Yes, You Need To Experiment With Merchandise

Here's what I frequently see. A client launches new items in 2019 ... a class of items. I then measure the sales of these items by year thereafter.

• 2019:  $25,000,000.
• 2020:  $40,000,000.
• 2021:  $31,000,000.
• 2022:  $23,000,000.
• 2023:  $16,000,000.
• 2024:  $10,000,000.
• 2025:  $7,000,000.

Not only is this what I frequently see, this is just the way things work for the vast majority of clients. It's just how business works.

This is why you have to constantly replenish your assortment with newness ... why you must constantly experiment with new product lines or extensions within your existing product categories. You have no choice.

Put on your lab coat, grab a beaker, and start experimenting.

Two things.

1 - It's ok to have no idea what you're doing. You're experimenting. Try things. Something is going to work. In no way am I saying you should be reckless. Don't discontinue stuff that works great to fund your experiments. Nope. I see it all the time in my work. Be smart about keeping the stuff that works and squeezing every last penny of profit from it.

2 - For the marketers in the audience, it's your job to amplify the experiments performed by your merchants. Support your co-workers. Give their new items exposure in email, on the socials, on your home page.

It's time to start experimenting.