Merchandising

8 Steps to Writing Excellent Product Descriptions
July 26, 2017 at 10:59 am

You would think that writing a good product description would be just that. A description of the product should sell it, right? In fact, the process of writing a really effective product description is more nuanced. Here are eight steps you should follow to increase sales of your products: 1. Discover your "buyer persona." You've…

A Localized Approach to Back-to-School Planning
July 24, 2017 at 12:06 pm

Despite the fact that summer is not yet half way over, many retailers are already rolling out full-blown back-to-school floor sets. In a world where timing is everything, is it really necessary at this point? The National Retail Federation (NRF) forecasts that consumers will collectively spend $83.6 billion on back-to-school items this year, more than…

An Inside View Into The Mine's Rebranding
July 20, 2017 at 5:27 pm

In episode 102 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at the Total Retail Talks Live! event in Seattle, Molly Hartney, vice president of marketing and merchandising at The Mine, an online retailer of home furnishings (and a Lowe's company), discusses the company's recent rebranding from its previous name, ATGStores.com. Hartney addresses why a rebranding was necessary,…

The Power of Choice Could Be Hurting Your Business
July 19, 2017 at 2:31 pm

I was walking through a grocery store recently, searching for the perfect sausages to grill on a hot summer day. Easy enough, right? Well, not when your local store carries more than 30 brands of sausages and more than 70 SKUs. I was instantly paralyzed by choice as I stared at the assortment within the…

Customer Reviews Informing Carhartt's Merchandising Decisions
July 17, 2017 at 12:33 pm

In episode 101 of Total Retail Talks, Anna Cole, director of e-commerce operations, user experience and merchandising at Carhartt, a workwear manufacturer and retailer, details how the company is leveraging customers’ ratings and reviews to make more informed business decisions, particularly around merchandising its website.

Target Makes Changes to Private Label Brands
July 5, 2017 at 1:51 pm

Target Corp. is making some changes to the brands it sells. The retailer is beginning to phase out both the Merona and Mossimo clothing lines and, at the same time, introducing four new brands that can’t be found on competing online stores: Goodfellow & Co.: Menswear line, replacing Mossimo A New Day: the new “modern…

Tommy Bahama, MLB Partner for Licensed Apparel
July 5, 2017 at 10:57 am

In episode 99 of Total Retail Talks, Peter Leff, executive vice president of wholesale, and Mark Sondheim, sales manager, team sports licensed apparel division, wholesale, both of Tommy Bahama, discuss the casual lifestyle brand's partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB) for a line of licensed apparel. Leff and Sondheim talk about why MLB is a…

Saint Bernard Automates Online Merchandising for Big Results
June 29, 2017 at 9:48 am

Online merchandising (i.e., the art of displaying products or offers on a website with the goal of increasing sales) is an important part of any brand’s overall e-commerce strategy. Presenting products in an organized yet visually appealing way will entice site visitors to click on products, increasing the likelihood of a sale. However, merchandising teams…

How Retailers Can Pierce Amazon’s Impenetrable Fortress
June 28, 2017 at 4:01 pm

Amazon Prime. Amazon Flex. Amazon Dash. Amazon Go. What’s next? Everyone jokes that Amazon.com is taking over the world, but it seems as if it's truly dominating the U.S. retail market and beyond. From supply chain to customer loyalty to a culture of innovation, Amazon is attacking retail from all angles, and the industry needs…

The Emergence of Agile Retail in the Wake of Fast Fashion
June 26, 2017 at 9:25 am

The fashion industry is supposed to be run by those designers who dominate fashion weeks in New York and Paris. However, in the last couple of years, the biggest changes on the catwalk haven't been the styles, but how they're presented — namely in season and ready for purchase today. The same forces that are…