Product Merchandising
Product merchandising is how a store selects, presents, groups and promotes products so shoppers find them and buy, in a physical shop or online.
What is Product Merchandising?
Product merchandising is the practice of choosing, presenting and promoting products so that shoppers notice them and buy. In a physical store that means shelf placement, displays and signage; in ecommerce it means category sorting, product images, badges, bundles, recommendations and the content on each product page. Online merchandising depends on product data. Sorting by best sellers, filtering by size, showing "complete the look" items or a seasonal collection all need correct categories and attributes behind them. Product merchandising is broader than visual merchandising, which covers only the visual presentation. A product merchandiser is the person who plans assortments, placement and promotions. Our guide to the digital shelf shows how the same ideas apply on marketplaces and search.
Why Product Merchandising matters for e-commerce
Online, shoppers see only a few products per screen, so the order, grouping and presentation decide what gets bought. Good merchandising helps shoppers find the right product faster, raises order value with relevant bundles and add-ons, and moves seasonal or overstocked items.
Examples of Product Merchandising
- 1Tactic: Category sorting, Example: in-stock best sellers pinned to the top of the Running Shoes category.
- 2Tactic: Cross-sell, Example: a "complete the look" block on a dress page with matching shoes and a bag.
- 3Tactic: Bundle, Example: a camera sold with a memory card and case at one price.
- 4Tactic: Seasonal collection, Example: a Back to School landing page that groups backpacks, lunch boxes and stationery.
How WISEPIM Helps
- Data that filters and sorting can use: WISEPIM's attribute management and AI enrichment fill the attributes that category filters and recommendations depend on.
- Variants grouped correctly: product families and variants keep sizes and colors under one product, so listings stay clean.
- Channel-specific content: Optimize for Platform adapts titles and descriptions per channel, and pricing rules per channel set the price each channel shows.
Common mistakes with Product Merchandising
- Sorting categories by newest or alphabetically when shoppers want the most relevant products first.
- Promoting products that are out of stock or have weak images and descriptions.
- Recommending random add-ons instead of products that fit the item being viewed.
- Running merchandising rules on incomplete attributes, so filtered lists miss products.
Tips for Product Merchandising
- Decide the default sort per category based on what shoppers in that category care about.
- Make sure every promoted product has strong images, a complete description and stock.
- Base cross-sells on product attributes such as compatibility, style or size.
- Plan seasonal collections ahead and prepare the content before the season starts.
Trends around Product Merchandising
- Sorting and recommendations are personalized per shopper based on browsing and purchase history.
- Merchandisers set rules (boost, bury, pin) instead of ordering every category by hand.
- The same merchandising logic extends to marketplaces and social shops through feeds.
Tools for Product Merchandising
- WISEPIM: PIM that keeps the attributes, variants and channel content behind merchandising complete.
- Algolia and Klevu: search and merchandising tools with sorting and boosting rules.
- Nosto: product recommendations and personalized merchandising for online stores.
- Shopify, Magento 2 and WooCommerce: platforms with built-in collection sorting and related products.
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