Retail Merchandising Accessories

Accessories are articles/items that are added to complete, compliment or enhance an outfit. It dresses up or sets off garments. Accessories are needed to achieve a complete fashion look. Accessories include scarves, gloves, and jewelry.

Retailers generally have accessories available to coordinate with the apparel fashions for the current year. Accessory producers watch the same forecast trends concerning colors, textures, and silhouettes as garment producers since the success of accessory sale depend on the success of apparel fashions.

Fashion merchandisers should know how to create the latest fashion looks using accessories, showing customers how to turn mediocre outfits into terrific looking outfits. Customers can be shown how to bring out their best features or personalities by using accessories. Accessories can extend wardrobes and add variety by pulling different garments together and updating old ones.

The same outfit can be accessorized to look dressy or casual. This makes the personal appear to have more clothes than they have. Since accessories are small and usually do not cost as much as garments, customers can purchase more of them to extend and update their wardrobes. The importance of accessories also increases when customers do not like the current fashions. They update their current outfits with accessories.

Accessories are often impulse purchases. They are bought on the spur of the moment without much planning. To encourage sales, retailers place them at strategic, high-traffic places in the store such as main intersections of store aisles and near check-out counters. Sometimes accessories become more important in poor economic times because they can be used as inexpensive extenders for customers wardrobes.

Accessory companies present at least two near seasonal lines per year: spring/summer and fall/winter. The following categories fall into the category of accessories: Footwear Hosiery Belts Jewelry (fine, bridge and costume jewelry) Headwear (hats, headbands, caps, berets, visors) Scarves Neckties Handwear (gloves) Handbags Small Leather goods Glasses (prescription and sunglasses)