconscious mindset "Don't make me think and search." That is, the goods should be located so that they are easy to find. For the buyer, once or twice not finding the product he needs, will simply go to another store. Goods should be easy to find - with the help of information structures, the location of the goods.

There are no identical supermarkets: each store has its own list hot commodity, the buyers of each of the stores are different, so there are no absolute recipes. The optimal share of commercial equipment in the store space is 40%. The rest of its area is intended for the movement of buyers. Crowds and tightness should not be. When locating the equipment, it is necessary to find out in detail the specifics of the turnover, to accurately determine the zoning of seasonal and non-seasonal goods.

TRADING GEOMETRY

There are several types of equipment location. The first is perimeter, when people move along the wall racks, and in the center there is an island rack or a group of racks. Another type is two streams: one along the perimeter, the other between the racks. The third type, by the way, ideally corresponding to a 40% share of equipment and giving 60% of the area for the movement of customers, is racks located diagonally inside the perimeter, at an angle, in the manner of parquet tiles. In Western supermarkets, this scheme is very popular. But, unfortunately, the high cost of retail space does not allow the use of this type of arrangement. Another disadvantage of such an arrangement is that our people, in the presence of transitions between stands, begin to move chaotically. But in boutiques, such an organization of space is used more often and, moreover, is typical for stores of this category.

So our main "polygon" will be a supermarket with the layout of the first type, as the most typical.

There are also few types of rack arrangement - horizontal arrangement, vertical arrangement. And the so-called display type, when a separate stand (usually with an individualized design) is allocated for a certain brand or thematic group of goods (sewing supplies, kitchen accessories).

EYE YES EYE!

The main factor is the presence in the store inventory. If you don't have enough working capital for its operational replenishment, then the most reasonable way out would be to reduce the trading area. If you have to save on retail space for the sake of investing in inventory - save. Just don't let your bottoms be empty. The emptiness of the shelves is a negative psychological nuance. The buyer once saw an empty shelf, another time - and now, he had the feeling that he had not been shown something. The regiment was taken away, but not shown.

In addition to controlling inventory, it is also necessary to analyze the turnover according to the preferences of buyers. The product that is in the highest demand should be placed on the most the best places and be always in greater stock.

A hot commodity first of all disappears from the buttocks, so regular restocking is necessary. This procedure must be done in such a way as not to disturb customers. Need to define optimal time merchandising.

Entrance area, checkout area - the most active areas for the presentation of goods. If you do not use a basket system with full access to the goods, but a combined one (with counters), the visual presentation of those goods that cannot be picked up should be as comfortable as possible for the buyer: the overview should be the most complete, and the price tags should be as informative as possible. .

No less active viewing area are the end parts of the racks. In the direction of travel, the end sections of the island racks are visible quite well. It is there that it is recommended to place additional points of sale, promotional products or information about the product. It must be remembered that the main points of sale and additional ones in terms of assortment must match. That is, a person can see the goods both at the main and at an additional workplace. By withdrawing a product from the main point of sale and transferring it to an additional one, you thereby reduce the number of seconds that the buyer can spend on reviewing the product, while the main intention of merchandising is to increase the time that the buyer devotes to contemplating the product, capturing his consumer attention.

When analyzing inventory and turnover, it is necessary to accurately identify goods of maximum demand, periodic demand and impulse demand. When you place all this on the trading floor, you need to mix these groups without tying them rigidly: high-demand goods, then medium-demand, then again high-demand. Thus, there is, as it were, a pulling of interest from goods of high demand to goods of medium demand. Due to the inertia of visual perception, the buyer pays attention to these goods.

* EXAMPLE 1.

In one of the supermarkets at the very end of the rack, at the bottom of the stand, there is mineral water. This is a fairly popular product in the summer, it is always there. Items are changed on the top shelf. In winter there was honey. Now there are juices. Mineral water is a more popular commodity, but it is not located in the most popular place. But at the same time, a very large percentage of buyers buy mineral water. And thus the turnover of the upper shelves is spurred on.

* EXAMPLE 2.

"Regular powder" and "OMO" are in different price groups. Pensioners buy Ordinary Powder, wealthy people buy OMO. You can not mix these goods, but place them in different zones: "Regular powder" - closer to the entrance (so as not to drive grandmothers deeper into the store), "OMO" - among the goods for the middle class. After all, the buyer is more comfortable in the commodity environment that corresponds to his social level, his self-esteem.

When placing goods on the shelf, it is necessary to take into account the factor of substitute goods. For example, meat and fish are a pair of substitute goods, sugar and honey are also substitute goods. Mixer and food processor with mixer function are replacement products from the industrial group. So, it is inappropriate to place substitute goods in the immediate vicinity of each other, because the buyer in this case will choose any one component of this pair. And we need him to choose both. Or, to put it literally, I would buy both sugar and honey.

