Visual Merchandising

Chapter 40

Visual Merchandising

When you are in the mall, what elements that you can see make you want to enter a particular store?

What is Visual Merchandising?

Visual merchandising is the physical presentation of merchandise and the design of a place of business for the purpose of increasing sales.

What is Visual Merchandising?

Visual merchandising is often referred to as the silent salesperson. The purpose of visual merchandising is to attract customers to the merchandise for closer examination.

Store Image
The store image is the idea of a store in peoples minds. Store image is created by visual merchandisers through the design and dcor of the store.

Store Image

How do these people know what image to develop for a store?

Who are our customers? What kinds of new customers do we want to attract? What kind of merchandise do we sell? What is the image of our location? What image does our main competitor have? What image do we want to project?

Store Image: Store Exterior

The store exterior is often called the storefront, and it includes the store sign, display windows, entrances, outdoor lighting, landscaping, and the building itself. The design of a businesss exterior is often part of the place decision. The location often influences a stores image.

Store Exterior
The store sign is a major element of a store exterior. Many businesses develop a unique way of writing the company name, often with design elements. The display windows show a selection of merchandise available in the store.

Store Interior
A store interior is usually divided into two sections: the selling area and the sales support area. The selling area is where the merchandise is presented to the customer.

Area includes shelves, racks holding merchandise, displays, cash registers, etc.

Store Interior

The sales support area contains amenities for customers, such as restrooms, lounges, and cafes.

Also includes staff areas and space for merchandise receiving and storage.

Store Interior: Store Layout

A store layout is a plan that shows how the space in the store will be used.

The selling and sales support areas are indicated, as well as the permanent fixtures, such as shelving, racks, counters, light fixtures, and other furnishings. The placement of these items will have a major effect on store image.

Store Interior: Store Decor

Store dcor refers to the way the store is decorated.

More permanent items, such as floor and wall coverings, lighting and store fixtures, and seasonal items (banners, signs, props)

The term fixture refers to an item designed to hold merchandise for display and sale.

Merchandise Presentation

Merchandise presentation is the way merchandise is displayed for sales in a store.

Merchandise Presentation
In self-service presentation, all of the merchandise is on the selling floor. Customers can find the merchandise on their own, select the items they want, and then bring them to the cashier.

Merchandise Presentation

In full-service presentation, none of the items for sale are on the floor. Select items may be on display, but you must ask a sales associate to get the item you wish to purchase.

Merchandise Presentation

Large retail stores often have a combination of self-service and fullservice.

Some upscale stores offer luxury fullservice. The sales associate asks what you are interested in and bring it to you.

Merchandise Presentation
What are the advantages and disadvantages of self-service? What are the advantages and disadvantages of full-service?

Displays

A display is an arrangement of merchandise designed to get attention and thus promote sales. The major purpose of displays is to excite customer interest in the merchandise. Displays can also provide information about the products, show customers how to use or accessorize products, and add to the store image.

Displays: Types of Displays

Displays: Types of Displays

A window display appears in store windows that face the street or the walkways of a mall. Window displays are usually designed to capture customer interest and draw customers to the store. Window displays often have dramatic colors and lighting.

Displays: Types of Displays

An interior display is located inside a store. They are strategically placed to catch a customers eye and to generate traffic flow within the store. Interior displays often provide information, such as how to wear new styles or coordinate accessories.

Displays: Types of Displays

There are three types of interior displays: open, closed, and pointof-purchase. In an open display, the merchandise is arranged so that the shopper can handle it. In a closed display, the merchandise is enclosed in a display case so that the shopper cannot touch it.

Displays: Types of Displays

A point-of-purchase display is designed to provoke impulse purchases as the customer is waiting to pay for his or her purchases. They are designed by the manufacturer and usually found near a cash register.

Display Development
The following steps will help you plan a display: 1. Determine the goal of the display.

Ex. promote new merchandise? Show how to wear new style? Should be eye-catching or notable, or subject of current promotional campaign.

2. Choose the merchandise.

Display Development

3.Choose a theme.

