The 5 Key Elements of Visual Merchandising
When some people hear the words “visual merchandising,” they usually get confused or flustered. They may know it's an important retail term, but not sure exactly what it is, how to do it well, or where to even start.
Let’s start here.
What exactly is visual merchandising?
Visual merchandising describes the presentation of merchandise to highlight its function and “reason to buy” to a consumer considering a purchase. It creates an engaging, enjoyable atmosphere which invites consumers to spend more time in the store and increases the turnover potential. The point of Visual Merchandising is to sell, increase sales, present the business as a showroom, bring categories to life, create an enjoyable shopping experience, connect with the target consumer, and bring consistency in the in-store consumer journey.
Visual merchandising is also known by most as the “art of attracting customers,” although it also applies science and psychology with design elements such as colours, table displays, patterns, textures, and lighting. VM gives retailers more insights into who their customers are, their influences and what triggers them to spend money on your products or services.
Now, let’s break down the five key elements of visual merchandising work:
Displaying and grouping merchandise strategically to entice customers to explore, purchase items, purchase more even items, and keep the state of the store fresh and relevant.
Consciously placing furniture, fixtures and product groupings in a way that manipulates the customer’s path.
Taking advantage of easy-selling items in terms of business success, while helping slower-selling items.
Rotating in new arrivals and strategizing goods to sustain the inventory flow.
Organizing a store effectively to support customers to shop efficiently and easily.
VM impacts the operations of a store, the potential to sell more, and the overall customer experience. It is a retail operations and marketing engine, and remains an essential part of business planning for branding, sales and operational purposes.
But we haven’t gotten to the best part about VM…It’s made for everyone!
While visual merchandising has the potential of being unnecessarily costly and perceived as a “luxury” service, there are many ways to keep costs down, so any retailer or business can utilize it for their own success. This includes planning larger VM set-ups on a seasonal or monthly basis, investing in proper staff training and standards guideline creations, and prioritizing where to put most efforts and investment based on the most visible sections of the store.
If you’re artistically challenged and looking for a new way to increase sales and brand awareness, creating visual displays can be especially difficult. However, our visual merchandisers are here to get you started, and we’ll work one-on-one with you to achieve more impactful and memorable visual merchandising.
If you’re interested in partnering up with a Visual Merchandiser to revamp your retail business or exhibitor booth for your next trade show, reach out to the team at VM ID!
Book your Discovery Call with VM ID here.