| Course | MT102 Principles of Retailing |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 6 |
| Paper type | Merchandising analysis |
| Length | About 770 words, 5 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MT102 Unit 6
A Planted-Tank Light on the Bottom Shelf: A Unit 6 Merchandising Analysis
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
MT102: Principles of Retailing
Unit 6 Merchandising Analysis
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Glassmere Aquatics, the product, its placement and its sales are composite and illustrative; the sources cited are real.
The Item and Its Placement
The item is a full-spectrum LED light for planted aquariums of 36 to 48 inches, a national brand selling at $129.99. At the Beavercreek store it sits in aisle 6, bay 3, on the bottom shelf, with one facing. The box is dark blue with small type. Its neighbors are replacement fluorescent tubes, plug-in timers and clip-on lamps for small tanks, most priced under $25.
The store's records show it has sold six units in five months. The chain's two highest-volume stores, which display the same light differently, sell five to seven units a month each.
Diagnosis
Vertical position. The light sits about eight inches off the floor. Chandon et al. (2009) found in eye-tracking studies that shelf position and the number of facings both affected whether shoppers noticed a brand, and that items at or near eye level drew more attention. A shopper standing in aisle 6 has to crouch to read this box.
Facings. One facing makes the light easy to miss. The neighboring timers have four facings each, so the eye lands on them first.
Adjacencies. The lighting bay is organized around replacement parts. The shoppers who walk it are mostly replacing a burned-out tube or a broken timer, and they know what they came for. The planted-tank hobbyist, who is the buyer for this light, spends time at the plant tanks along the back wall, about forty feet away. My Unit 3 observation found the same problem with planted-tank fertilizers.
Signage. No sign explains what the light does. The box mentions spectrum and lumens in small type but does not say the one thing a planted-tank keeper wants to know: whether it will grow carpeting plants such as dwarf hairgrass.
Fixture and lighting. The bottom shelf is in shadow, so a light fixture, of all products, is displayed dark.
The Intended Buyer and the Mismatch
The intended buyer is the established hobbyist with a planted tank, the fastest-growing group in my Unit 2 profile. That shopper is willing to spend more on lighting, since lighting decides whether demanding plants grow. The traffic past the current location is a different shopper: someone replacing a part, looking for a low price and a quick exit. The research on in-store decisions points the same way: shoppers add items they had not planned mostly in categories they care about and can handle on the spot (Inman et al., 2009). The planted-tank keeper never reaches this shelf, and the shopper who does reach it is not interested.
Prescription
New location. Move the light to the end cap facing the plant tanks at the back of the store, beside planted-tank fertilizers and carbon dioxide kits, which I recommended moving in Unit 3.
Demonstration. Mount one light, switched on, over the store's planted display tank, with a small sign identifying it. Levy et al. (2019) describe how demonstrations and displays help shoppers understand products they cannot judge from a box, and a light is an obvious case.
Shelf talker. Add a shelf talker stating the benefit in plain words: "Grows carpeting plants in tanks up to 48 inches. On the display tank behind you."
Facings. Give the light two facings at eye level on the end cap, with the box turned so the photograph of a planted tank faces out.
Measurement
The change should be tested for eight weeks. Glassmere would compare units sold at Beavercreek during those weeks with the previous eight weeks and with two similar stores that keep the old placement. If sales reach three or more units a month, roughly half the rate of the best stores, the new placement is working. Category sales for planted-tank fertilizers and carbon dioxide kits should be tracked too, since the end cap could lift them as well.
The comparison stores matter because sales of aquarium lighting rise every January, when shoppers who received tanks as gifts start upgrading. Without a control group, a seasonal lift could be mistaken for the effect of the new placement. If the test works, the same end-cap approach could be tried with other items that planted-tank keepers buy but currently cannot find, such as root tabs and plant weights.
A light fixture sold in the darkest spot in the store, beside parts its buyer never needs, was never going to be found.
