subject: Dollar Store Startup Merchandise Layout Strategies [print this page] Dollar Store Startup Merchandise Layout Strategies
If you are about to undertake a dollar store startup then you are probably trying to recover from the realization there is much work ahead. So much needs to be done before you can even make your first sale. One set of actions which can truly be underestimated is associated with creating the dollar store merchandise layout for your soon to open business. Make the right decisions about the layout and shopper traffic will flow smoothly through the store. Customers will be able to take their time and carefully examine the dollar store merchandise without hindering their fellow shoppers' movement.
Make the wrong layout decisions and shoppers will avoid some aisles entirely. Read on for helpful hints to make your store easy for shoppers to navigate.
1. Start by setting a footprint for the aisles across your store
The final dollar store merchandise layout footprint may look much different from the first one you create. Do not feel this is a problem. Every dollar store startup requires work to make the final footprint the right one for your customers and location. Keep working until you have outlined a layout which works for your location.
2. Second add the major departments
Create a smooth flow in your store. While almost no placement is perfect, it is important to place departments in aisles so shoppers will be drawn from one to the next. Place the most popular selling items so shoppers move through other items to reach them. In fact one strategy to consider is to place the best selling items toward the back and far walls of the store.
3. Determine the products placement locations within the departments
Once you have identified the placement of the various departments it is time to start determining exactly where you will place the merchandise. Some of the key considerations are locating items with a higher risk of theft close to the front of your store. Also consider the dollar store merchandise you will place on end caps for your grand opening.
4. Fourth is to remember to place like items next to like items
This may seem straightforward and logical. Yet many who undertake a dollar store startup will move away from this simple rule and decide to place like items throughout their store. When a shopper is looking to purchase a pair of gloves, they wish to go to one location, view their options and then make their choice. If you place gloves at various locations throughout your store they may fail to see the very gloves they wanted.
5. Finally, remember to check your work be watching the flow
As previously mentioned, display similar items next to similar items at all times. But also work to strategically place complementary items as close as possible. From a customer perspective these items are more likely to be purchased when they are closer together. Closer placement is a means of reminding the shopper about the different dollar store merchandise carried. From a store owner perspective this can mean added sales once you dollar store startup is complete and the customers start arriving.
