Cross-merchandising: pairing items that sell together

Someone grabs a bag of chips and, right next to it, sees a cold soda. They buy both. That's cross merchandising: placing items that go together side by side so one purchase reminds the customer of the other. It's one of the simplest ways a small store can raise the size of each sale, and it doesn't cost anything but a little shelf space and some thought.

Here's the straight version: the best pairings are obvious ones. Don't overthink it.

What is cross merchandising?

Cross merchandising means displaying products from different categories together because customers often use them together. Instead of keeping every chip in the chip aisle and every drink in the cooler, you put a small display of one near the other.

Grocery stores do this with salsa next to tortilla chips, or batteries next to toys. Convenience stores can do it on a smaller scale with a clip strip, a small rack, or an endcap.

The goal is to help customers remember something they'd probably want anyway. It's a reminder, not a trick. When it works, the customer leaves with what they needed and doesn't have to come back later.

Which pairings work in a small store?

The best pairings solve a small problem for the customer. A few that work in many stores:

Chips and dip, or chips near a soda cooler.

Coffee with a pastry or breakfast item.

Phone cables and chargers next to power banks, or near the register.

Batteries near flashlights or toys.

Greeting cards with gift bags and pens.

Pain relievers near bottled water.

Ice near cups, mixers, and snacks in summer.

Travel-size toothpaste next to toothbrushes.

Start with two or three pairings, not ten. Too many small displays make a store feel cluttered and customers stop noticing them.

For health and beauty basics, browse the health and beauty category on NRS Marketplace. For cables and chargers to pair with power items, check the wireless accessories category.

Where should paired displays go?

Put the smaller or impulse item where the main item already sells. If chips sell well in aisle two, put a small dip display at the end of that aisle.

Endcaps are good spots. An endcap is the display at the end of an aisle, and customers see it as they walk by. A clip strip, which is a narrow hanging strip of small items, works well on the side of a shelf or cooler.

The register is another strong spot for small, low-cost add-ons like batteries, lip balm, or gum.

Keep paired displays tidy and stocked. A half-empty clip strip looks like nobody cares, and it stops working.

How do you know a pairing works?

Test it. Pick a pairing, set it up, and watch sales for a few weeks.

Here's a hypothetical. A store sells about 40 bags of a popular tortilla chip a week and 6 jars of salsa, which sit in a different aisle. The owner puts a small salsa display next to the chips. Over the next four weeks, salsa sales average 15 jars a week while chip sales stay about the same. That's a pairing worth keeping.

If a pairing doesn't move the second item after a few weeks, try something else. Not every obvious idea works in every neighborhood.

Use your POS reports to compare sales before and after. If you use NRS POS, item sales reports make this easy.

What mistakes should you avoid?

Pairing items that don't really go together. A random item next to a popular one just takes space.

Cluttering the aisle. Paired displays shouldn't block walkways or make the store hard to shop.

Leaving pairings up forever. Rotate them with the seasons: ice and cups in summer, hand warmers and hot cocoa in winter.

Forgetting to price the display. Every item needs a clear price, even on a clip strip.