What are the best ways to ensure your store is always stocked with popular items?

As a retail store owner or manager, you know how important it is to keep your shelves filled with the products that your customers want and need. But how do you ensure that you always have enough inventory of the most popular items, without overstocking or running out of space? In this article, we will share some of the best ways to ensure your store is always stocked with popular items, based on merchandising basics and principles.

1 Know your customer

The first step to ensuring your store is always stocked with popular items is to know your customer. Who are they, what are their preferences, how often do they shop, and what are their buying patterns? You can use various sources of data, such as sales reports, customer feedback, loyalty programs, and market research, to gain insights into your customer segments and their needs and wants. Knowing your customer will help you identify the items that are most likely to sell well, and the ones that are not.

Add your perspective

Ubaid Siddiqui US

Merchandiser - Working with Retail Brands - Khaadi - Sana Safinaz - Kayseria - J. - Foreign Buyer - Sfera - Unit - Cortefiel -Zara - Answear Lab - A Piedi - TJX Maxx - Green Coast Leather Goods
Report contribution
- Every Company Merchandiser need to strong communication with Store assistant. - When you received Buyer P.O, First you need to see the available item in Store then issue the P.O to the Vendors. -When customers come to your store, first ask to Sit then ask water, so it will be good understanding with the customer. -Must be do 2 visit to the Store from the admin department. -Good relegation with the Store Person.

Like

2 Plan your assortment

The next step to ensuring your store is always stocked with popular items is to plan your assortment. This means deciding what products to offer, how many of each, and how to display them. You can use a variety of tools and methods, such as category management, product life cycle analysis, and merchandising calendars, to plan your assortment based on your customer data, your store objectives, and your industry trends. Planning your assortment will help you optimize your product mix, your inventory levels, and your shelf space.

Add your perspective

William Thayer jr

changing the world, one person at a time
Report contribution
Ive found that if you start with one item that sales really great, use that item as a mental baseline and build a mental catolog of what sales more or less then said item. Because in knowing how much, Time it take for a item sales youll be able to forcast reorder times and what to order on a general scale. Whether its every truck or every other truck, or low to never. Then increase the sale of the item by .5 or .25 when its on add depending on how good the ad sale is.

Like

3 Monitor your performance

The third step to ensuring your store is always stocked with popular items is to monitor your performance. This means tracking and measuring how well your products are selling, how much inventory you have, and how effectively you are using your space. You can use various indicators and metrics, such as sales volume, turnover rate, sell-through rate, and gross margin return on investment, to monitor your performance and compare it to your goals and benchmarks. Monitoring your performance will help you identify the best-selling items, the slow-moving items, and the gaps and opportunities in your assortment.

Add your perspective

4 Adjust your strategy

The fourth step to ensuring your store is always stocked with popular items is to adjust your strategy. This means making changes to your assortment, your inventory, and your display based on your performance data and feedback. You can use different tactics and techniques, such as replenishment, markdowns, promotions, and visual merchandising, to adjust your strategy and improve your sales and profitability. Adjusting your strategy will help you respond to customer demand, market changes, and competitive pressures.

Add your perspective

5 Communicate with your suppliers

The fifth step to ensuring your store is always stocked with popular items is to communicate with your suppliers. This means maintaining a good relationship with your vendors, distributors, and wholesalers, and sharing information and feedback with them. You can use various channels and methods, such as orders, invoices, contracts, and meetings, to communicate with your suppliers and ensure that they deliver the right products, at the right time, and at the right price. Communicating with your suppliers will help you avoid stockouts, delays, and quality issues.

Add your perspective

6 Train your staff

The sixth and final step to ensuring your store is always stocked with popular items is to train your staff. This means educating and empowering your employees, especially your sales associates and your merchandisers, on how to manage and display your products. You can use various resources and methods, such as manuals, videos, workshops, and coaching, to train your staff and ensure that they understand your assortment plan, your inventory system, and your merchandising standards. Training your staff will help you ensure consistency, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

Add your perspective

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

Add your perspective

Vinita Shah

Program Director of Retail Management Institute at Santa Clara University
Report contribution
Engaging with cashiers is key for customer insights and efficient inventory management. While KPIs offer quantitative data, cashiers provide a qualitative view from direct customer interactions, sharing preferences, popular items, and purchase motivations. Regular communication unveils trends, feedback, and emerging preferences not apparent in sales data. This frontline perspective aids in refining inventory, optimizing stock, and tailoring products to meet customer demands. It fosters staff involvement, empowering them as valued contributors, strengthening the connection between data-driven decisions and real-world customer dynamics.

Like

What are the best ways to ensure your store is always stocked with popular items?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Know your customer

2 Plan your assortment

3 Monitor your performance

4 Adjust your strategy

5 Communicate with your suppliers

6 Train your staff

7 Here’s what else to consider

Retail Operations

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

More articles on Retail Operations

More relevant reading