Quick Summary
Visual merchandising (VM) is a key part of retail that affects how customers shop, from when they enter the store to when they buy something. It involves using display techniques, styling, and lighting to grab customers’ attention.
The concept began with Le Bon Marché in 1852, the world’s first department store, which used large windows and various displays. Harry Gordon Selfridge advanced VM in 1883 by improving store displays to make products more accessible and adding window decorations to attract customers.
Today, VM helps create a brand’s image and boost sales by ensuring a consistent look and feel in stores through clever use of lighting, displays, and layout. It’s not just for decoration but a powerful way to increase sales.
Visual merchandising is an essential retail marketing tool. It uses display strategies like window displays to entice consumers to enter the store.
Retail accounts for 10% of India’s GDP. The country’s growing middle class is one of the main drivers of retail growth. And each brand has exactly seven seconds to grab the attention of this rapidly growing market. Visual merchandising is important to encourage consumer interaction with the brand.
Understanding primary goals of Visual merchandising can help you figure out how to catch your audience’s attention.
Aspect | Focus | Purpose | Example |
---|---|---|---|
Store Layout | Efficient space use and accessibility. | Increase sales and attract walk-ins. | Place impulse-buy items near checkout counters. |
Highlighting Features | Tools to illustrate product benefits. | Help customers find and understand products. | Use signage to direct customers to their favorite brand. |
Revenue Growth | Visual merchandising as a silent salesperson. | Boost sales through effective displays. | Strategic product placement and strong visual appeal. |
Here’s a matrix table detailing the eligibility criteria for a career in visual merchandising:
Eligibility Criteria | Details |
---|---|
Education | – Basic: High school diploma or equivalent. – Advanced: Degrees or certificates in fashion management, retail marketing, or visual marketing may be preferred or required. |
Experience | – Entry-Level: May not require prior experience. – Advanced Roles: Relevant work experience in retail or visual merchandising is often needed. |
Skills | – Understanding the brand – Analytical skills – Commercial awareness – Computer literacy – Communication skills – Creative flair |
Technical Skills | – Proficiency in design software (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite) – Knowledge of visual merchandising techniques |
Personal Attributes | – Strong attention to detail – Ability to work under pressure – Teamwork and leadership skills (for advanced roles) |
This table summarizes the key eligibility criteria for starting and advancing in a visual merchandising career.
Aspects | Effect | Example |
---|---|---|
Color | Affects mood and emotions. | Using bright colors to energize or calm colors for relaxation. |
Lighting | Highlights products and attracts customers. | Spotlights on featured items or soft lighting for ambiance. |
Messaging | Influences purchasing decisions with words and phrases. | Catchy slogans or informative labels on packaging. |
Sounds | Adds store personality and attracts attention. | Background music or promotional messages. |
Scents | Evokes positive feelings and memories, linking them to the brand. | Scented candles or fragrance in the store. |
Technology | Enhances display with interactive or digital elements. | Touch screens for product info or promotional videos. |
A visual merchandiser is skilled at capturing attention and enticing the customer to enter the store. You can look into implementing numerous strategies to make your space interactive and user-friendly. There are various types of visual merchandising in retail.
Element | Description |
---|---|
Interior Displays | Displays arranged inside the store, including products and decor. |
Store Layout | How the store is organized, including product placement, store flow, points of sale, and dressing rooms. |
Mannequins | The type, styling, and positioning of mannequins to communicate messages to customers. |
Point of Purchase Display | Signage, decor, and physical structures at the checkout area. |
Bundling | Displaying related products together to show how they can be used together. |
Store Environment | The overall atmosphere of the store or digital space, setting a tone for the brand (e.g., loud and fun or calm and serene). |
Window Displays | Displays in store windows that attract the attention of passersby and potentially bring in more customers. |
Outdoor Signage | Signs outside the store that communicate what the business is and set the tone for the space. |
Exterior Fixtures | Items like marquees, banners, and awnings that create the first impression of the store. |
Seasonal Displays | Displays that highlight new products, encourage additional purchases, and create seasonal interest. |
Product Information | How product details are communicated, including labels, signs, typeface, and content tone, reflecting the brand. |
Design Decisions | Choices like flooring and materials that create a physical representation of the brand’s style. |
Also Read: 30 Profitable Side Business Ideas to Start in 2023
The primary goal of VM is to engage and encourage potential customers to visit the store. Follow these 10 simple steps to design an unrivaled display.
