Merchandising High Tickets Items

One of the more common questions that I get is about how best to merchandise high ticket items in a retail store - items like Spas, Outdoor Kitchens, Fire Pits and Patio Furniture.

These Items need to be treated and displayed in a lifestyle vignette fashion, meaning you can’t just “set it and forget it”.

But you should also departmentalize your items. It’s always a good idea to create a backyard scene with a Spa, Outdoor Kitchen, and Patio Furniture on a Paved Patio, but you can have too much of a good thing. Yes, the customer wants to see the lifestyle of all your products merchandised together, but you must be careful to ensure that these types of displays do not deplete the main product display and make the space look disorganized which could have the opposite effect on sales. In other words, it can be more impressive to see 6 Spas displayed in an area together versus spread throughout the store.

I recommend that you create ONE outdoor lifestyle “WOW” display, then back it up with well thought out departmentalized displays of products. Make sure that those products make sense. In the case of Spas, organize the Lounge Spas together, Open Seating options, and/or “Plug and Play” models together. This way, a consumer can understand what they are looking at and can narrow down their selections until they  nally choose the perfect model for them.

But don’t stop there - use props to help sell these high ticket products. In an Outdoor Kitchen display area the use of prop foods and drinks that look real are always a great idea. Not only are they a conversation piece, but it allows the consumer to visualize its use. Merchandise the Grill area with arti cial steaks, seafood, and vegetables like cornon-the-cob.  Use accessory items that you sell such as rubs, cookware, utensils, aprons and such. Put a place settings on the table so consumers can once again visualize its use. It’s all about the details! Help them visualize its use and how it will look in their own backyard.

And  finally, make sure to place proper signage on the products that tell exactly what they are and create value. Start with the MSRP price (manufacturer's suggested retail price) - show a regular price, along with your price to show the value. Don’t discount the power of value. Large furniture retailers use this all the time in their 50% off ads, and it works! They are kings of creating value off of MSRP prices.

So take these Ted’s Tips, use them for all the high ticket areas in your store, and watch the difference they can make in your sales and consumers’ reactions.