Visual Merchandising - def: The art of increasing the sale of products by effectively and sensibly displaying them at the retail outlet.
Visual merchandising is the practice of displaying store products and services to influence the consumer’s buying behavior. The location and display of the products in the store has an important role in motivating the consumers to buy them.
Let’s break it down:
Good Lighting:
Lighting is one of the critical aspects of visual merchandising. Lighting increases the visibility of the merchandise kept in the store. The store should be adequately lit and well ventilated. Avoid harsh lighting as it blinds the customers who walk into the store.
Good Signage:
The signage displaying the name of the store or other necessary information must be installed properly outside the store at a place easily viewable to the customers even from a distance.
Color Coordination:
The retailer must be particular about the color of the paint for the store. The paint color can actually set the mood of the customers. Wall colors must be well coordinated with the carpet, floor tiles and store furniture. Dark colors make the room feel small and congested as compared to light and subtle colors.
Select the theme of the store according to the season. Red should be the dominating colour during Christmas or Valentines Day as the colour symbolizes love, fun and frolic. A white theme would look out of place during the season of love.
The Nose Knows:
The store must always smell good. Foul smell irritates the consumers and he would walk out of the store in no time. Use room fresheners ‘or aromatic sticks for a pleasant environment.
…And So Do the Ears:
Don’t play blaring music at the store. It acts as a hindrance to effective communication and the retailer can never understand what the buyer actually intends to buy.
Stay Organized:
The merchandise must be properly placed in display racks or shelves according to size and gender. Put necessary labels (size labels) on the shelves as it help the customers to locate the products easily. Make sure the product do not falls off the shelves as it gives a messy look.
The dummies should be intelligently placed and must highlight the unique collections, latest trends and new arrivals in order to catch the attention of the individual. The dummies should not act as an obstacle and should never be kept at the entrance of the store.
Yes you really have to pay attention to Visual Merchandising
Visual Merchandising helps the customers to easily find out what they are looking for.
It helps the customers to know about the latest trends in fashion.
The customer without any help can actually decide what he intends to buy.
It increases the sales of the store and results in increased level of customer satisfaction.
The customers can quickly decide what all they need and thus visual merchandising makes shopping a pleasant experience.
Visual merchandising gives the store its unique image and makes it distinct from others.