The Lizard Lounge Way: Holiday clean-up brings new consumers

Welcome to the The Lizard Lounge Way, a regular merchandising column in SNEWS®. Each month, the Lizard Lounge team — Kelsie Morrow, store manager and a Portland Art Institute professor of merchandising; Shelby Coral, head men’s visual merchandiser; and Jolie Giese, the chief merchandising officer for Horny Toad, Nau and the Lizard Lounge — will bring our readers an inside look at their merchandising laboratory. Packed with visuals, there will be something in every column, even for the most experienced merchandising eye. 

So the holiday magic is gone and that leaves the need for a bit of holiday clean up and clearing out. It is a wee bit like having a party and needing to clean up the morning after… it doesn’t always feel that exciting but a new lease on life could make it more fun than you think for your consumer to come back and shop.

Into each retailer’s life, a sale must come. It is part of the cycle of retail life — clearing out the season to make room for a new fresh season of merchandise. A sale can be an event that marks an opportunity, rather than just a massive markdown with no story. A bit of imagination and even a sense of humor can turn a distressed look into something special. Think of a sale as a celebration that serves as a promotion to bring in shoppers who might not have been thinking of buying. There must always be the respect for the shopper and for the merchandise being offered. Thus, a successful post-holiday retailer needs to focus on the following key aspects:

• Organize. Organize. Organize. Make sure to use clean new signage on markdown items that you do not want to sit through spring.

• A clean sweep. For those bargain hunters, make sure clearance items are presented a little differently so it will spark consumer interest. The old should never suggest something that is lacking in taste, value, or something that is no longer desirable or worth owning. Make sure the messaging and merchandising does not reflect dumping’ product. You are making room for fresher product. Keep your sale merchandising light, bright, fun and clean.
  
  

• Present a fresh look and clean impression. Bring in new product for your entry area. On the first few tables, have a small collection of new transitional product that works for the changing temperatures of spring weather.
  
  

• Create a head turner. A new display in the window can catch your customer’s attention. Make sure your post-holiday window is fresh. Straggling messy holiday windows will not bring in new, excited consumers! Plus, there is such a thing as glitter fatigue.
  
  

• Make it clean and inviting. The holidays can make your store messy and dirty. Don’t overlook this — spruce up and clean up. Brighten the atmosphere with some burning candles, new magazines, new art or fresh flowers.

About Lizard Lounge

The Lizard Lounge is a retail clothing store created to be a third place to go other than home or work. A place to relax, have a good cup of coffee, see the work of a local artist, listen to live music, access free Internet or play a game of ping-pong. No pressure, good service and great clothes on one hand, with beer, coffee and good music on the other. Live. Work. Play. Lounge. To find out more visit: www.LizardLoungePDX.com.