6 simple rules of merchandising, online and offline

Lots of people talk about how to merchandise online effectively. Linda Bustos at Get Elastic and the folks at GrokDotCom do a particularly good job. But the simplest rule of merchandising came from a good friend: focus on the reasons your customer buys and display your offerings around those reasons. Some reasons?

• Customers who buy new (want the latest fad) vs customers who only buy used (like to get a good deal)
• Customers who only buy things on sale vs. those who like to pay full price (either to impress others or drive their own self-satisfaction)
• Customers who only buy domestic goods vs. customers who like to buy imported
• Customers who always buy name brands vs. those who buy generic
• Customers who buy things they need (required purchases) vs. customers who buy things they want
• Customers who buy things that are scarce vs. customers who buy things that are abundant (looking for good deals)

Any I’ve missed? Tell us about them in the comments. And don’t forget to subscribe to thinks to never miss an update.

Are you getting enough value out of your small business website? Want to make sure your business makes the most of the mobile, social, local web? thinks helps you understand how to grow your business via the web, every day. Get more than just news. Get understanding. Add thinks to your feed reader today. Or subscribe via email.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter.