Macro and Micro Merchandising

Making a success of your Charity Retail business means making effective use of the physical space your disposal. That means taking merchandising seriously. But with your staff having to juggle donations, sorting and pricing, merchandising might find itself taking a back seat.

That’s something we can help with!

Effective merchandising relies on four Ps, namely:
We can help with each of them. Our team can provide an impartial, informed perspective on your sales data, and thereby help to drive sales and increase profits. Great merchandising means looking at those crucial details that’ll make a real difference your results, but without losing sight of the big picture.

Macro Planning: The Big Picture

A one-size-fits all approach can often be wasteful. What works in a rural village, after all, might not work in a city centre. Prices will need to be carefully adjusted to suit your customer-base, but the visual style will need to be tailored, too.

Through careful analysis of your store, its location, and both existing and potential customers, we can analyse your approach and identify the shop format that best matches your location. Should it be a boutique store or a value-driven one? What pricing strategy is the right one?

Answering these questions takes industry data, intuition, and careful analysis – but the answers can yield considerable dividends for your charity retail business.

How good is your pricing ?

The pricing of donations is a science and through training and using the charity retail training brand directory with over 700 brands your shop teams can improve their pricing and your sales.

Micro Merchandising: The Crucial Details

Once the fundamentals of your store are in place, we can move onto those details that will give your customers that final push toward a purchase.

We can all recognise good merchandising when we see it – but replicating it is another matter. That requires skills that must be honed over years and even decades. But why bother when you can call in an expert?

Our approach is evidence-based, and informed by our years in the business. We’ve learned the skills needed to create displays that win over customers and boost sales, so you don’t have to worry with our training you will be in safe hands.

Crafting an effective Shop Window

Of all the marketing opportunities available to a charity store, few are as effective as a shop window. It’s a vital opportunity to make your case to passing customers. You might think of it as a free billboard, right on the street. But like any other billboard, a shop window needs to express its message clearly. And it’ll have just a few seconds to do so, as the average shopper will spare just a few seconds of their time!

Successful shop windows are those which command attention and express a succinct, persuasive message.

The message should, of course, be an invitation to come inside. Without footfall, no retail charity can survive – as shoppers who don’t enter your store won’t buy anything from it! But a shop window also confers more indirect benefits: it’ll help you to cement your store’s presence in the local community, and keep your reputation bubbling over

Training in Merchandising

Maintaining a charity shop isn’t easy. It takes hard work, and a lot of skill – especially when stock and personnel are constantly changing. Our experienced team can provide the training your staff need to keep your store looking fantastic, inside and out.

This training might take one of several forms.
Both our classroom sessions and on-site training activity to be fun and engaging – as your staff will learn best when they’re smiling!

Product Association

Putting the right products together in the right combination can dramatically increase your customers’ average spend. This takes a combination of experience, training, and the right processes. With our help, your staff will be able to put together a winning display in a matter of moments – and without stressing about it!

What about Hot Spots?

Hot-spots can be a great way to drive seasonal sales – which are particularly important in charity retail. We will help put together a seasonal programme that will make the most of this vital opportunity. We take a collaborative approach, helping you to build and plan displays that will slot neatly onto your shop floor, drive sales, and keep customers coming back for more!