What Does Facing Mean in Merchandising?

by Rick Suttle
Brand facings allow customers to easily view and select merchandise.

Brand facings allow customers to easily view and select merchandise.

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Retailers, wholesalers and showrooms place their products on shelves in certain ways. They may arrange product packages in colorful horizontal or vertical patterns, featuring some brands more than others. However situated, "facing" is when goods are moved to the edge of shelves with their fronts facing outward, according to "Market Stormer" online. People can then easily identify each brand when making their selections. Facings can apply to many different products, including cereal, canned soups, toilet paper and books.

Individual Brand Facings

The number of product facings is what's important to manufacturers or product sellers. A company with just one box or can facing consumers on a shelf has only one facing for that brand. Two of the same brand sitting side by side equals two facings. Companies often produce various brands of products. They send sales reps in stores so they can increase their number of facings. Some stores may be smaller, however, which typically results in fewer facings.

How Facings Are Determined

Facings are usually determined by the amount of sales per brand. In other words, the brands that sell the most get the highest number of facings. The shelf space situation in retail or wholesale stores is highly competitive. Stores want to maximize their sales and profits by providing the top-selling brands with more space. Similarly, store managers want to keep customers happy by not running out of specific brands. They can better prevent out-of-stock situations by putting more boxes or cans on the shelves. One way to accomplish this is by increasing the amount of facings for the higher-selling brands.


There are certain inherent advantages to allocating specific numbers of facings for each brand. Stores can stay more organized with facings. Stores typically place plastic tags along the fronts of shelves. These tags designate which brands belong in certain spots. The shelf tags also contain certain codes, which makes it easier for stores to count or order more products. Manufacturers also benefit from having a greater number of facings for their brands. They can sell more products with the additional shelf space. They may also benefit from a general consumer perception: that more brand facings means better or superior products.

Adding Facings

Manufacturers can add facings in stores by building in-aisle or end-cap displays. That way they sell their products on both the shelves and display units. Manufacturers typically use displays when they are offering sales or specials. These specials may include rebates, coupon offers or discounts on specific brands. Marketers usually need to contact retail or wholesale buyers for permission to build in-store displays. These buyers are responsible for purchasing all the products for their stores.

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