PDX (point of experience) and the power of merchandising in customer decision making

Everything is experience in the purchasing process, I always say this in my classes and market mentoring.

Several studies show that customer purchases, in general, happen emotionally and in 70% of cases, within the Point of Sale (or point of experience), according to the research “The right time to activate the shopper”, carried out by Nielsen.

And where does merchandising come into this context?

My grandmother always said that we buy with our eyes first, therefore, merchandising can be an important ally in this process of attention, interest, desire and action at PDX.

According to Professor Regina Blessa, one of the greatest authorities on merchandising in Brazil and author of the book “The Perfect Store” (editor Blessa), the aim of merchandising is to visually encourage the consumer to buy something that is not necessarily on their mind.

During the purchasing journey, the customer is impacted by various visual, auditory and sound stimuli, and all of this can help or hinder the shopper’s perception and attention. In my book, CX Descomplicado (Editora Autores do Brasil), I state that the customer basically goes through 3 stages in the purchasing journey – entry experience, execution experience and exit experience. Given this vision, the marketing manager or sales manager needs to ask themselves the following questions:

– How will the customer enter? Is there any visual barrier at the entrance or impediment to access?

– What will the purchasing process be like? Does the Customer have questions?

– Can I use demonstrative, educational and instructive materials to support decision making? In these cases, the use of MPDV (Point of Sale Material) is very useful: wobble, displays, technical displays, banner, QR Code, etc.

– How will the customer leave?

– What can I do to increase the experience delivered?

Other data from Negócios SC shows that in the physical store, 89% of women and 78% of men are inclined to add unplanned items to their purchases, this generates an increase in the average ticket and revenue, increasing the results of the operation.

Some actions are essential for a good purchasing journey when we talk about PDX:

1. Create a circulation plan in your store, identifying possible barriers and eliminating them;

2. Keep shelves stocked and organized;

3. Plan the shelves and materials based on the consumer’s field of vision;

4. Tell stories through products;

5. Faça cross-merchandising;

6. Vary the merchandising layout at PDX;

7. Create extra exposure points.

These actions require knowledge of the persona and planning to make it work, so get to work and good sales (with experience).

*Fernando Coelho – PhD student in Education with research in Gamification. Professor at ESPM, UEMA and Instituto Navigare. He is also a columnist for Portal Mundo do Marketing. He works as a Marketing and Customer Experience Executive and Speaker and Business Mentor focused on Customer Experience. Author of the book Customer Experience Descomplicado, by Editora Autores do Brasil and 5 other business books.