Visual merchandising solutions involve strategies that retailers and merchandisers use to make an impression and attract customers to a store. The process often starts from the outside of the store with enticing window displays and continue inside with retail signage and three-dimensional displays. The concept of visual merchandising can appear complex to a retailer, but the best merchandising companies can help you align your product displays with your brand goals for optimum success. The following are some tips to help you use visual merchandising to your advantage to maximize sales:
Color is king
Color helps with branding and with guiding your customers through the shopping experience. Colors also have a psychological impact and can encourage a customer to stop and take a second look. Contrasting colors can make certain products stand out. It is important for retailers to consider the type of business they run and use colors to their advantage to guide the customer as opposed to overwhelming and confusing them.
Use window displays to attract foot traffic
Place your most valuable or newest products in the window or near the entrance to attract foot traffic. First impressions are very important. A person who is passing buy or window shopping will never be attracted to a store front that appears dark and dingy. The windows should always be clean, the displays well lit, and the signage clear and concise.
Create focal points in the store
The purpose of focal points is to direct the customer’s attention towards specific products. This could be high-profit items or products that are on sale. In most stores, the focal points are found towards the front of the store, though they can be found in other areas as well. A retail merchandiser can use eye-catching signage and special lighting to pull your customers towards this important section.
Use merchandise to tell a story
How you display your products can help tell a story and help your customers connect with the product. Stories need to align with your brand and flow through the entire retail space. These stories do not have to be complicated, and can be something as basic as “Back to school” or “sporting victories”. For example, if you own a sporting goods store, you can display your products and use retail signage to tell a story of amazing camping adventures. Jewelry stores can use window displays, signs, and in-store advertisements to tell a story of beauty, commitment and love.
Less can be more
Too many colors and signs can overwhelm your customers and create a confusing shopping experience. Overwhelmed customers tend to walk away. A professional in-store merchandiser can help you reduce the visual noise and clutter in order to create a calmer and less chaotic shopping environment. They could do this by taking advantage of open spaces and creating focal points that focus on specific items. They could use colors and signs to create a more coherent story or theme.
Use merchandising to improve your customer’s experience
The main purpose of visual merchandising solutions is to help guide your customers in your store with the intention of increasing sales and creating a better shopping experience for your clients. If you have the right strategy for how your customers walk through your store and view your products, you can make the shopping experience more intuitive. Customers will not have to think about where to go. Instead, they will focus on your products and not get overwhelmed or distracted in your store.
Make signage more specific
Do not use overly-wordy signs, as too much information is often ignored by the customer. Instead, employ the five second rule: Your customers should be able to read and absorb the information on your signage in five seconds or less. If you need to convey a longer message, use several signs incorporated aesthetically in your visual merchandising theme.
Conclusion
Visual merchandising can help you set the tone for your customers so that they can discover your products and eventually purchase them. The aim is to appeal to their senses and their lifestyle. The best Canadian merchandising company can help you increase your customer’s product awareness as well as their desire to shop in your store.