Gathering insights into your target audience’s interests and pain points is essential as a retailer. Understand what your competitors are offering to the consumers and their marketing tactics as well. Use their marketing “negative space” to your advantage to connect with your target demographic.
Incorporate these insights into elements of your visual merchandising plan.
Visual merchandising in retail involves the use of various heavy fixtures. It’s important to ensure the security of these fixtures. If installed incorrectly, it might seriously injure customers and retail employees.
Encouraging customer interaction and sparking their curiosity can help boost brand engagement. Let your customers actively engage with your brand. It’s important to appeal to their sense of curiosity and wonder when planning your display visuals. For example, augmented reality allows your customers to interact with your brand.
Fashion merchandising trends are continuously updating. You must stay on top of these trends to remain relevant in the market. Everyone is fighting for the same seven seconds of attention from consumers. Utilizing current trends will keep your brand at the forefront of customers’ minds.
Before you finalize a VM plan, first analyze your space. Improved space understanding will enable better customer experiences. A well-designed space will help set a positive brand image in the mind of your consumer.
Efficient visual merchandising has the power of enhancing brand recognition and recall. Your goal is to improve the buying experience of your customer by understanding their requirements.
The success of each campaign depends on how you optimize it. Once a campaign is live, track its performance by measuring your product sales against footfalls. You can boost your sales by making changes when required. You can choose to change either the layout or the product colors in the display to better the consumer experience.
It’s important to understand how much of your display visuals are needed. While the visual elements need to draw attention they must be balanced. After all, the purpose of visual merchandise is to improve the purchaser’s experience. Be selective when choosing the colors and themes for your display.
A thematic display will help differentiate new season products, sales, and other promotions for the consumer. Furthermore, It gives each launch a personality that sticks with the consumer. Analyze the emerging trends and finally combine them with the idea of the product to finalize a theme.
Themes may change with trends and each new product. But the brand voice and image must remain consistent. Once your brand image is cemented in the consumer’s minds you can build on it with consistency. It’ll help establish trust in your consumer base.
Also Read: What is Business to Consumer? Types of B2C Business Models, Pros, & Cons
The landscape of visual merchandising is transforming with new and emerging technologies. Fashion merchandising, for example, uses AR Tech to demonstrate the product without a trial. Some of the technological advancements helping enhance customer engagement and repaving the landscape of VM are –
More businesses are using augmented reality to draw in customers. The AR display at Tilly’s in California is among the best instances of how to draw attention and get people to stop. Finally, The store’s augmented reality display showcased products floating mid-air alongside other animated characters.
Thanks to virtual try-on, customers can now experience merchandise without trying it on. Saks Fifth Ave partnered with Rock Paper Reality to create a virtual reality experience. Customers could check out the Saks clothes rack through their phones or smart glasses. Additionally, the experience included recommendations for related clothing and accessories.
The Starbucks Reserve store in Mumbai is one of the finest examples of QR integration. All you need to do is to scan the QR code at the entrance. Further, The store’s surreal painting comes to life on the phone screen as you move your camera over it.
Visual merchandisers are coming up with innovative ways to interact with customers. In 2013, the team at Nike installed interactive displays in various stores around London to promote their new products. Besides, The displays were powered kinetically and some encouraged passersby to jump high to emulate a basketball dunk.
