Final answer:
Merchandise arrangement, such as categorizing items by floors in a superstore, helps simplify the shopping experience and control buying patterns. Suggestive selling through bundling can present better value deals, influencing consumer purchases, whereas tying sales may be controversial due to limiting customer choice.
Step-by-step explanation:
Two examples demonstrating how merchandise arrangement and suggestive selling may impact sales and consumer buying patterns include the strategic product placement and sales bundling offers. Store layouts such as in the new superstore are divided into different categories and floors—for example, furniture on the third floor, household goods on the second, and clothing on the first. This segregation enhances the shopping experience by providing control and reducing distractions between categories.
Tying sales, while not the same as bundling, can also influence buying patterns, as seen when a store mandates the purchase of a portable TV with a popular DVD. This can be controversial, as it might not serve the customer's best interests. In contrast, bundling, which offers multiple products for a better price, such as cable, internet, and phone services, can be more appealing, leading to increased sales for the retailer and perceived value for the customer.
These sales techniques are informed by the psychology of shopping, where storefront displays and product arrangements are designed to manipulate emotions, creating an image that the product confers status and enhances a customer's life beyond its utility.