Scott Heyer, senior product marketing manager of space and assortment at Helsinki-based RELEX Solutions, shared how to anticipate “shopper mission” when merchandising holiday-themed products.

“Each store with unique floor plans and display areas has specific locations where holiday-themed products won’t just sell — they’ll drive sales for other products in the assortment,” Heyer said. “Many shoppers visit stores with a specific goal, what retailers often call a ‘shopper mission.’ Because people are so responsive to visual cues, presenting additional items related to seasonal shopper missions can prove quite effective at increasing basket size and driving additional sales.”

Heyer used Valentine’s Day as an example and said a shopper would likely be seeking to purchase everything they need for a date in one trip to the store. This could mean a meal kit or ready-to-eat meal from the deli, champagne, flowers and candles. Heyer said to think about the path consumers would take to find all of those items.

“Even shoppers on a mission with a specific shopping list are often enticed by purchasing additional items when positioned and merchandised correctly,” Heyer said. “But how can all these considerations be implemented in stores automatically, without time-consuming manual planning during an already stressful season?”

RELEX offers a seasonal planning software solution that can help retailers consistently target the right products at the right time.

“A good space planning solution can analyze how different spaces function within each store and automatically calculate how to maximize revenue and improve sales at those locations,” Heyer said. “That means, for instance, placing higher-margin seasonal items where they’re most likely to sell while ensuring the year-round assortment is also properly presented. Not only can retailers increase seasonal sales, but they can also boost sales for regular assortment products.”

Heyer added that merchandising should be assessed on a week-by-week basis and for some departments, even daily.

“In some cases, even intra-day changes can be impactful — swapping out lunch items for dinner items in the food-to-go section of a grocery store, for example,” Heyer said. “Unfortunately, manually executing planning at this level is enormously labor intensive, even with all the associated benefits. Luckily, modern planning systems can automate most seasonal merchandise planning processes. In the hands of a central planning team, a solution that’s been provided with sufficiently detailed store-level information can be exceptionally powerful. The result is a holiday season where you know you’re making the most of your space so you can concentrate on other things — above all, your customers.”

This article is an excerpt from the October 2024 issue of Supermarket Perimeter. You can read the entire Seasonal Merchandising feature and more in the digital edition here.