This refers to the way in which, in total, a product is offered for sale. It covers everything from the packaging of the product (in terms of its outer packaging), to the way it is presented to the retailer for sale (whether the products are in trays that can be placed on counters as a part of the point- of-sale display, how the product stacks and stands on the shelving in the outlet), to any and all promotional items that may either be attached to it or form an integral part of the way it is offered for sale. In terms of, say, photocopiers being sold at office equipment retail outlets, in might even include such items as the training/user manual, samples of output from the system for customers to see/use, the development of an in-store 'try me out' system program to encourage the participation of the potential purchaser, and the literature that makes up the follow-up database building and after-sales service package.

The important thing to grasp when considering the field of 'merchandising' is that it needs to be relevant to the sales environment concerned and also needs to add to the appeal...