How to Create a Merchandising Plan That Converts

When thinking of ecommerce merchandising, what comes to mind? Shopper experience, brand aesthetic, product displays? Merchandising touches almost every aspect of an ecommerce site, but ultimately, it’s all about one goal: conversions.

Whether preparing for Black Friday, or striving to boost sales year-round, here’s how to execute a high-converting merchandising plan.

Top 5 Tips for a High-Converting Merchandising Plan

Elevate merchandising plans with these conversion-focused tips.

1. Prioritize High-Converting Products

Looking for a simple but effective tactic to implement right away? Boost highest-converting products to the top of search and category pages. This increases the visibility of the most popular products and makes them even easier for shoppers to find and purchase. Trending results and new arrivals also perform well as boost rules, so test which approach resonates with your target audience. Don’t forget to dynamically remove out-of-stock or slow-moving products from these pages, so your star products have space to shine.

cuts clothing white t shirt image search, best sellers boosted to the top of the page

Cuts Clothing boosts best sellers to the top of search results pages

2. Eliminate Barriers to Purchase

Surface conversion-boosting details throughout the buyer journey with targeted merchandising. Start by identifying common barriers to purchase. Are shoppers concerned about costs? Highlight flexible payment options in inline banners. Is sustainability a deal-breaker for your target audience? Add eco-friendly badges to relevant products. Do customers tend to shop at the last minute in the run up to the holidays? Promote express shipping or in-store pickup in your banners. By pre-empting common questions or concerns, merchandising eliminates shopper hesitation and drives down bounce rates.

Priority Tire Shipping Banner to show merchandising tool _ weekly deal badge, delivery time 2-4 days from fedex, showing tired for SUV

Priority Tire prioritizes delivery time on their custom filters and communicates timelines on product search results pages so it’s one of the first things shoppers see

3. Create Urgency

Urgency and scarcity are two of the most effective drivers of quick conversions. Build anticipation ahead of Black Friday sales or new product drops with merchandising banners and dedicated landing pages. Drip feed details to keep shoppers coming back for more, and encourage visitors to sign up for the latest updates. Combine this approach with badges to highlight products that are “trending now” or “selling fast.” For sold-out products, offer re-stock email notifications that prompt shoppers to “buy now before it’s gone!” Compelling messaging and eye-catching merchandising accelerate purchasing decisions for your most unmissable deals.

Sideshow _ Collectibles _ Badges _ pre order _ waitlist _ shipping _ almost gone

Sideshow uses badges to highlight important information such as pre-order available, waitlist, shipping, and almost gone

4. Simplify Gift Buying

Some of the biggest shopping events of the year are centered around purchasing gifts for others – think Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and, of course, Black Friday and the holidays. The key to conversions on these dates? An easy gift-buying experience. Help shoppers to find the perfect products for their loved ones with curated gift guides, dedicated landing pages, and helpful content. Even better, encourage customers to create wishlists they can share with friends and family. Product recommendations are another invaluable tool to cross and upsell hyper-relevant suggestions. Merchandise for effortless gift discovery, and conversions will soon follow.

Pura Vida gift guide landing page _ most gifted featured with a banner showing a gold and silver braclet and a gold bar necklace _ CTa is "shop now"

Pura Vida keeps a gift guide landing page up year-round pointing to gifts for specified audiences

5. Personalize Your Merchandising

Personalized merchandising enhances all of the above tactics with a layer of 1:1 customization throughout the buyer journey. Dynamically adapt boost rules and search results to individual shoppers based on their preferences and on-site behavior. Customers see more of the products they love, resulting in highly curated product discovery and effortless conversions. Accompany this tactic with personalized recommendations and email communications for an even greater impact on sales.

Just for You recommendations on Lulu's website - features blazers and body suits

Lulu’s uses previous shopping behavior to recommend products

Boost Conversions With a Strategic Merchandising Plan

Exeed Black Friday sales goals with a high-converting merchandising plan. Focus on boost rules, banners, and badges that capture shopper attention and simplify purchasing decisions. With the right strategy in place, merchandising has the power to transform the shopping experience and boost revenue.

Want to learn more about conversion-driven merchandising? Get your site ready for the biggest sales event of the year with our Win Black Friday content hub!