Dear Management Analytics Consultant: Merchandise Control

Dear Management Analytics Consultant:

You frequently talk about the importance of merchandise. But honestly, I don't have any control over merchandise. I'm just a marketer. Shouldn't I just assume that the merchandise is great and then focus on my role in creating a frictionless customer experience?

Thanks,

Elmer

Dear Elmer:

You couldn't be more wrong. You play a major role in determining the merchandise that succeeds and the merchandise that fails. Who owns email marketing? You do! Why can't you feature new merchandise, personalized based on prior customer purchases, every Wednesday and Friday? If you give customers a chance to buy new merchandise today, those items will become winners tomorrow. This stuff isn't rocket science. Use Instagram to share the new items that have the best chance of success, and create an in-house Influencer to convince customers to buy the stuff. That's your job, and your co-workers are waiting for you to do something. So do something!! Put your best winning items in expensive marketing channels, put new items in inexpensive marketing channels.

P.S.:  Spend less time creating a frictionless customer experience and instead cause a customer to crave your merchandise.