ADVANCED FASHION: STANDARD 9VISUAL MERCHANDISING

VISUAL MERCHANDISING

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.

VISUAL MERCHANDISING

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.

MERCHANDISE PRESENTATION

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.

RETAIL FIXTURES

Carousels: Circular racks that turn.

RETAIL FIXTURES

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.

RETAIL FIXTURES

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

RETAIL FIXTURES

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

RETAIL FIXTURES

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.

RETAIL FIXTURES

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

DISPLAYS

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 store’s visual image

INTERIOR DISPLAYS

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

COMPONENTS OF DISPLAYS

Merchandise

Lighting

Props

Signage

MERCHANDISE

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.

LIGHTING

Used to direct customer’s 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

PROPS

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)

SIGNAGE

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.

WINDOW DISPLAYS 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

TYPES OF WINDOW DISPLAYS

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

TYPES OF WINDOW DISPLAYS

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.