Skip to content
Skip to main content

About this free course

Download this course

Share this free course

Retail marketing
Retail marketing

Start this free course now. Just create an account and sign in. Enrol and complete the course for a free statement of participation or digital badge if available.

1.2 Retail product ranges

From a retailer’s viewpoint, it is important to understand why customers visit a particular high street store or online shop, as their motivations and needs have implications for the products a retailer sells and the levels of service to provide. There is a wide range of retailers to choose from when we go shopping and Table 1 provides a list of some common retail product categories and sub-categories.

Table 1: Retail product categories (some examples in the United Kingdom)
CategorySub-category
AlcoholWines, beers, spirits
Books and stationeryPrinting, cards, paper, pens, writing materials
Chemists and drugstoresBeauty products, toiletries, cosmetics
ClothingBaby wear and nursery goods, children’s wear, ladies’ wear, menswear, knitwear, fashion accessories, work wear, school wear, maternity wear, lingerie, leather wear, sports wear, bridal wear
DIY goodsWallpaper, paint, hardware, ironmongery, doors
Electrical goodsComputer hardware, computer software, white goods, brown goods, audio-visual
Finance Banking, insurance, credit, building societies
FootwearChildren’s, ladies’ and men's shoes, sports shoes, shoe repair
Foodstuffs and consumablesGrocery, butchers and poultry, bakery, fishmongers, greengrocers, confectionery, health foods, organic foods, delicatessen
Furniture and carpetsCurtains, sofas, soft furnishings
Garden productsFlowers, plants, gardening equipment
Household and textilesChina, household linens, pictures and frames, lighting, drapers, glassware, bedding
Music and filmRecords, DVDs, CDs, musical instruments
RentalsTelevision, films, games
Sports equipmentCamping and outdoor goods, leisure goods, bicycles and cycle accessories
Restaurants and take-away foodTraditional foods, international foods, snacks
(Source: adapted from Hemming Information Services, 2006, p. 585)