Spring 2008

Organize Your Sales By Jeanette Driscoll

Tips for Merchandising

Host how-to clinics to help customers effectively manage organization projects. Reynolds at the International Housewares Association says the post-holiday period (January), tax time, and spring and fall home cleaning seasons are the best promotional periods for these products.

With 30 chapters around the county, the National Association of Professional Organizers has many regional events that retailers can tie into. These events include vendor showcases and expos, seminars, workshops and contests. Association president Standolyn Robertson, who once owned a gift shop, suggests establishing relationships with personal organizers. “These professionals want to refer a customer to a store that they know and can depend on to offer good services and products,” Robertson says.

Use vignettes. “Lifestyle displays always work well—[set] up a variety of products in a vignette showing how they will be used and how they can work together. Otherwise the customer may not be able to envision the various uses and combinations,” says Bilik of Knock Knock.

Bundle. As with other products, bundling can work well with organizing products too, says Bilik.

Soroka, of Delphinium Home, says that while displaying these products in a store can take up a lot of room, the payoff is worth it. “Use storage displays as a color punch, a decorative motif. Stack boxes in all color combinations. We’ve made a huge display, 4 feet by 8 feet tall. It takes a lot of space, but it’s worth it. You have to show it,” Soroka says.

Jeanette Driscoll

Jeanette Driscoll is an experienced retail trade writer and an award-winning market analyst. She specializes in covering current trends in the market through insightful use of market research data. Driscoll can be reached at savvyinfo@rcn.com.