Just when we’d decided that Queen Victoria Market Traders needed to clean up their act, remove the clutter, and make it easier for customers to move around, along comes Walmart saying “Bring back the clutter!”
It appears that customers did ask the world’s largest retailer for neater, tidier, less cluttered retail shops (as customers did in a recent QVM survey) but when it came to the crunch they bought less. What they really wanted was the excitement of cluttered, overflowing tables and bins that screamed out “Bargain!” It’s called “treasure hunt retailing.” As a result, Walmart went about replacing their clean look with a more ruffled look.
Now, don’t confuse clutter for unclean. A mess is a turnoff. Time magazine refers to “strategic clutter”. “Shoppers may say they like less junk on shelves and in the aisles, but they buy more when items pop up, overflow, and catch their attention in every direction.” The “strategic clutter” masters in Australia are JB HiFi and Ray’s Outdoors. Strategically placed piles of stock will often bring good results.
Some of our traders will have ranges that benefit from an uncluttered look. Others will look better cluttered. We guess the best advice is to pick what works best for you and do it well.