Talking Shop By Kelly Molson and Clare Rayner V
isual merchandising is one of the most effective mediums for retail businesses. It engages and inspires
shoppers, encourages them to buy more of the products you want them to, as well as increase your sales, margin and return on space. That engagement process of course starts even before customers have set foot in your store.
The exterior of your premises should be instantly
appealing with clear,
consistent branding applied to your signage. The entrance reflects the personality of your store and must entice the passer by to enter.
Customers only have a few seconds to view and be attracted by your displays so keep them simple, bold and uncluttered. Cluttered, stale or badly organised displays are liable to do the exact opposite and turn those potential customers away. Ensure any special offers are clearly readable and not too big/small, bearing in mind the demographic of your target audience. If your window space is limited try using bright colours and lighting to draw the eye, maybe even motion. Change the displays frequently based on how often your customers visit the store. A fantastic but dated display could do more harm than good.
Seasonal displays are also a perfect opportunity. Turn every browser into a customer by using every event that you can possibly buy a card for – think Mothers day, Fathers day, Easter, Halloween, Christmas etc… I can remember my Mum taking me to Selfridges every Christmas just to see their displays, so could you make your store the one to visit on your high street?
There are also key areas to be aware of
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in your visual merchandising approach. Firstly, avoid overwhelming
Also, make sure your ideal customers can feel at ease so that they linger longer. Music, lighting and colours can all have a huge effect on the stress levels of the shopper. How many times have you left a store because it was too bright or the music too loud? Try to appeal to all five senses sympathetically and be aware that the demographic of your target market will feel different in different atmospheres.
For example: • Sight: Use lighting to change the mood of the store and to highlight products on offer. • Hearing: Music in stores has a huge effect on our stress levels. You may assume a toy store would play children’s songs or nursery rhymes. In fact, the parents will feel a lot less stressed if the music is something softer, possibly classical. • Touch: Allow clients to handle or test the products. This encourages conversation and rapport with your clients. • Smell: Certain fragrances are calming such as Vanilla or Lavender or Citrus to uplift. Try using seasonal fragrances to evoke a sense of magic, such as cinnamon around Christmas time. • Taste: Not always possible but if you can offer free tasters they are a sure fire way of selling more product. Last Christmas Eve I queued up for our turkey in the local farm shop. They
or confusing the customer. There’s nothing worse than walking into a messy store and feeling totally lost and overwhelmed with the amount of stuff in your line of sight. Instead, try to reference the layout by colour within a product category to ease the shopper’s identification of products. Take a leaf out of the online/e- commerce store design and display products with other products that they work well/look good with.
had a plateful of sausages for us to try while we waited. Guess what else I bought before I left?
Make sure customers can find products in store, and that they have the information they need to buy with confidence. Also, any in store signage must be clear and concise. Too many signs will act like a hundred shouting voices and your customer won’t know
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