A DVANCED FASHION : S TANDARD 9 V ISUAL M ERCHANDISING

V ISUAL M ERCHANDISING

Visual Merchandising: The physical display of goods in the most attractive and appealing ways.

Store Layout: the interior arrangement of retail facilities. Selling areas: where merchandise is displayed and customers interact with sales personnel. (75-80% of the total space)

Sales support areas: devoted to customer services, merchandise receiving and distribution, management offices and staff activities.

V ISUAL M ERCHANDISING

Floor Plan: A drawing showing arrangement of physical space, such as showing the positioning of merchandise groups and customer services for a retail store.
Grid Layout: A retail floor plan that has one of ore primary (main) aisles running through the store, with secondary (smaller) aisles intersecting with them at right angles. Maze Layout: A free-flowing retail floor plan arrangement with informal balance. Fixtures: Shelves, tables, rods, counters, stands, easels, forms, and platforms on which merchandise is stocked and displayed for sale.

M ERCHANDISE P RESENTATION

Merchandise presentation includes the ways that goods are hung, placed on shelves, or otherwise made available for sale in retail stores.

Shoulder-out presentation: The way most garments are hung in home closets with only one side showing from shoulder to bottom. Face-forward presentation (face-out presentation): Hanging of clothing with the front fully facing the viewer. This should always be done at entrances and aisles.

R ETAIL F IXTURES

Carousels: Circular racks that turn.

R ETAIL F IXTURES

Dump tables/bins: A rimmed table or bin used to hold sale or special merchandise on the sales floor, especially in discount operations; it has no formal arrangement.

R ETAIL F IXTURES

Four-way rack: A fixture with four extended arms, that permits accessibility to hanging merchandise all the way around

R ETAIL F IXTURES

Rounders: Circular racks on which garments are hung around the entire circumference

R ETAIL F IXTURES

T-stand: Freestanding, two-way stand in the shape of a T, that holds clothes on hangers, sometimes with one straight arm and one waterfall.

R ETAIL F IXTURES

Waterfall: A fixtures with an arm that slants downward, that contains knobs to hole faceforward hangers with clothing at various levels.

D ISPLAYS

Displays: individual and notable physical presentation of merchandise. Displays are intended to:

Stimulate product interest Provide information Suggest merchandise coordination Generate traffic flow Remind customers of planned purchases Create additional sales of impulse items Enhance the stores visual image

I NTERIOR D ISPLAYS

Locations for interior displays:

Just in the entrance Entrance to department Near cash/wrap Next to related items Across from elevators and escalators Ends of aisles

C OMPONENTS

OF

D ISPLAYS

Merchandise Lighting Props Signage

M ERCHANDISE

More interesting if in odd numbers

Groups:

One-category, or line-of-goods

Related groupings: go together or reinforce each other

Theme groupings: event, holiday, etc. Variety or assortment groupings: collection of unrelated items all sold at the same store.

L IGHTING

Used to direct customers attention to the display

Use more light for dark colors, less light for light colors

Beamspread; the diameter of the circle of light

Beamspread techniques:

Floodlighting: recessed ceiling lights to direct light over an entire wide display area

Spotlighting: focuses attention on specific areas or targeted items of merchandise

Pinpointing: focuses a narrow beam of light on a specific item

P ROPS

Objects added that support the theme of the display.

Functional Props: used to physically support the merchandise. (mannequins, stands, panels, screens, etc) Decorative Props: used to establish a mood or an attractive setting for the merchandise being featured (ex: mirrors, flowers, seashells, surfboards, etc) Structural Props: used to support functional and decorative props and change the physical makeup of displays. (boxes, rods, stands, stairways, etc)

S IGNAGE

Includes individual letters and complete signs. Often on some kind of holder. Can tell a story about the goods.

Should try to answer customers questions.

Should be informative and concise.

Can include prices, sizes, department location.

W INDOW D ISPLAYS

Seen from outside of the store. First contact with the customer. Can have a series of windows. Advantages of Window Displays:

Establish and maintain an image Arouse curiosity

Disadvantages of Window Displays:

Expensive to design and maintain Requires space Merchandise can get ruined (sun ,etc) Glare

T YPES OF W INDOW D ISPLAYS

Enclosed windows: have a full background and sides that completely separate the interior of the store from the display window.

Ramped windows: floor is higher in back than in front Elevated windows: from 1 to 3 feet higher than sidewalk Shadowbox windows: small, boxlike display windows

T YPES OF W INDOW D ISPLAYS

Semi-closed windows: have a partial background that shuts out some of the store interior from those viewing the window Open Windows: have no background panel and the entire store is visible to people walking by

Island windows: four-sided display windows that stand alone, often in lobbies.