Assume Multiple Personalities to Merchandise

Richard Gottlieb, publisher of Global Toy News and respected authority on the business of play, describes a problem that could be robbing you of profit: A company Mr. Gottlieb was working with wanted to bring to market games designed for senior citizens. Both the game pieces and the print fonts were extra large. But the people responsible for buying games for retailers had trouble conceptualizing in which department these senior citizen games would be merchandised. Games are for kids, not for the elderly.
     The way around this problem is the peanut-butter-and-jelly principle of product adjacencies, but with a psychiatric twist. The PB&J principle is that we stock the jellies on shelves close to where we shelve the peanut butter because when a shopper puts a peanut butter jar into the shopping cart, they're likely to start thinking, “Where’s the jelly?”
     The psychiatric twist is that we take on a bit of multiple personality disorder. No, not the pathology portrayed in the Showtime series “United States of Tara” about a woman with what’s formally called Dissociative Identity Disorder. Instead, let’s think creatively about what different sorts of personalities would be looking for in your store and where would they expect to find it.

• In a dialogue with Mr. Gottlieb, branding expert Carol Spieckerman suggests that retailers follow the example of battery merchandising. Batteries are at multiple locations. Think of all the different places the customer might be interested in what you’re offering. Coach your store’s buyers and merchandisers to relax division by department.
• But batteries are small and inexpensive. You can’t stock the foot massagers at ten different locations. So in place of the item, use signage saying, “Also looking for a foot massager? They’re on Aisle 7.”
• Listen to your customers. Ask them, “What items would you like to see in our store that we don’t have now?” If it turns out that you do have the item, notice where the customer is standing and place the item or signage right there.

     Could be that the senior games would offend seniors. Research from Ghent University and Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School suggests, ironically, that the intended audience will think gigantic game pieces and super-large print are for young children, not mature elders. But the lesson from Mr. Gottlieb’s example would still hold. So when merchandising, be ready to assume a variety of shopper personalities.

Click below for more:
Prime Customer Interest with Adjacencies
Ask Customers What You Didn’t Have
Market to Seniors, Not to Elderly