ABSTRACT
This paper will delve into the product display,
arrangement, visual tactics and marketing of a
nationally branded clothing store. The author will
re-group products based on a determined
framework and provide rationale for the
organizational scheme.
Mary Old
LIS 640.04D Fall 2014
RECONFIGURING A
STORE LAYOUT:
An Organization Exercise
Introduction
I chose T.J. Maxx as my local store for this exercise. Although I consider it a local
favorite, it is actually part of a larger corporation called The Marmaxx Group. The corporation
operates 3,200 stores in 6 countries under such names as TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Home Sense,
Marshalls and Sierra Trading Post. T.J. Maxx is currently ranked #108 in the most recent
Fortune 500 listings. T.J. Maxx Companies, Inc. attributes its high sales volume to the “treasure
hunt experience” that draws costumers in (Meyrowitz). The company advertises that it offers
items 20%-60% off department store prices. Their website also boasts that their low priced,
globally sourced merchandise “attracts a broad range of fashion and value conscious costumers
across many income levels and demographic groups” (Meyrowitz).
Physical Arrangement of the Store
My local T.J. Maxx store’s layout is that of the open plan concept. There are no interior
walls or partitions. T.J. Maxx Companies, Inc. states that this allows them to “expand and
contract merchandise categories to respond to the market trends and customers’ changing tastes”
(Meyrowitz). This store also uses a “mixed floor plan” (Waters). According to retail consultant
Shari Waters, “This type of layout incorporates the straight, diagonal and angular floor plans to
create the most functional store design. The layout moves traffic towards the walls and back of
the store.”
Product Displays
As illustrated in the diagram I created, the women’s department takes up a majority of
T.J. Maxx’s floor space. That is because T.J. Maxx is targeting female consumers. Female
consumers account for 83% of U.S. consumer spending (Wharton). As soon as you enter T.J.
Maxx, you encounter a Fall product display and racks of the latest ladies’ fashions. These are
the revolving displays that change according to season and consumers’ tastes. A large percent of
the open floor space in the center of the store is dedicated to women’s clothing. Women’s
clearance is located in the middle of this mass of clothing. Behind these few clearance racks, lies
women’s plus size and women’s athletic wear. Men’s and children’s clothing racks are minimal
and pushed up against the exterior walls of the store. Bedding, housewares, stationary and food
items are located along the back of the store. Along the perimeter of this rear section is where
one can find clearance household goods.
Visual effects and Marketing
T.J. Maxx uses color to stay current with the season and provide continuity within the
store. The revolving racks of women’s clothing at the front of the store are in shades of orange,
peach, brown and black. Every sign in the store is in the same shade of red. Directional signs
hang from the ceiling of the store, while advertising signs are anchored to the walls.
Advertisements repeat the store motto “the max for the minimum” or its offer “20%-60% off
department store prices” in a regular pattern. There are no advertisements for T.J. Maxx’s sister
stores, even though some are located just a few miles away. Additionally, there is no mention of
T.J. Maxx’s e-commerce site, or its social media connections, anywhere in the store.
Plan for Re-organization
My plan for re-organizing our local T.J. Maxx is built on the following premises:
consolidating like items together eliminates confusion, color and style should be used to enhance
customer interest, product placement should take into account customers’ needs, and product
displays should be sensually appealing to the customer. According to researcher Juanjuan Wu,
determining a store’s layout by simply grouping together items by category creates a sense of
sameness, in which shoppers see very little difference between merchandise sold in one store and
that sold in another (766). To fully realize a store’s potential, one must also take into account
that customers use their senses when making purchasing decisions (Wu, et al. 766).
My store layout diagram illustrates how the food and fitness gear displays are spread
throughout the store. A majority of the fitness gear lies in the men’s section, but similar products
are also located in women’s and near furniture. According to Marcia Kaplan, a researcher at San
Jose University, men are shoppers “on a mission.” “They want to get in and out quickly.”
Combining fitness accessories into one location could possibly catch the attention of male
consumers, lessen shopper distress and increase the chance of sales.
Currently, T.J. Maxx highlights seasonal displays with the use of a common color
scheme, yet this organization mode is absent in the rest of the store. Fall displays pop up here
and there in shades of orange, red and brown, but the majority of the clothing racks simply
follow a size and type organizing scheme. This may add to the “treasure hunt experience” that
T.J. Maxx touts, but it could also turn off the busy, mission driven shopper (Meyrowitz).