Visual merchandisers’ biggest challenge today is to generate interest from prospective audiences. Integrating technology into the store experience can enhance the customer experience. But there are a few benefits and drawbacks of utilizing such technologies in VM as well.
You can increase your reach by implementing new innovative technologies. In addition, The 3D try-on technology from Lenskart is one illustration of this. Their 3D try-on tech enables customers to test out their many offerings from their homes.
But integrating these technologies might be very costly. These are still emerging technologies and maintaining and updating them may be expensive.
To define the shop’s image, you’ll need a solid visual merchandising strategy that addresses every aspect from the outside in. This means focusing on the design of the shop’s façade, windows, interior layout, furniture, lighting, and product placement to create a strong and cohesive look.
Maintaining a retail space is expensive, so retailers closely monitor store performance. Measuring the impact of visual merchandising (VM) on sales can be challenging, but it’s crucial.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Sales Tracking:
Example:
Measuring VM Impact:
Success Criteria:
Your VM strategy is successful if it drives significant sales of both the featured products and add-on items.
Store | Technique | Description | Impact |
---|---|---|---|
Apple Store | Product Demonstration and Clean Layout | Sleek, minimalist design with products arranged on tables for hands-on engagement. | Highlights product features and encourages interaction. |
IKEA | Room Settings | Fully furnished room setups to demonstrate how products can be used in a real home. | Helps customers visualize products in their own space. |
Sephora | Interactive Displays and Tester Stations | Interactive displays and clear signage to guide customers through different product categories. | Enhances customer experience by allowing product testing. |
Nike | Dynamic Window Displays | Eye-catching displays featuring athletes and latest products in action. | Grabs attention and communicates brand identity. |
This table focuses on four prominent examples of visual merchandising and their impacts.
Visual merchandising in retail is essential to establishing a brand image. Initially, visual design was used to enhance the customer’s experience. It has since developed into a way to increase sales through the use of visuals. As a result of this, visual merchandising is a highly effective marketing technique.
With emerging technologies, visual merchandising is taking on a new life. Visual merchandisers are actively integrating augmented reality elements, and mobile and QR activations in their designs. These new emerging trends can help you encourage customers to engage with your brand in real-time.
An efficient VM strategy will help you establish and maintain your brand image in the market. While planning your store layout consider window displays, color schemes, themes, fixtures, and lighting. An efficient VM strategy will boost your brand’s visibility and improve sales.
The design and layout of a store should engage the consumer and promote accessibility. The 4 elements of visual merchandising to consider when planning a store layout are -
1. The Exterior Display
2. The Interior Display
3. The Store Interior
4. The Store Layout
A visual merchandiser optimizes the store layout to best enhance the customer experience. Their well-versed in how to utilize a retail space efficiently to boost sales. They also develop consistent strategies for brand communication in retail settings.
The window displays in retail stores are a very well-known example of visual merchandising. The products are often shown with complementary merchandise. They will often feature mannequins, interactive screens, and informative posters.
Putting related items together can make customers buy more. For instance, placing salsa and tortilla chips next to each other often leads shoppers to buy both instead of just one.
Mannequins: The way you choose, style, and place mannequins can send messages to your customers.
Point of Purchase Display: The signs, decorations, and setup at the checkout area are part of visual merchandising.
To read more related articles, click here.
Got a question on this topic?
Chegg India does not ask for money to offer any opportunity with the company. We request you to be vigilant before sharing your personal and financial information with any third party. Beware of fraudulent activities claiming affiliation with our company and promising monetary rewards or benefits. Chegg India shall not be responsible for any losses resulting from such activities.
Chegg India does not ask for money to offer any opportunity with the company. We request you to be vigilant before sharing your personal and financial information with any third party. Beware of fraudulent activities claiming affiliation with our company and promising monetary rewards or benefits. Chegg India shall not be responsible for any losses resulting from such activities.
© 2024 Chegg Inc. All rights reserved.