Artistic: color, Theme: beach, holiday, back-to-school Props are objects used in a display to support the theme or to physically support the merchandise.

4. Select props.

5. Arrange the merchandise and props.

Display Development

6. Develop signs.
Signs should give info, like price. Signs should be brief and easy to read.

7. Design the lighting.

Lighting should provide enough light to see merchandise and read signs. Spotlights can be used to focus on specific items. Lighting should minimize glare and shadows.

Display Maintenance
Dirty, messy displays can ruin a stores image. To maintain a good image, a display must be kept clean and orderly. Some guidelines for good display maintenance are to check display at least once a day, clean regularly, replaces damaged goods, replace moved items, and replace lights as necessary.

Display Evaluation

The purpose of displays is to promote store image and sell products. Visual merchandisers usually evaluate each display to determine whether it is meeting these goals.

Does the display fit our store image? Does it grab customers attention? Is focus on merchandise? Are signs clear and easy to read? Is there enough light? Is the display neat and clean?

Design and Visual Merchandising

Success in visual merchandising involves the use of design. Design is the purposeful arrangement of materials so that a certain effect is produced. Design is involved in many areas, including advertising, product development, and visual merchandising.

Design and Visual Merchandising

The elements of design include:

1. Color 4. Texture 2. Line 5. Light 3. Shape 6. Motion The elements of design are building blocks that can be manipulated to create an effect.

Design and Visual Merchandising

The principles of design are guidelines that can help you use the elements effectively. The principles of design are:

1. Emphasis 2. Movement 3. Balance 4. Proportion

Color
Color is often the most dramatic and noticeable design element. Colors grab attention, create a mood, or affect how someone feels.

Color: Color Wheel

The perception of color is individual. However, people tend to agree on which color combinations are pleasing. The color wheel is a standard arrangement of 12 colors in a wheel that shows the relationships among the colors.

Color: Color Wheel

The primary colors are red, blue, and yellow. The secondary colors are green, violet, and orange. The intermediate colors are yelloworange, yellow-green, blue-green, blueviolet, red-violet, and red-orange. Black, white, and gray are neutral colors.

Color: Color Wheel

Hue is the pure color itself, such as red. Value refers to the lightness and darkness of the color, that is, how much white or black is mixed with the hue. Hues mixed with whites are called tints. (ex. pink) Hues mixed with black are called shades. (ex. burgundy) Intensity refers to the brightness or dullness of a color.

Color: Color Schemes

A color scheme is a description of color combinations.

Line, Shape, Texture, and Light

Line refers to a one-dimensional mark that looks as if it were drawn by a pen.

Can be an actual line drawn by a pen Can be a boundary, such as where 2 walls meet or a seems joins 2 pieces of fabric Can be straight, curved, or jagged A line also has direction (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal)

Line, Shape, Texture, and Light

Shape refers to the shapes used in design.

Shapes can be twodimensional or threedimensional. Shape also refers to the overall outline of an item or display, which is often called the silhouette.

Line, Shape, Texture, and Light

Texture refers to the surface quality of materials.

rough, smooth, fuzzy, shaggy, soft, hard, etc.

Light is necessary in a window or display so that the viewer can see what is being shown.

Motion
Motion can be an additional element of design. Mechanical devices are often used to move products in the display. The most common is a rotating platform.

Principles of Design
Emphasis is drawing the attention of the viewer to the most important part of a display. Movement refers to the way the design guides the viewers eyes over an item or display.

Principles of Design
Balance refers to the way items are placed around an imaginary centerline. Formal balance means that you have an object on one side of the line, and another object of equal size the same distance from the line on the other side.

Principles of Design
Informal design means that you have a large object on one side of the line, but the other side you have two smaller objects that are about the same size as the larger object. Informal balance also occurs when you have a large pale object on one side, and a smaller but very bright object on the other side.

Principles of Design
Proportion refers to the size and space relationship of all items in a display. Proportion can also be applied to a single item, for which you consider the size and space relationships of all the parts of the item to the whole item.