 in the broadest sense, merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer. at a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to the variety of products available for sale and the display of those products in such a way that it stimulates interest and entices customers to make a purchase. in retail commerce, visual display merchandising means merchandise sales using product design, selection, packaging, pricing, and display that stimulates consumers to spend more. this includes disciplines and discounting, physical presentation of products and displays, and the decisions about which products should be presented to which customers at what time. == promotional merchandising ==  the annual cycle of merchandising differs between countries and even within them, particularly relating to cultural customs like holidays, and seasonal issues like climate and local sporting and recreation. events such as chinese festivals and japanese festivals are incorporated in an annual cycle of shop decorations and merchandise promotion. in the united states, the basic retail cycle begins in early january with merchandise for valentine's day, which is not until mid-february. presidents' day sales are held shortly thereafter. following this, easter is the major holiday, while springtime clothing and garden-related merchandise is already arriving at stores, often as early as mid-winter (toward the beginning of this section, st. patrick's day merchandise, including green items and products pertaining to irish culture, is also promoted). mothers day and fathers day are next, with graduation gifts (typically small consumer electronics like digital cameras) often being marketed as "dads and grads" in june (though most college semesters end in may; the grads portion usually refers to high school graduation, which ends one to two weeks after father's day in many u.s. states). summer merchandise is next, including patriotic-themed products with the american flag, out by memorial day in preparation for independence day (with flag day in between). by july, back-to-school is on the shelves and autumn merchandise is already arriving, and at some arts and crafts stores, christmas decorations. (often, a christmas in july celebration is held around this time.) the back-to-school market is promoted heavily in august, when there are no holidays to promote. by september, particularly after labor day, summer merchandise is on final closeout and overstock of school supplies is marked-down some as well, and halloween (and often even more of the christmas) merchandise is appearing. as the halloween decorations and costumes dwindle in october, christmas is already being pushed 
Merchandise Promotion_and_marketing_communications