Expired goods are not allowed. A product with a shorter shelf life should be more accessible to the buyer - located closer to the checkout, closer to the entrance, so that a person can see it and buy it as quickly as possible. An example is simple, but egregious: in one of the firms where the merchandising training took place (the firm sells stationery), there was a calendar for 2000 on the window (!!!). By doing this, you immediately tell the buyer that you have serious problems with the prompt purchase of goods. You can’t “artistically” sign your weakness!

If several brands are placed on the trading floor, then representatives of manufacturing companies usually require compact placement of all products under their brand. But for the buyer it is not always convenient. For example, a customer is more likely to search for brand “X” shampoo by category (where all other shampoos are) than by brand (where other “X” products are). The manufacturer, of course, is more impressed with the second option. The best compromise would be the organization of an additional trading place, where the entire range of products under the brand name "X" will be presented monolithically, on a corporate display. Despite the commitment to trademarks, in the field of household chemicals and cosmetics there is a tendency to rotate the popularity of trademarks. consider and promote not only trade marks but also commodity groups.

NUMBERS, LETTERS AND PICTURES

A lot of requirements fall on a person who is engaged in the placement of goods in a store, and they are sometimes diametrically opposed. On the one hand, the manufacturer expresses its compositional priorities, while the buyer says: “No, it’s so uncomfortable for me, I want it differently!”. The simplest and most objective criterion in favor of one or another layout can be considered only an increase / decrease in sales in a given retail space.

Price tags must clearly indicate their "native" product. In stores with small retail space, a high density of display leads to a mixture of price tags on racks and gondolas.

* EXAMPLE 3.

However, the most puzzling placement of price tags happened to be observed in large supermarket on one of the main streets. So, in a large chest freezer lay seafood - the same type (shrimp, crab sticks, mussels), but different brands. And their price tags were hastily taped to the upper edges of the chest. Moreover, some of the plates fell off, fell inside the chest and flashed among the products that were stirred up by pensive buyers. The use of this chest strongly resembled a game of children's loto. But it is unlikely that the prospect of thoughtfully compiling a pair of “product / price tag” will please an adult who is always in a hurry.

Advertising materials placed on the stands or next to the stands should not block the view of the product. They must advertise the product that is in your store, must be current and in good physical condition. It often happens that advertising materials that manufacturers supply trade organizations, and remain quietly aging in stores. The firm has several advertising campaigns changed, another product line began to unwind, and “shards of time” are decaying into the smell.

Only regular visitors will not immediately pay attention to the new advertisement placed on this place - the eye is “blurred”, the place is “seen”, they stopped noticing it. So it's better not to allow promotional products to stay for a long time - in this case, it does more harm than good.

The place of sale must be clean, and the goods must not be defective or damaged - this is an elementary truth! When unpacking consignments of goods, embarrassment is not uncommon: something woke up, something leaked. Traces of "these little tragedies" must be removed immediately! Clean! And, if possible, so that as few visitors as possible have time to see the incident. The argument “We don’t have a cleaner yet, she comes in the evening” in this case is just baby talk.

ADDITIONAL POINTS OF SALE

If you place an additional point in a more active zone (at the entrance, at the checkout), this place can contain either a product that is in high demand (to further increase sales) or a product with reduced demand (also, of course, to increase sales ). But at the same time, he should not disappear from the main stand.

If you place goods at an additional point that are poorly sold from the main stands, then this point should by no means resemble a warehouse or, even worse, a dumpster. By the way, this is strange: in Western supermarkets, large baskets with all sorts of illiquid trifles for 10 cents look presentable and attract the public. And in our country, an attempt to repeat this model often gives rise to a "garbage can with a price tag." Almost like in the old Soviet joke: “How many times we have collected a meat grinder, it still turns out to be a tank again.” If the point of sale of illiquid assets turns out to be similar to a dump, then it is better to refuse it altogether.

And the last point of the movement of buyers in the trading floor is the cash desk. Through the checkout, you can promote the assortment that you could not place on the trading floor.

* EXAMPLE 4.

In one shop, whose specialization is stationery, every edible trifle for an office lunch is sold at the checkout - sugar, tea, coffee bags, instant noodles. The main buyers of this store are clerks from nearby offices. In the hall it is impossible (more precisely, it is not allowed) to combine stationery and food, but the closed cash box With good overview very suitable for this.

PROMOTIONS

The requirements for them are the same as for static advertising materials: a product that is demonstrated in action (for example, the Tefal pancake maker) or is the object of a tasting (dairy products, confectionery, drinks) should be freely sold on the main trading places. The promotion stand should not interfere with the movement of buyers, and the information provided at the time of this promotion must match the information that you usually convey to your buyers.

All of the above is just the basics of merchandising. There are many nuances in this area. And although even with the translation of the term there is still no complete clarity, some useful literature has already appeared. But these are just textbooks, there is theory. And the problem books - here they are, around. Well, no fluff, no feather!

Igor Smolnikov,
Siberian Trade Newspaper #16/2002
The editors thank the consultants
Russian-German business center
Elena Voronkova and Inna Dortman
for help in preparing the material.

reader rating: 578 out of 1166 found this review helpful

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