Every retailer wants unique products that no other retailers nearby have. I have heard plenty get upset when a nearby retailer sources the same product. Good visual merchandising can help you tell a different story with the same product, it can help you pitch to a different customer.
My experience is that investing time in purchasing merchandising props can deliver an equal or better outcome than in the stock itself.
Unusual props used creatively can give you a unique traffic-generating story that turns inventory investment into cash in the bank sooner.
We look far and wide for props with which we can create in-store theatre of which we can be proud.
The days of putting products on the shelves are over. We have excellent competitors and we need to do better than them.