In retail merchandising, it’s all about the customer experience. But before your potential customers get that in-store experience, they must first be attracted to go into your store and then linger. Creating this attraction begins with visual merchandising, starting with a creative and eye-catching display window to a well-organized and stacked shop fittings that allow easy access to your items.
A simple adjustment in your color signage or incorporating natural elements like flowers or plants together with your island or wall displays can put you ahead of the competition. Here are a few ideas you can explore to organize your retail store and make your merchandise pop.
An Overview of Visual Merchandising
Visual merchandising might seem like a new term, but it has its roots hundreds of years back. Early traders exchanging goods for other goods (barter) would organize their goods that would appeal most to customers, e.g., biggest and ripest fruit on top of the biggest catch-of-the-day in front.
Modern trading essentially remains the same—the latest products with the best features, occupy a central place inside a store. Similarly, older items that need to go to clear inventory and make way for new items are put on “sale,” accompanied by a large sign.
With technology and new materials developed over centuries, store owners are becoming more creative in attracting customers, ultimately boosting sales.
Get Creative and Boost Sales with Visual Merchandising
You’re not the only one who’s going to be creative. Your competitor will, as well. Your ideas must be unique, or you must rely on tried and tested approaches. Here are a few ways to give your store that “umph” it requires visually:
- Use art. A paper-mâché of a prominent nose inside a cabinet as background and below the nose are perfume bottles, send a clear message about what your product is. Creating artwork using paper-mâché is not expensive, and you can practically build anything.
- Use technology. If you’re selling gadgets and other devices, like Apple or Samsung, it’s easy to create this experience. If you’re a bookstore or an apparel shop, it might not be so. But using a flatscreen TV, for example, that loops entertaining and informative videos, which is strategically placed inside your store, can attract customers. Holograms might not be that perfect as portrayed in movies, but there are now service providers that can help your store.
- Eco-friendly concept. Sometimes it could be the message more than the art that will attract people to your story. If word gets around that your store is into good environmental practice and sustainability, that attracts a specific customer niche in itself which is growing. And if you get creative by using upcycled materials for your product display console, that will inevitably create interest. A refurbished and reclaimed piece of a log can make a stunning statement as a display rack.
- Natural life. As living creatures, humans are also naturally attracted to other living things. Displaying plants or flowers with items from clothes to home accessories creates a soothing and calming experience for customers. Find a specialty store that you could work with to supply you with plants for display.
Have you ever tried actual humans vs. mannequins to display your apparel? It’s a significant boost to their brand. Being creative has no limit, but it also needs to match your audience. These ideas could help set the tone for your next visual merchandising strategy.
