Maternity Store Merchandising
Staying One Step Ahead

Expectant mothers today have a wide range of shopping options from specialty boutiques, maternity store chains, and websites to select department stores and mass market retail chains. With over 4 million babies born annually, the U.S. maternity market is lucrative and experiencing tremendous growth. The media attention given to celebrities who are expecting and the reviews on what they are wearing has made a formerly stodgy, stale part of the fashion world evolve to become couture and hip. However, maternity boutiques need to make smart buying and merchandising decisions in order to differentiate themselves from the competition, particularly given the current economic climate.

One way maternity stores differentiate themselves is by offering accessories in addition to seasonal maternity apparel. This benefits not only retailers but also their customers. Accessories provide retailers with an easy up-sell in addition to creating an inventory item that can be replenished easily between seasons. This keeps shelves full if a store has under-bought, and it provides a less expensive way to freshen the stock if a store has over-bought. Accessory items typically yield a nice margin, require minimal space, and provide easy sell-through. Customers often look to boutiques to give them a complete look – a matching outfit complete with accessories. Maternity boutiques are often frequented by gift shoppers as well, so accessories provide an easy purchase option.

There are many maternity accessory products out there, ranging from prenatal products to those used postpartum. Customers look to maternity boutiques to fill their needs from one end of the spectrum to the other. Many maternity stores carry belly bands, novelty t-shirts, bath and body products, jewelry, lingerie, hosiery for expectant mothers and nursing covers, nursing bras, slings, diaper bags, and postpartum care products for new mothers. Some stores even offer delivery gowns for the big hospital stay complete with matching robes and swaddling blankets. Stores should understand their customer base and keep price point in mind at all times. Knowing how to make smart buying decisions, how to incorporate accessory products into a store’s display, and how to up-sell customers on accessory products translate into greater sales.

When thinking about the mix of maternity apparel and accessories it is important to remember that seasonal clothing should provide the foundation for a good maternity boutique. Accessories for expectant mothers should compliment the seasonal apparel you carry. Jewelry, lingerie, and hosiery should be purchased with specific outfits or apparel categories in mind. Belly bands and bath and body products should be carefully chosen to serve as add-on purchases. Too much variety often inhibits this type of impulse buy. Accessories for new mothers are more gift-oriented, so it helps to provide greater variety in terms of color and pattern. Stores should think about girl, boy, and gender neutral color or pattern choices for products like diaper bags, slings, and nursing covers. While it is important to have the right mix of products in your store, you also want to showcase your products in the best possible way.

Maternity accessories should be merchandised along with the maternity apparel they compliment for optimal sell-through. It helps for customers to visualize how a particular accessory piece will look with an outfit, and it makes it an easier up-sell for sales staff. Boutiques should do their best to display items together on mannequins. Signs and photographs help as well. In-store trunk shows are a great way to feature a particular maternity line or seasonal collection, and retailers should enhance the outfits with jewelry and accessories. Websites can benefit from technology that promotes cross-selling. The tool “if you like X, you might also like Y” works very well for web shopping.

Merchandising products for new mothers is different than merchandising products for expectant mothers. Gift packaging and noticeable point of purchase displays are more effective than working product into apparel displays in a complimentary way. Larger displays with more variety create more attention and encourage customers to select from a range of choices. Retailers sell through product faster when they have a well-stocked display with a variety of pattern choices. Packaging that clearly describes the product and how it is used is also critical. Some lines are coming out with point of purchase displays to assist retailers with promoting their products.

The bath and body product category is sometimes a challenging one. Products range from prenatal to postpartum care and often include baby bath products. The key here is to not let products get lost in the store. Products need a clear point of purchase display with good signage and ideally some media or press information. It is better to have one full line of products than to confuse customers with products from a variety of lines. The product needs to be easy to find in the store, ideally positioned near the cash register.

While inventory selection and merchandising are critical to a store’s success, do not discount the importance of sales force training. For example, some product lines provide instructional DVDs for consumers. They may also provide instructional DVDs to sales staff to assist them with sizing. Educating sales staff on the lines you carry in your store is essential. Taking it one step further and training staff on how to properly cross-sell and up-sell yields even greater return.

In summary, stores should
• Know and understand their customer base
• Make smart buying decisions
• Use maternity accessories to compliment seasonal maternity apparel
• Highlight postpartum products to encourage gift purchases and extend the expectant mother’s relationship with the store
• Train sales force for effective cross-selling and up-selling

With a challenging economy and growing competition in the marketplace, utilizing these tools will help you stay one step ahead.

Editorial provided by Brittany Harrell. Brittany is the owner of the Summer Place Showroom in Atlanta, GA. Summer Place carries over 30 lines of maternity, baby, and children’s products and sells to high-end boutiques across the country. To learn more about the company, please visit www.summerplacereps.com.