How to Develop a Profitable Merchandise Mix

To develop it, use your printed catalog as a guide and spreadsheet-based software to tally the information. Look at each page in your catalog, and identify every product on that page, the price points offered, the square inches used to sell the products and the product categories.

After you've compiled this basic framework, add columns of information to further segment the products. For example, differentiate new products from existing, imports vs. domestics, and brand name or vendor. (Note: Use categories meaningful to your particular organization.)