Retailers need to introduce new products to provide their shoppers with "good news" and to generate interest. But for each new product that you introduce you need to consider delisting an existing line.
Easy, you might think. I will just print out the list of products in the category and take off the one with the lowest sales. However, if you do this research from the US suggest you might be wrong.
What you need to consider is what sort of demand you have for each product, a white paper by Demand Tec, a US specialist software provider shows.
It says that there are two kinds of sales:
Think about it this way - there are 37 other products that should be delisted before your number 50 seller if you wish to optimise your overall sales. These 37 include your eighth best selling product. Why? Because shoppers are more likely to pick up an alternative to product eight than for product 50. Which means they simply do not spend the money in your shop.
The first product on its way out should be product 32, says the analysis.
Corner shop operators lacking the software wherewithal to accurately analyse their categories can still use the thinking. For every product that you plan to delist, ask yourself what the shopper would buy instead.
Easy, you might think. I will just print out the list of products in the category and take off the one with the lowest sales. However, if you do this research from the US suggest you might be wrong.
What you need to consider is what sort of demand you have for each product, a white paper by Demand Tec, a US specialist software provider shows.
It says that there are two kinds of sales:
- incremental sales, when products add to the total shopper spend and are not readily substituted by another item
- transferable sales, where shoppers find an alternative easily when it is not available.
Think about it this way - there are 37 other products that should be delisted before your number 50 seller if you wish to optimise your overall sales. These 37 include your eighth best selling product. Why? Because shoppers are more likely to pick up an alternative to product eight than for product 50. Which means they simply do not spend the money in your shop.
The first product on its way out should be product 32, says the analysis.
Corner shop operators lacking the software wherewithal to accurately analyse their categories can still use the thinking. For every product that you plan to delist, ask yourself what the shopper would buy instead.
Concidering the work I am currently undertaking on our cofectionery range This would seem pertinent and timely. Basket mix is important when looking at delisting items, when the Sun cut its margin last year I discovered that the average Sun buyer spent £4 with us every time they bought their paper. Brilliant as we sell between 30 and 40 a day.
ReplyDeleteThe Star buyers were no where near as valuable so when they did their second cut it went from our range.
Steve