We talk often about the importance of retail merchandising – especially visual merchandising – when it comes to highlighting and promoting products for sale. But brand merchandising is just as important. Effective branding not only establishes specific products, or families of products, as must-haves for shoppers, it gives your store a familiar sense of place and promises a predictably pleasant shopping experience.

To be successful, then, your marketing strategy must incorporate brand merchandising. That’s easier when you understand how it influences shoppers.

The psychology of purchasing

Every customer wants the best value. But value means something a little different for each of us. Brand merchandising emphasizes the unique traits that set one product (or store) apart from competing items. It tells or shows shoppers why this product will benefit them the most. This helps them make a buying decision and confirms they are making the right one. Having identified the product as “the right one for me,” your customer has, in effect, bonded with your product and brand.

The experience of shopping

Brand merchandising speaks to the entire experience of buying your product(s) or frequenting your store. Nordstrom is long-famous for personalized, “can do” service. Starbucks provides a consistent, homey environment where you can work or hang out, that just “happens” to sell coffee. In your business, you strive to know your clientele well and offer merchandise targeted just for them. That’s your brand promise.

Think of brand merchandising as a holistic approach that appeals to shoppers via as many senses as possible, in tangible and intangible ways. The more ways you can connect emotionally with customers, the more your bond is strengthened. And the more you can personalize their experience, the better.

The visuals of shopping 

While aromas and flavors and music lend depth to your customer’s experience, it’s visual merchandising that permeates every aspect of your brand. In your store, visuals aren’t only displays of items for sale, they are everything your customer can see, from lighting to packaging, signage to what your sales associates are wearing. Every element reflects – and reflects on – your brand.

This is why consistency is critical. You have to carry that consistency in color, themes and overall presentation across all your marketing channels, in-store and online. For specific products, that includes third-party sellers. How can you ensure the kind of consistency that turns your store or product into “the one” for shoppers?

• Make yourself easy to identify and well-differentiated from competitors
• Be intriguing enough to create an instantly positive impression

Once customers have committed themselves to your brand, you’ll be able to rely on them just as they’re relying on you. If you deliver a consistent, recognizable, and positive experience, they will continue to buy from you. That’s why brand merchandising matters.