Visual merchandising tools and techniques

If your message needs to be longer, consider a series of signs incorporated aesthetically into the overall visual merchandising theme. Display the new and more valuable products in the window or nearest the entrance to attract foot traffic. First impressions do make a difference. The front windows need to be kept clean and the display well-lit or lit to create an emotional impact. Sometimes, however, minimal lighting works best for specific designs. A post shared by Shopper Matters shoppermatters.

Every member of the sales team needs to be knowledgeable about the items curated in the visual merchandising displays. This is especially important for interactive displays. Old displays become invisible to regular customers and look worn to new ones. Keep it fresh to increase potential for conversions.

To increase sales, visual merchandising must engage the customer, while reflecting the brand. Effective visual merchandising has the power to increase sales — playing a key role in final conversion.

Every merchandising promotion execution should be followed by an established merchandising audit process. Having visuals to communicate what to do and what not to do make it easier for you and your team to execute perfectly.

I know I always appreciate coming into a store and finding it has new stock. You make a great point about how old displays become invisible to shoppers. I like these insights, and I especially like the tip about specific signage. However, no customer is going to strip off your mannequin because they want to buy that particular shirt.

Okay, you meet all kinds of people at craft shows, maybe somebody would do it, but the vast majority of shoppers won't want to ruin your lovely display. That's why you need to have the same item nearby, displayed in a way that is unfussy and very easy to shop.

Ensure your table is well stocked, but don't let it get too crowded with product. Retailers have trained customers to expect to see less product when items are high-end, and more product when prices are lower.

If you want to be able to sell your crafts for higher prices, consider displaying fewer items at once to create a higher-end feel to your shop. Crowded tables not only carry the risk of devaluing your product, they can also be unappealing to shoppers.

If you allow just a little bit of breathing space between different types of products on your tables, you can show customers, at a glance, all of the options you offer, and make shopping your table more enjoyable. Finally, make sure your table looks good from every side the customer could approach from.

We always think about how a tabletop display looks from the front, but if customers could also approach your table from the sides, be aware of how your display looks from that direction as well.

If you're displaying products on your walls at craft shows, you're most likely using a grid wall display system , or possibly slat walls or large shelves.

Some of the concepts that apply to tabletop displays hold true for wall space displays with a few new concepts to consider for the vertical design. Just as you would do on a tabletop display, put the most profitable items at eye level on a wall display, and leave gaps around products so your display is easily shoppable and not too crowded.

Repetition simply refers to displaying more than one of an item. Odd numbers are best. If you're going to repeat something, show three, not four of the item.

Alternation in visual merchandising terms means to alternate showing two different products. For example, if you wanted to display some blue and orange shirts, you might alternate the colors, so your wall display consisted of: orange shirt, blue shirt, orange shirt, blue shirt, orange shirt. You can learn more about the visual merchandising techniques of repetition and alternation here.

These systems come with different types of display accessories you can attach to the wall. Choices like shelves, single hooks, waterfall racks for clothing, hat stands, or bars give you the option to mix up your display, so you don't end up with rows and rows of straight lines that aren't appealing to the eye.

The top portions of slat walls or grid walls are typically too high to be shoppable. Customers just can't reach the uppermost areas of your booth. If you're not going to place product in the space, you don't have to let it go to waste. The upper wall space of your booth is a great place to create displays that can be seen from a distance.

Just be sure you don't place your only, one of a kind product up high where you and customers can't reach it. This display option is best if you create a range of products, so you can display one item up high, and then arrange that same item just under the display where customers can easily shop for it. The top section of your walls is also a great place to display large-scale posters that show off your work.

If you want to display several posters, remember the rule of repetition, and use an odd number of posters. It's often smart to use a mixture of both tabletop and wall space displays in your space. The combination can enhance the look of your booth and provide you with more display options. I earn a commission for purchases made through links on this page. The design of the shelving and colors all around bring about a sense of calm and relaxation.

The shop assistant is smiling and inviting, and everyone there seems approachable. All of these factors combined make you want to stay a while, browse, and then take something home. This is the lure of visual merchandising, an age-old strategy that retailers use to delight and entice their customers.

Nothing is arbitrary—everything is part of a plan, from your initial moment of discovering an item to the last product you add to your basket before checking out. While traditionally used in brick-and-mortar stores, visual merchandising strategies are now also being adapted for eCommerce.

Smart online visual merchandising promotes product discovery and increases both conversion and average order value. The definition of visual merchandising is simple: a strategy that uses visual engagement to encourage shoppers to browse, explore, and buy your products.

It means planning and designing an immersive shopping experience for customers by determining both the overarching and finer visual details. Online, this includes everything from the product collections and layout on your homepage to the last-minute recommendations on your cart page.

Visual merchandising can also refer to your general use of space and color schemes on-site. Visual merchandising is a combination of both intuition and science—with brands and retailers often favoring aesthetic choices backed by psychology. Particularly for the latter, effective visual merchandising displays the most relevant products at every touchpoint and establishes trust through high-quality photos and user-generated content.

Visual merchandising is integral to both the in-store and online experience because it influences the end-to-end customer journey. A strong visual merchandising strategy enables you to deliver coherent and engaging shopping experiences that align with how shoppers naturally consume and act on information. Visual merchandising touches every part of your site. It ensures that the right products are promoted at the right time , which is key for brands with thousands of items in stock.

Once customers take the first step either through the homepage, search, or menu, you instantly design a visual journey that leads them to their ideal products. Shoppers identify the way you present your merchandise, and they associate it with your brand. Visual merchandising is designed to appeal to shopper intuition. Along with the continuous transformation of retail, visual merchandising ideas and tactics have also evolved.

Visual merchandising in retail stores began decades ago with elaborate window displays. It then expanded to include store layout, with behavioral science dictating the best spots for specific product displays and types of items. Online visual merchandising, on the other hand, is a recent development. It has taken center stage as brands try to develop blended experiences that make in-store and online shopping feel connected.