merchandising

American

[mur-chuhn-dahy-zing] / ˈmɜr tʃənˌdaɪ zɪŋ /

noun

the planning and promotion of sales by presenting a product to the right market at the proper time, by carrying out organized, skillful advertising, using attractive displays, etc.

merchandising British

/ ˈmɜːtʃənˌdaɪzɪŋ /

noun

the selection and display of goods in a retail outlet
commercial goods, esp ones issued to exploit the popularity of a pop group, sporting event, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of merchandising

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at merchandise, -ing ¹

Vocabulary lists containing merchandising

Century 21 Accounting, 9e, Chapters 8-10

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

merchandising

The massive merchandising push around the 2028 Summer Olympics will also include global brands such as Nike and Ralph Lauren.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

Analysts call the retail expansion risky, requiring new real-estate and merchandising expertise as well as traffic from consumers being squeezed by higher gas and other prices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Those that can’t pivot to more popular merchandising themes are shutting down.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

Cara Sylvester, Target’s chief merchandising officer, said on the media call that those changes represented the biggest reset of its dry-grocery section in more than a decade.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026