Importance of Merchandising - ABERCROMBIE & FITCH

When I used to think about merchandising the first thing that would come up in my mind was the brand Abercrombie and Fitch. They always have represented to me a successful company in merchandising. They have been using seduction management, to lure the consumers to come in their store and eventually by their products. Even before you enter their store you can smell from across the street, the branded perfume that is now part of their identity. When you get closer you can definitely recognize from far the outside of the store. Abercrombie and Fitch has no front window display, however there is most of the time a sexy bare chest model at the entrance, luring girls to come in the store. All the senses are fulfilled as soon as the consumer walks in the store and I always thought it was part of Abercrombie and Fitch marketing strategy. Now, I understand that merchandising is also a mean in the marketing strategy. Abercrombie and Fitch’s stores merchandising selection and organization are very important for the brand itself, and actually confirm its positioning according to its target. (Young, attractive middle class, college students…)

Abercrombie and Fitch used efficiently the marketing mix with the 4P’s (place, product, price, promotion). They seduce their customers using the five senses, of course they first goal is to attract the consumers attention and make them dream. Abercrombie and Fitch succeed at it with the outside design of the store, and their very recognizable brand image. Inside the store the consumers are completely seduced and are obviously encouraged to buy something from the store. This is due to the way they organized the stores. When the consumers walk in the store they can either go right or left, witch means either to the boy or girl section. The first thing they will see in each side is the new collection, laid out on tables, put into shelves and hanging on hangers. As the consumers will get deeper in the store they will also find the oldest collection. At the end of the store, all the articles are on sale. However, in the back of the store, right next to the cash register and the cosmetics products (perfume, creams…) there are always new collection products put forward to push the consumer to buy more. Plastic mannequins also proposed a certain look to consumers, sometimes even of items that haven’t been put in the store yet, forcing the consumer to come back later or order them online.

Abercrombie and Fitch merchandising strategy is very strict and the sales assistants must follow precisely the merchandising plan, telling them how many clothes should be out in the store, how to fold the clothes, where to put them, in what order and what colors. Everything is well thought and organized, and every customer’s fall into the same trap every time they walk in the store and end up by making a purchase, even thought they understand the store concept and the seduction strategy put in place by the brand.

Using this example and from what I have learned in class I see merchandising has having two types of objectives. The first one is quantitative; the idea is to push consumers to buy the products in the store. The second one is qualitative; so a brand can show its real identity. To reach the first objective every good merchandiser needs to facilitate the consumer traveling inside the store, put forward the best offer and the latest collection and finally to offer to the customer a service corresponding to the store image. For the second objective, the merchandiser needs to work on the store location, environment, decoration, the store displays and even the furniture in the store, while taking into consideration the brand image and communication strategy. 

 A successful merchandising strategy is one that succeeds in attracting customers not only in the store but also to push them to buy products in the store. Every good merchandisers need to study carefully the brand for witch he or she will be working for, its image and understand also its marketing strategy. Every good merchandiser also know that every time he or she puts a display together, it is not according to his or her taste but to the taste of the consumer of the brand. The merchandising strategy must before all appeals to the brand’s target and image.