Feeling the strain of heavy competition? You simply must make your merchandise stand out, or it won’t sell, no matter how great it is. Presentation is everything. You have to catch your customer’s eye, beckon them closer, and get them to pick up your product. If they do that, they’re more likely to buy. That’s why merchandising matters. Any type of retailer can adopt our best practices for how to merchandise profitably.

Perk up your overall presentation.

Frequently refresh window displays so they unmistakably convey one message: “fresh and new products inside, right now.”

Avoid a layout that features endless straight aisles. They almost beg shoppers to hurry past, rather than lingering to look. More prominent endcaps, fun island displays, curving or angled pathways, and interactive kiosks break things up, create an air of excitement, and encourage browsing.

Use color for display fixtures or store decoration to reinforce your store’s brand. Experts suggest using two key colors plus another one for accents. Color changes also help designate specific departments.

Perk up your displays.

When it comes to individual displays, interesting use of color and shapes guarantees an instant glance and a long second look. Perfect.

And speaking of shapes, your store will look more welcoming and enticing if you vary the height of displays. You can arrange multi-sized fixtures in groupings, or stack products in a pyramid or other shape. Remember two things: eye-level is most visible, and counter-level invites touching.

In a specialty store, you’re the merchandiser, with full control over each display. You may sell branded items, but you don’t pit them against one another. However, if you’re a manufacturer whose products sell in a grocery or similar store, your brand competes for shelf space. Your merchandising not only has to appeal to shoppers, it has to appeal more than similar adjacent products. Here’s how one chocolates brand transformed boring gondola space into a head-turner.

Pull it all together.

The power of suggestion promotes up-selling and cross-selling. Group higher-priced options with everyday-priced products, and show shoppers entire ensembles – like fully accessorized outfits, teapots with teas and pretty cups, or kayaks with oars and personal flotation devices.

Remember that lighting and signage are critical elements. Both draw attention to products, but in different ways.

Learn the four types of bad displays. Better yet, learn the six types of good displays. And track your sales by display, so you’ll know how to merchandise even more effectively in the future.

The number of customers who are on a mission to buy something specific is dwindling. Instead, shoppers are entering your store with an open mind, hoping you’ll show them something new or special. That’s true across every type of retail operation.

Knowing how to merchandise effectively adds come-hither allure to your displays and must-have appeal to your products. You can increase sales and increase the likelihood customers will keep returning to see what else is new and different. Move over, competition.