According to research by Wu, participants in a study preferred color coordination in product
displays. Participants had an increase in retailer interest, retail pleasure, perception of
merchandise quality and the amount of money spent in the store when like colors and styles of
merchandise were grouped together (778). I recommend re-organizing the clothing racks so that
they are grouped not only be size and type, but also by common or analogous colors and style.
A majority of the women in the U.S. are a size 14 (Packaged Facts), however T.J. Maxx
displays petite’s and junior’s clothing at the front of their store. In this regard, T.J. Maxx is not
marketing to the majority of their female costumers. To add further insult to injury, plus sized
women’s clothing is placed behind the clearance section. This may be sending a message to a
majority of the shoppers that “Plus Size” is an undesirable section of the store. It would be my
recommendation to move “Plus Size” up front, just behind the latest fashion trends rounders.
Clearance women’s clothing would be moved to the rear of the women’s section, thus keeping
with the theme of positioning clearance on the periphery of the store.
Currently, the food section of T.J. Maxx is located along the corridor to the store’s
restroom facilities. Although this aisle is large and encourages flow to the rear of the store, it
juxtaposes two foreign concepts and does not appeal to the customer’s senses. One does not
choose to eat at a table next to the restroom at a restaurant, just as one does not wish to examine
food choices near a restroom. In my re-organization, I would move the food aisle to the house
ware accessory section (ie. Lamps, pillows, vases).
A Plan for Success
The T.J. Maxx, Inc. website includes a mission statement professing a strong desire to
improve the company and increase sales. The company attributes much of its success to
satisfying the needs of its consumers, stating that its “demographic reach is among the widest in
retail” (Meyrowitz). However, the store layout does not seem to fit the needs of two main
consumer sub-groups, men and plus-sized women. My plan for creating a combined, larger
fitness section would appeal to male shopper’s interests. In addition, my plan to move plus-sized
women’s clothing to the front of the store, would draw in a larger crowd of women.
T.J. Maxx, Inc. also promises in its mission statement that it is “planning even more
aggressive marketing in 2014” (Meyrowitz). As I mentioned earlier in this paper, T.J. Maxx
does not advertise its sister companies in its store. Instead of repeating its motto on signs
throughout the store, T.J. Maxx could advertise its partners, increasing the overall revenue of the
corporation. I would recommend that the color of these advertisements, and directional signs,
stay red. A common color scheme in signage would provide continuity. It would also
continually improve branding, since the T.J. Maxx logo is red.
The T.J. Maxx, Inc. corporate website, and its box stores, fail to take advantage of the
power of social media and the internet in marketing. In one of the last lines of her welcome
letter T.J. Maxx, Inc. CEO Carol Meyrowitz states, “We also see e-commerce as another major
long-term opportunity.” This is the only mention of T.J. Maxx’s online store in the entire four
page web site. In addition, social media tags are sequestered to the bottom right hand corner of
the brand’s online store. Neither the online store, nor its social media connections, are advertised
in the physical store itself. T.J. Maxx. Inc. seems to be falling behind in the current trend of
internet marketing. While other stores have been heating up the internet and social media sites
for years, T.J. Maxx neglected to launch its e-commerce site until 12 months ago (Meyrowitz).
In order for this corporation to thrive in future years it must focus on its web based marketing. A
successful business is able to change with the times, and e-commerce is the latest shopping
venue.
In its present state, our local T.J. Maxx is in need of reorganization. Administering my
plan to combine like products, take advantage of the power of color coordination, draw in
additional subgroups in communities, appeal to consumers’ senses, and incorporate additional
advertisements could grow the retail sales and customer satisfaction rate of T.J. Maxx Inc.
Works Cited
Kaplan, Marcia. "Behavioral Differences Between Men and Women Influence
Shopping." PracticalEcommerce.com. N.p., 09 Dec. 2011. Web. 15 Sept. 2014.
Meyrowitz, Carol. "Welcome to the TJX Companies, Inc." Tjx.com. N.p., June 2014. Web. 15
Sept. 2014.
"The U.S. Market for Plus-size Apparel." Packagedfacts.com. Market Research Group, LLC, 01
Sept. 2001. Web. 15 Sept. 2014.
Waters, Shari. "A Simple Store Layout for Clothing Stores." About.com. N.p., 2014. Web. 15
Sept. 2014.
Wharton. "How The Sexes Shop--And What Retailers Can Learn."Forbes.com. Forbes
Magazine, 04 Dec. 2007. Web. 15 Sept. 2014.
Wu, Juanjuan, et al. "Fashion Product Display: An Experiment with Mockshop Investigating
Colour, Visual Texture, and Style Coordination." International Journal of Retail & Distribution
Management 41.10 (2013): 765-89. Web. 1 Oct. 2014.