Effective Merchandising Tips

Incorporate critical merchandising tactics into your business plan with these three useful tips.

Small Biz, Small Design

If you are running a brick and mortar store, you are probably renting a space that caters to your needs. However, the space may work more for your financial rather than your selling needs. While support for small business may be growing, your sales don’t appear to be on the same upward trend, because your [...]

How to Improve Cash Flow

Strong, positive cash flow is a must for any thriving retail establishment. The benefits of positive cash flow are numerous.

Off-price Buying: Strategies and Pitfalls

When a store is able to procure off-price merchandise from a supplier, it can serve to generate several benefits.

Revamping Your Visuals

While you may not have the budget to do a complete signage overhaul, there are several cost-conscious ways to boost your business’s visual communications strategy in 2012. Consider these creative and innovative ideas: 1) Wall Decals and Graphics. Wall decals can transform a space from boring to impressive. Consider the merchandising possibilities for placing goods [...]

Open to Buy Planning

The formula for open-to-buy (OTB, a financial budget for retail merchandising) planning is not difficult. To start, look at planned sales. Where do they come from? Most independents get into trouble right out of the gate, by getting this segment of the planning process wrong. A common, albeit incorrect approach, is to plan monthly sales [...]

The Importance of Proper Timing: Setting up Inventory Deliveries

Establishing ideal delivery start and completion dates for inventory orders can be just as important as price points.

The Power of New: Fresh Merchandise Means Better Sales

If over 30 percent of your inventory stock is old, you have a problem that needs to be addressed now.

Understanding Open to Buy Planning

Results of poor open to buy planning or no planning can be quite costly and generally lead to inventories that are out of balance.

Avoiding the Common Mistakes of Classification Merchandising

Items in a classification must be kindred, having the same end use such as similar markup and turnover goals, as well as like selling patterns.

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