7 things to consider for winning real-world shops.
- Apr 6, 2024
- 5 min read
Visual merchandising is all about creating a shop floor space that delivers an engaging and exciting customer experience to help boost sales and increase customer visits. This is not just about making the shop floor ‘look pretty’. There’s a science behind why particular presentations offer better experiences — plus a strong visual display can boost turnover, fortify your brand, and even inspire customer loyalty.
“Visual merchandising is everything a shopper sees at your store that hopefully leads to a remarkable shopping experience. It is the unspoken language retailers use to communicate with their customers,”
According to chief executive officer, Bob Phibbs, who runs The Retail Doctor retail consultancy firm in New York. So, what are the best things you can do to enhance your visual merchandising strategy?
Get good groupings
Your visual marketing strategy relies heavily on how you choose to group products. Offering a wide variety of products to a shopper is good for boosting sales, but when organising your visual merchandising campaigns, avoid making your displays look crowded. Make the most of mannequins, shelves, bookcases, and other items to help show off your merchandise.
Focal points can boost sales by 229%?; capitalise on this by grouping displays to create a point of concentration for your customers. Consider the ‘Rule of Three’ or ‘Pyramid Principle’ methods when grouping products for a display.
The Rule of Three method offers attractive asymmetry that shoppers like. Humans see asymmetry as ‘standard’, which means they don’t pay attention, and by placing products in groups of three, you create a clear division that compels the eye to take in each product individually, as opposed to the display in its entirety, this is excellent for effectively advertising the merits of each item.
The Pyramid Principle gets you to create a triangular exhibition. This includes having the biggest item in the middle and the smallest ones on the outside — which helps make your display seem more ‘interesting’ to the eye of a shopper.
Additionally, using postcards, posters, and printed ribbons can all help draw the eye toward your displays
Creative Colours
“Things that are easy to look at will be passed over, and things that are too outlandish will be offensive to the eye,” said retail merchandiser and stylist, Jessica Clarke. In your display, utilise opposing colours — like royal blue and lemon or tangerine and lime — to instantly force attention toward your display. However, try not to go overboard, as a technicolor presentation of uncoordinated shades may turn people away. A colour wheel can be really helpful when deciding on a scheme.
Emphasise what your customers want to see
Concentrate on what your customers desire, not things that they simply need or even worse what you want to sell them. Doing so will add to their experience of your store and will encourage them to buy from you, not your competitors. According to a study by Raj Raghunathan and Szu-Chi Huang, we use emotions when deciding what to buy — hence the advantage of focusing on want over need.
Higher ticket luxury or personalised items that people may want to treat themselves to evoke a feeling of excitement and make them feel special.
The ‘decompression zone’
The decompression zone is essential to a good shopping trip for customers and is easy for brands too. Found a few feet inside the entrance, this part of a store is thought to lift a shopper’s mood, adjust them to the shop’s surroundings, and ready them for a ‘shopping experience’. Consider your decompression zone’s vibe and look:
Use furnishings and colours that contrast with the outside to gesture in the new atmosphere.
Make it a minimum of 10-15 feet
Create it at the shop’s entrance with a full view of the store
Bring in mannequins, stands, and specialised lighting
98% of people turn right when stepping into a shop. Use your decompression zone to create a ‘circulation route’ from the right and guide your customers around your store. Or, simply start your first visual merchandising display at the right of your decompression zone.
Mixing It UP
Never stand still when it comes to visual merchandising. Loyal customers will soon tire of any display, even if it's really great. Rotate your presentations around the floor to keep them looking new and interesting and ensure that your windows and decompression zones aren’t filled with the same items that they were last month otherwise, your business may come across as lazy or lacking in new, innovative products. Less can be more, so don't be afraid to take things out, just make sure all your staff can locate them quickly if asked.
Playing to the Senses -Sight, Hearing, Smell, Touch or Taste?
Every sense is important in merchandising. According to a study, 75% of emotions are evoked due to smell and our mood supposedly lifts 40% when we smell something pleasant. For food and fragrance shops this should be easier to create the emotional response you are looking for. You can help your customers recall a specific emotion or memory by showing off your products’ attractive scents. Run a bakery? Evoke warmth, cosiness, and home cooking by ensuring the delicious smells from the kitchen reach where your customers are on the main shop floor. If your brand specialises in soaps, use stands at opposite areas of the floor to avoid clashing aromas — place citrus products together for energy and rejuvenation and lavender items for a more relaxing smelling experience.
Music can be great for creating atmosphere too if you're not sure what fits best with your business ask your best customers what sort of music they think will fit best in your store and try it out. If a store isn't buzzing with people, the right sort of music can set customers at ease. Don't forget to check out if you need a license to play it and never rely on the radio or other peoples' playlists, you can't control it and you may not get the atmosphere you want.
Create a great Experience
According to predictions, consumers are going to value the experience over the purchase in retail very soon. AR experiences too are already starting to take place in stores like IKEA. These not only help customers with their purchasing decisions but encourage them to share on their own social media channels which boosts your presence too. Selfie frames, Character Cutouts, Backdrops, etc all help to create the right experience. Don't be afraid to be bold. I will never forget how my local Nisan dealer made me feel like a VIP - I won't tell you what they did (spoilers) but it didn't cost a lot and they instantly captured my lasting goodwill.
And Finally
If you need a helping hand with anything retail-related - Creative Studios are here to help you.
Sources:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/uk-retail-sector-sales-ms-house-fraser-trouble-online-amazon-business-rate-a8367081.html
A special thank you to our good friends at WTTB for their inspiration and help with this post.
About Find Bliss and this post
We hope this post helped to better inform you about making your retail space spectacular.
You can share this post with anyone you think might benefit from it and you can join us for further bliss posts with a free Forever Bliss Subscription.
Find Bliss is self-funded to remain independent and impartial. To help support this platform you can become a premium member, supporting us on a small but regular basis, or you can sponsor a page or post. You might also like to check out the
