How to boost retail sales with visual merchandising
Many retail chains have been showing signs of difficulty of late, but there are still many opportunities to maximize sales revenue. It’s clear that channel letter signs are becoming very popular and are a great way to physically announce your presence and attract people into the store. Once in the store visual merchandising has been a major selling process for many years. However, the problems dominating retail in 2018 make executing a successful visual merchandising strategy especially important if you want your retail brand to survive and prosper.
To help, Instagram selfie frame suppliers, Where The Trade Buys, have provided this visual merchandising guide for retail brands to help with your designs and how to launch a successful visual merchandising strategy so you can boost your profit margin.
Why visual merchandising is important for the retail sector
When you begin your visual merchandising strategy, you must design the layout of your entire shop floor, including the shelving. This must provide a more engaging, exciting and ultimately profitable consumer experience. But there’s more to visual merchandising than just putting products in a certain place because they look nice. There’s a science behind why certain presentations, structures and even colours deliver a better experience than alternative arrangements, and it’s been established that a strong visual display can raise turnover and strengthen your brand; even inspiring customer loyalty in the process.
According to chief executive officer, Bob Phibbs, who runs The Retail Doctor retail consultancy firm in New York: “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.”
So, what can you do to make sure you don’t fall into the same difficulties as the likes of Toys R Us and Maplin have suffered?
Highlight the wants, not the needs
It’s anticipated that global retail sales are going to hit USD 27.73 trillion by 2020. That means that there’s clearly scope for your brand to maximise its profits and get a share of this growth in the next few years. The first step to achieving effective visual merchandising is what products you will use to attract consumers. A tip here is to go for what you think your customer wants — not needs.
According to a study by Raj Raghunathan and Szu-Chi Huang, you should focus on giving the customer something to desire as emotional responses are influential in our purchasing choices. Place you newest, most high-end products in your focal visual merchandising displays to attract the customer looking for a treat purchase and enhance your chances of high-cost conversions. You could also use banners alongside these displays to present promotional offers for luxury items that you want the consumer to take notice of — and buy!
Group displays
How you group products together is crucial in how your business fares. A recent report found that exposing your shopper to the maximum number of products is a tactical method when carrying out visual merchandising. However, don’t make your displays look crowded. Utilise different display furniture, such as mannequins, racks and shelves — whichever suits the product you’re merchandising — and bear in mind that focal points boost sales by a reported 229%, so ensure that you effectively direct your consumers when they enter your store.
It’s also important to incorporate the ‘Pyramid Principle’ or ‘Rule of Three’ method into your displays. The Pyramid Principle dictates that you create a triangular display, with the biggest item in the middle and the smallest on the outside — which ensures that your display doesn’t look flat and boring. Instead, it will catch the eye, as the products seem to ‘fall’ down towards the viewer. Equally effective is the Rule of Three. Within this, you create attractive asymmetry that shoppers will find engaging. Apparently, humans see asymmetry as normal — which means they pay less attention. By placing product in groups of three, you can create a noticeable imbalance that forces the eye to take in each product individually, as opposed to the display in its entirety — excellent for effectively advertising each item.
Colours
Jessica Clarke, a retail merchandiser and stylist, says: “Things that are easy to look at will be passed over, and things that are too outlandish will be offensive to the eye.” And this goes for colour. Contrasting colours at the opposite side of the colour wheel can help grab attention — think black and white or scarlet and jade — but creating a multi-coloured display of uncoordinated colours may turn people away.
Creating a ‘decompression zone’
Another great tip that will help you create the perfect shopping experience for your customers is to deliver an amazing decompression zone. This area of a shop is found just a few feet inside the main entrance and is believed by psychologists to elevate a shopper’s mood, acclimatise them to the store’s surroundings and get them ready for the shopping experience.
It’s crucial you think about your customer’s experience. Who wants to browse and shop when they’re feeling negative or distracted? An effective decompression zone will help transport your consumer from the hustle and bustle of outside to a calmer, more focused environment that encourages browsing. Here are decompression zone tips:
- Minimum of 10-15 feet.
- Based at shop entry with a full view of store.
- Created using contrasting furnishings and colours from outside area to signal new atmosphere.
- Use mannequins, attractive stands and specialised lighting to highlight your newest ranges.
It’s amazing to think that 98% of people turn right when they enter a shop. Why not use your decompression zone to create a ‘circulation route’ from the right side that leads around your store for a smoother customer journey? Or, try placing your best products at the right of your decompression zone, if this is the most likely route consumers take.
Target all five senses
Yes, this guide focuses on the visual aspect of merchandising, but you shouldn’t ignore the other senses, too. Reportedly, 75% of emotions come from smell and our mood is meant to enhance 40% when we detect pleasant aromas. If you run a fragrance, soap or food retail establishment, are you harnessing the power of smell when it comes to merchandising?
Certain types of scents can allow a consumer to identify and recall a specific memory or emotion. If you run a bakery and want to evoke a feeling of warmth, cosiness and home-cooking; ensure that your customers can distinctly smell your products baking from the kitchen by setting up the area to waft aromas into the main shop. Similarly, if your brand specialises in soaps and toiletries, place these strategically around your shop floor to avoid clashing aromas. For example, put all the citrus products together to evoke a sense of energy and rejuvenation and keep these far away from lavender and camomile scents, which are more relaxing.
Frequency and rotation
Make sure you don’t just stand still if you eventually have your shop floor the way you want it. A major part of tactical visual merchandising is moving your presentations as new stock comes in. Don’t let customers get bored of visiting you — keep changing things up and you can make it look like you’re constantly replenishing your stock and bringing in new and wonderful items (even if you’re not).
Similarly, it’s key not to give people the impression that your brand isn’t current, so you must note that promotions and seasonal goods only last so long. Change your visual merchandising displays every month and retain the perception of innovation.
According to predictions, it’s expected that shopping will soon be transformed and lean more towards ‘the experience’ rather than just buying. With visual merchandising, you can ensure that your shop offers something engaging to keep consumers interested — so why not start planning out your shop’s next visual merchandising campaign today?
Related Articles
