What Merchandising is Based on in DIY Stores

DIY stores are distinguished by an extremely unusual range. There are products of a variety of different shapes and sizes. Despite all the diversity, there are several principles that should be followed – let’s talk about them.

Hardware store conceptions

DIY stores can be presented in different conceptions. It all depends on the size of the sales floor and the variety of goods.

In box stores, the entire range is presented in one space, without division into a demonstration zone and a storage zone. As a rule, these are the stores with a limited list of items. It can be 25 varieties of tiles or wooden products. The customer can buy the volume of goods they need right on the spot and also look at the entire range of products.

These are the specialized stores with a small range. 15-70 SKUs can be presented there. The area of the store can be between 100 and 500 sq. m.

Large stores can have an area of 1,000-5,000 sq. m. The range is varied. Some of the products are stored in the warehouse, and some – are in the demonstration zone. The sales floor is divided into specialized sections: bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, etc.

If merchandising for warehouses is more focused on convenience and order, then for other building materials stores, the display is one of the main ways to sell goods.

Merchandising in DIY Stores: Basic Rules and Differences

Merchandising in DIY and hardware stores should be product-specific.

Related: Merchandising Rules for Different Retail Areas

Associated goods are placed nearby

A person comes to a DIY store to buy some basic commodities, such as paint. It's important to place all associated goods nearby: brushes, rollers, masking tape. First, this is more convenient for the customer, since they don’t have to wander around the store in search of a roller or a brush. Secondly, it is an additional incentive to buy a related product. Think about what the customer might need and create effective merchandising.

More information on the product: price tags, scanners, QR codes

No price tag is a good reason to walk past a product instead of putting it in the cart. This might not be so crucial for a grocery store, since we have an approximate idea of how much bread or milk costs, but for DIY it is unforgivable. The customer often does not know how much the paint or plaster costs. The number of manufacturers in this category is huge, and the price is the easiest and most reliable guideline.

In order not to overload the space with signs, but to provide complete information about the goods, you can use scanners and QR codes. Scanners on the sales floor provide clarification of the price and other parameters of the goods. Thus, you do not need a consultant's help. The customer brings the goods to the device and sees the information on the screen. The same principle goes for codes, only you have to use your own gadget or application.

Proper navigation in the store

Making the space of a large sales floor understandable for the visitor is one of the most important tasks for a retailer. The goods display plan at the entrance, signs, clear division into zones – all this helps the customer quickly find what they need, which will give them a positive user experience.

Imagine that at the entrance you can download an application using a QR code, then set a shopping list in it, and the application itself will lead the customer to the proper shelf. This concept is perfect for building materials stores, where it can be difficult for a person to navigate.

Above all, Focus on the customer's comfort

First, it is necessary to provide the customer with baskets and trolleys to carry their purchases. Secondly, do not forget to organize wide aisles between the shelves so that it is convenient for the customers to examine the goods. No matter how much you would like to make a beautiful combination out of finishing materials, you'd better not do this, as the store visitors might be afraid to take something from it. But the display of building materials should demonstrate the product in full. At the same time, the buyer should be able to easily get everything that they need.

Impulse purchases in DIY

There is always room for impulse purchases in hardware stores. Seasonal display works very well in areas with high customer traffic. In winter, this can be an island with snow shovels and snow salt for the cold season. In autumn - brooms for fallen leaves, in spring - gardening accessories. Before the holidays, you can set up a rack with gift ideas.

Products that are purchased in the emotion of the moment should be noticeable. They can be placed near the cash registers so that in long queues the buyer does not have to wait in vain, but can choose a couple more products to buy.

What are the specifics of merchandising in a DIY retail chain?

The main merchandising difficulty in DIY chains is that both large goods and various small things are usually presented there. Therefore, the shelving is also used completely differently, ranging from conventional shelves to rods for rolls with industrial carpet.

In a large store, the lower shelves are filled with products for customers, and the upper shelves are for storage. With this type of layout, it is necessary to provide carts for the self-transportation of goods.

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But for a retailer, it is important not only to choose an advantageous location of goods on the sales floor, but also to manage the display using planograms to control their implementation.

Merchandising of oversized products is a piece of cake. The display of goods, the length of which is much greater than the width, assumes their location vertically, at some angle to the floor. Thus, it is easier to demonstrate the product to the buyer and avoid the integrity of packing violations or contamination of the goods.

It is also possible to display one sample of each product on the shelves and leave the rest in the warehouse. This method should be applied to very expensive, piece-rate goods or overall products.

Planogram of a building materials store

To create planograms, it is necessary to operate with a large number of various equipment:

• Shelving racks;
• Punched tape;
• Pallets;
• Stands;
• Demo modules.

If it's a retail chain, you need a handy tool to effectively manage your shelf space. There are ready-made equipment templates in LEAFIO software, and the created display can be replicated throughout the chain.

How to organize merchandising in DIY stores using LEAFIO Planogram Optimization

Hardware store planogram. Laying out by samples.

Efficient merchandising management involves the creation of planograms that will correctly display all products and their layout samples. It is important to correlate sales of products according to the samples presented. A good example is a laminate: a sample of 30 cm is presented in a planogram, and what is sold is 2 m longboards. It is convenient to have merchandise management software to help you organize the display using samples but analyze full-fledged units of goods as sales off the shelves.

Hardware stores are distinguished by a special type of equipment, for example, wallpaper racks and tiles. In the LEAFIO merchandising cloud service, there is an equipment kit and templates for any type of product. The service gives you an opportunity to organize merchandising of household goods and building and finishing materials.

Hardware store planogram generation through the LEAFIO Planogram Optimization cloud solution allows you to automatically distribute planograms to the entire chain, as well as control their implementation.