What is a good peer response to this discussion post?

Merchandising is incredibly important as it can be used to help the store lead customers in the purchasing direction. "Almost any brand with a physical product uses merchandising tactics. From grocery merchandising to cosmetics merchandising, to beer merchandising, catching the eye of the shopper is integral to increasing sales" (Sonntag). Placing specific products in an area of prominence at eye level can help entice the customer into buying that product. By also placing more eye-catching products at eye level it can help bring a customer to another area or department of the store. This can be used with new products, clearance items, and more expensive items to draw interest where it may not have previously existed.

The design and layout of the store plays a large role in marketing and sales. By placing items in a specific area, you can force customers to do more shopping than they had initially planned. Whenever someone says that they are going to the store for a specific item but then buys extra is probably thanks to marketing and the way the store was laid out. In grocery for example most stores will place regular-use types of items towards the back of the store. Items such as milk and eggs. Placing these faster-moving low expiration-date items at the back of the store forces the customer to walk through everything else and see the displays along the way. This can help turn a one-item purchase into a multi-item purchase through proper marketing.

One common mistake I see when visiting another store is spelling errors. When putting up signage it is vital to make sure that correct grammar and spelling are used. Instead of making a customer want to buy something it could turn them off to shopping in the store. If the store is not worried enough to do a simple spell check, then what else are they cutting corners on? This is a very simple piece of marketing but can have a large impact if done incorrectly. Marketing should draw in the customer's eye due to quality and correct visualization, not due to simple errors.