May 29, 2020
New Moon Natural Foods is a small store with locations in Truckee and Tahoe City, California. Tammy Graham, Produce Manager and Buyer, has been at New Moon Natural Foods for 14 years. She is a pro at building eye-catching gorgeous displays. Even if you don’t have a lot of space, there are many ways to bring life into your store, push sales, and move a lot of volume. Here are some tips from Tammy on merchandising in small spaces:
- Planning: Talk to your Account Manager about products that are coming into season or tasting exceptionally great. Think of the floor space that is available and align your purchases with build outs. When half or full pallets of products are ordered, 3-5 days of planning is typically needed.
- Selecting Products: Pick new and seasonal items to feature in beautiful, abundant displays. Great items for large summer displays include tomatoes, basil, mangoes, melons, stone fruit, papaya, berries and cherries. It’s important to consider which items move quickly, what are current weather conditions in your area, and if a holiday is coming up. If items are not common, consider educational signage for customers.
- Increasing Sales: In a small or medium store, it’s important to be creative with the limited space. Utilize outside space in warmer months. It’s a great way to have your customers selecting items for purchase before they even walk into the store. Case stacks works well in outdoor spaces and can be easily restocked. Witty signage and engaging with customers on the floor are other great ways to boost sales.
- Cross Merchandise: Pair simple recipes with displays. Shoppers are looking for meal ideas every day. Create displays that have all the ingredients to a recipe that is nutritious, easy to prepare, and budget friendly.
- Engage Your Staff: Communicate with managers and buyers when you know promotional deals are available. A great way to build excitement is to brainstorm with staff on how to merchandise seasonal products. Try keeping a whiteboard in the produce prep area with information on how to maintain built displays or with talking points.