Similar to how college basketball coaches instituted end-of-game timeouts in order to strategize a “sure-fire” inbounds play during March Madness, retailers and brand owners are calling their own plays when it comes to merchandising. Retailers and brand owners have taken a methodical approach to different merchandising tactics for brands and categories in order to engage consumers and stimulate purchase behavior, experts note.

“Many retailers are transitioning from traditional high-low pricing strategies to hybrid [everyday low pricing] (EDLP) strategies that offer fair everyday practices but still have room for a smaller number of deep discounts,” says Jon Hauptman, partner with Willard Bishop LLC, Barrington, Ill. “Where well executed, this shift has enhanced price image and encouraged consumers to shop  the store more intensively. Shoppers feel they can now ‘work the system’ and stock up at their preferred store because of the attractive everyday prices, and they don’t feel they’re giving up the ‘fun’ of searching for strong promotional deals since they’re available as well.”