References
Chandon, P., Hutchinson, J. W., Bradlow, E. T., & Young, S. H. (2009). Does in-store marketing work? Effects of the number and position of shelf facings on brand attention and evaluation at the point of purchase. Journal of Marketing, 73(6), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.73.6.1
Inman, J. J., Winer, R. S., & Ferraro, R. (2009). The interplay among category characteristics, customer characteristics, and customer activities on in-store decision making. Journal of Marketing, 73(5), 19-29. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.73.5.19
Levy, M., Weitz, B. A., & Grewal, D. (2019). Retailing management (10th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Reading the MT 102 Unit 6 instructions
Unit 6 asks you to choose a product that underperforms in a store and analyze its merchandising. Locate the item precisely, aisle, bay, shelf height and facings, so someone could walk to it. Diagnose the problem variable by variable: vertical position, facings, adjacencies, signage, lighting and fixture type, saying what is there and what it likely does to a shopper's attention. Identify the item's intended buyer and compare that person with the traffic that actually passes the fixture. Then prescribe changes, a new location, new neighbors and new signage, each linked to a diagnosed problem. Close with how the retailer would know whether the change worked, naming a comparison over a set period. Choose an item with a placement problem you can see, rather than one you simply think is unpopular. About three pages with textbook principles cited inline is common.
How the MT 102 Unit 6 example is put together
The sample places the light in aisle 6, bay 3, eight inches off the floor with one facing, among items mostly under $25, and contrasts its six sales in five months with five to seven a month at stores that display it differently. Each merchandising variable gets a short diagnosis, with Chandon and colleagues explaining why shelf height and facings affect attention. The section on the intended buyer shows that planted-tank keepers spend their time at the back wall, while the shoppers passing aisle 6 are replacing parts; Inman and colleagues explain why unplanned purchases depend on interest. The prescription moves the light to an end cap beside planted-tank supplies, mounts one over the display tank and adds a plain shelf talker, citing Levy and coauthors on demonstrations. An eight-week test with control stores, adjusted for the January lighting season, closes the analysis.
Reading the MT102 Unit 6 grading rubric
Points in this analysis go to precise location, a systematic diagnosis and a prescription that answers it. Organizing the diagnosis by variable earns more than an overall impression, and each variable should carry an observation, not just a term. The section comparing the intended buyer with actual traffic often separates strong papers, because it explains why the placement fails rather than only that it does. Each prescribed change should match a diagnosed problem. A measurement plan with a comparison period and control stores shows the writer knows a sales change needs a baseline. Chandon and colleagues, Inman and colleagues, and Levy and coauthors are cited at the point each supports a claim and listed in APA 7 at the end. Ruling out price, or addressing it briefly, keeps the analysis on merchandising, which is what the unit assesses.
Common MT102 Unit 6 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Merchandising analyses often blame price or the product itself when the placement is the real problem. Others describe the shelf vaguely, with no aisle, height or facing count. A frequent gap is the intended buyer: writers diagnose the shelf without asking who should be standing in front of it. Prescriptions sometimes include changes with no link to the diagnosis, such as a new price or a coupon. Measurement is often missing or has no comparison period, so a seasonal lift could be mistaken for success. Photographs help if the store allows them; otherwise a sketch with measurements works. If you think price matters, mention it briefly and keep presentation at the center. Tell us the item and where it sits, and our writers will go variable by variable with you before drafting the prescription.
Get an MT102 Unit 6 example written to your instructions
Name the slow item and the store where it sits, then attach the Unit 6 prompt and rubric; photographs or placement notes help most of all. A custom example analysis gets built on them in 24-48h, with no fee attached to the first. If two items are in contention, describe both. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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MT102 Unit 6 questions, answered
How do I choose which slow item to analyze?
Pick something with a placement problem you can see, not simply something you suspect is unpopular. Clues include a bottom-shelf position, a single facing, dust, repeated markdown stickers, or neighbors that serve a different shopper. The analysis is strongest when the diagnosis is visible from the aisle, because the paper can then describe it precisely instead of speculating.
Does the analysis need photographs?
Not always, but they help, and some sections ask for them. Many stores restrict photography, so ask a manager first or rely on a careful sketch with measurements noted. Whatever you include, label it with the aisle, the shelf and the date. An unlabeled photo adds little, while a labeled sketch can carry the whole diagnosis section on its own.
Can the recommendation include a price change too?
It can appear as a secondary point, but keep the presentation changes at the center, because presentation is what this unit usually assesses. If you believe price is part of the problem, say so briefly and explain why the display changes should be tested first, which isolates the effect of presentation before any margin is sacrificed.
Where can I find a free MT102 Unit 6 sample paper?
This page has a full MT102 Unit 6 merchandising analysis of a slow-selling aquarium light, with a variable-by-variable diagnosis, a prescription, a measurement plan, three references and margin notes.
Why does the analysis rule out price?
The same light at the same price sells five to seven units a month in stores that display it differently. Its slow sales at this store follow its placement, not its $129.99 price.