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DeAnna McIntosh of Retailing Evolved on Merchandising Strategies for Retail Success


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For DeAnna McIntosh, Founder and Retail Growth Strategist at Retailing Evolved, it all started with an epiphany: most small businesses don’t even know what a merchandising strategy is. So she took the experience and expertise she’d built as a Strategy Manager at a Fortune 500 Retailer and put it to work for those small and midsize brands. 

As consumer expectations and demands evolve, a brand’s merchandising strategy has to grow and adapt as well. The retail experience is increasingly multi-dimensional, so it isn’t enough to create one plan and then adopt a “set it and forget it” mentality. That’s where DeAnna and Retailing Evolved step in – to equip small and midsize brands with Fortune 500-level strategies and systems designed to continuously maximize revenue, margin, conversion, innovation, and impact.

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With consumers craving a deeper, more meaningful relationship with the companies they support, DeAnna provides the tools businesses need to generate and communicate real impact.

Ever since DeAnna made the move from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses, she has reaped the emotional rewards.

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When discussing what she discovered after making the switch, DeAnna says, “I realized that the passionate, innovative, and forward-thinking brands that I'd been searching for were plentiful in the small business community. Working with the brands and makers on this project, hearing their stories, and then falling in love with their products confirmed exactly what I knew retail to truly be about.”

Q&A

Question: What made you realize small and midsize businesses could benefit from what you have to offer?

Answer:

My big aha moment came when I realized this simple truth: big box retailers and large brands are run by their merchandising departments.  The overwhelming majority of small retail business owners don't have an understanding of what merchandising even is - or think that it's simply visual merchandising. There was the disconnect.

Question: How would you sum up what retail is all about?

Answer:

  • Captivating Founder visions.
  • Unparalleled products that tell an inspiring story.
  • Customers that become community.
  • Serving over selling.
  • Shopping as a 5-sensory experience.
  • Being in business not just for revenue, but to make an impact in your customer’s lives.

Question: What drives you to keep pushing when the road gets rough?

Answer:

I ask myself if I've done everything humanly possible to turn things around. If my answer is no, then I keep going.

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