Visual Merchandising
“You never get a
second chance to
make a first impression”
Store Layout
Visual Merchandising should capture the attention, awaken the senses and provide the customer a wonderful shopping experience, which will bring them back to the store over and over again. Store layout is one of the most important retail elements that greatly impacts on your store environment. Store Environment is an essential element in retailing given that 70% of purchases are either impulse or unplanned transactions. Effective store layout within each department of your store will help better traffic flow. Having a better traffic flow allows customers to see more of the merchandise and it also help with keeping the customers in the store. Once a customer reaches to 7 minutes, they start to make purchasing decisions. This could then lead to multiple sales. This is achieved through space planning, zoning and fixture layout.
Product Merchandising
Once the store fixtures are positioned, the store is ready to be visually merchandised! This will require brand knowledge, knowing the right customer profile, your product range and how to zone / categorize and present it in a way that best advantages driving sales.
This is achieved through different styles of merchandising, some of them being; Themes and Stories, Co-ordination, Symmetry and Balance, Repetition Display and Product Blocking. Understanding which merchandising style suits best to your product range is very important, as you don’t get a second chance! Display's that are done correctly, support your brand image and what you are about as a retailer are key.
Mannequins
Mannequins contribute to the store's overall ambience and personality more than any other element of the store. The way mannequins are positioned and dressed tells passersby and shoppers what type of customer your store caters to. Mannequins can guide customers to areas of the retailer where they will find specific product that they are looking for.
The final touch is “finishing” the mannequin and it can be an art in itself. Some tricks like rolling up the sleeves, popping the collar, tucking in the front of a t-shirt and adding accessories can make your outfit come alive. Always remember that customer impulse buying behavior is significantly influenced by the mannequin display.