Machine
Marketing
Mass communication
Material (sozai)
Mathematical Model
Merchandising
Mobile
Mode
Mono(Japanese for "thing")
Multimedia
Merchandising
The correct Japanese translation is shohinka keikaku&sbquo which means "commercialization plan." In general&sbquo however&sbquo it is used to refer to making or to sales distribution measures as opposed to marketing as a market demand measure&sbquo and there seems to be confusion regarding its definition. Merchandising is a method a corporation employs to adapt the product or service to the demands and desires of the clients and users in order to reinforce its advantage by setting itself apart from its competitors. The textbook definition says&sbquo "Merchandising is the planning&sbquo controlling and regulation that a company adopts in order to distribute and supply the product or service to the market at the most effective place&sbquo time&sbquo price and volume in order to achieve the marketing objective." A product ?彡entered phrase (product planning) has also been created but has not been recognized widely. In relation to this product planning&sbquo however&sbquo merchandising has come to indicate the overall business activity centered on the product&sbquo and is now clearly distinguished from the definition for marketing. Today&sbquo due to the informatization of the product&sbquo merchandising too is bound for transformation just as marketing. Merchandising itself must make drastic changes due to such factors as the emergence of e?彡ommerce. At the same time&sbquo today's situation demands that consideration for environmental issues and the recovery of waste be included in merchandising. In this situation&sbquo the development of new methods of merchandising is called for&sbquo and design has a major role here. I believe design can present a new means of merchandising.