Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative way that entices customers to purchase more items or products.
A coffee mug is a classical merchandising article employed by a broad range of entities from very small businesses up to multinational companies like IBM, and is also frequently used by musical groups.
Christmas shopwindow at Selfridges department store in London with a Paddington Bear theme to mark the release of the 2014 film Paddington
Merchandising at a Walgreens in Chicago
The Rolling Stones merchandise sold in Carnaby Street, London
In marketing, a product is an object, or system, or service made available for consumer use as of the consumer demand; it is anything that can be offered to a market to satisfy the desire or need of a customer. In retailing, products are often referred to as merchandise, and in manufacturing, products are bought as raw materials and then sold as finished goods. A service is also regarded as a type of product.
Products on shelves at a Fred Meyer hypermarket superstore