Priced to move

12Dec08

If you’ve visited any online store this season, you’ve probably seen prominent areas for “Gifts under $50” and similar budget-driven sections. Since the web lets retailers organize the same products in many different ways, it’s a no-brainer to help people shop based on their budget. But could the same approach work for retailers with physical stores?

Unlike online stores, traditional retail locations can’t put the same physical item in more than one place. Well, they could, but they’d have to split up the display items and the inventory they keep on the sales floor. And that’s not very practical.

Here’s a hybrid approach to consider. Make the “Under $50” table the primary location for items that mainly appeal to budget-conscious shoppers. Leave everything else — even if it costs less than $50 — in its normal location in the store. Then, put up some prominent signage in the “Under $50” area that tells customers all the other items available in that price range, and where they can find those items in the store.

While this strategy isn’t quite as elegant as merchandising on the web, it’s better than just hiding those items in relative obscurity elsewhere on your sales floor.