Visual Display Research

What is visual merchandising?Visual merchandising (VM) is the activity of creating 3-dimensional displays and plans in order to maximize sales. The purpose of this is to attract, engage, and motivate the customer towards making purchase(s).

Methodology of VMHow to go about creating a good visual display:

1. Easy, accessible location: For the consumers to reach out for the products, and for yourself to make amendments

2. Easy selection: For consumers to self-select the products3. Highlighting certain products you want to push for sale4. Increasing sales of unsought products: This would allow you to have a

good balance of stock amount in the store, and to clear existing stock before getting more

Psychology of VM

This section is credited to writer Cecilia Biemann. (Biemann)

What VM aims for is to create a logically and visually pleasing environment that captures attention, thus, increasing sales. This is affected and built around the target audience you want. One must have a clear understanding of image you want the store to portray. These questions can be of aid:

1. Which age groups are you targeting?2. What is the average income of target audience?3. Lifestyles of the target audience?

For Goldlink, our age group target audience varies from young executives to middle-aged to older business/ working class adults. This being so, the income of the age groups should begin from $1,000 onwards (to maybe around $10,000 or even more?). Therefore average income of Singaporeans range should be around $3,000. (MOM)

Other than our own population, tourists also aid our Singapore economical growth by a significant amount (as explained and shown in previous report). Therefore, the target audience for tourists would be mostly SEAsians, as the gross economy growth is on a rise as of these few months. Singapore currency is getting stronger (with reference to the current 1: 2.5 exchange rate to Malaysian Ringgit). Some other neighboring countries’ tourists that frequent Singapore may include Indonesians, Malaysians, and Burmese.

Dynamite DisplaysA successful store has winning displays. They can be categorized into several groups:

1. Storefront Window: The display attracts the exterior crowd into the store. This is very effective for sales, promotions, new arrivals, and high in demand merchandise.

An attractive storefront window display is one with a theme. Create a theme that arouses curiosity. This can be done by, inspiring the audience that these items can fit into their daily lifestyles. Also, display the merchandise in an active manner, or how they will look like in use. Example: Ties can be displayed knotted up to display the final look of them on a person.

2. Showcase: The showcase display is placed for merchandise, which may be too valuable to display in the shop front, or niche items that cater to the core audience (with high spending power). Lighting and multi-tiered fixtures are important here.

3. “Found-space”: These areas are small but usable areas in the store, where there may be sufficient space to create a small-scale display amongst the merchandise in the store.

Republic Plaza- Andrew’s TiesOn 13 August 2013, I (with the help of Mr. Tiong and Linda) revamped the store’s display to attract more audience.

Storefront Display:

The pictures above shows part of the storefront, this is the first display for the audience to see while they are coming from Tower I building. This

display was inspired by, candy stores and bright colors. Red is a captivating yet powerful color. It captures attention, and represents an authoritative figure. Blue, on the other hand, has a calming effect on a person as it symbolizes water bodies such as oceans and lakes. Blue is also recommended for interviews, as it is a color associated to loyalty, and being more productive. The colors create a contrast not too irritating to a person’s eyes, yet captures attention for either. (Johnson) Products used in this display are from Andrew’s (bowties and striped ties), and Lanvin ties, (vertical display).

This is the display facing the entrance nearest to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. On contrary to the other display, this display uses the soothing cool colors, pleasing to the eyes. Similar color groups are also placed with the focal point (striped neckties): Cool toned designer bowties and Duchamp cufflinks.

In the picture above, the Marzthomson cufflinks area was replaced by, Thompson and Ateseta merchandise. The new earth tones contain green and brown, which is the symbolism of nature and stability (as of wood, leather, and earth), ideal for the workplace. The alternating greens and browns with white and black also breaks away from monotony, and creates more depth in the display.

Focal Point & Visual BalanceFor the display you want or have created, you want to extinguish a focal point and the foreground. Questions one can ask to help:

What do you want your viewer to look at first? Is the feature highlighted effectively?Is the focal point at eye level?

Darker colors and larger merchandise usually appear heavier as compared to lighter colors and smaller merchandise.

Merchandising Similar Products TogetherPlacing similar products creates an impact window: a visually clean image, allows consumers to easily pinpoint the location of products.

Cross-Mix MerchandisingDisplaying a variety can create a comprehensive visual story: Promoting the hidden goods that are rarely sough after, and showing how these can be placed into daily lifestyles of consumers. This encourages the purchase (even an impulse one) and confirms their decisions.

Do consider: 1. Less is more, do not overcrowd

2. Complimentary products (eg. Ties, shirts, and shoes can be placed together to create outfits)3. Focus on eye-catching, new merchandise

Lastly, displays should be changed frequently. Ideally is t be changed weekly, else monthly changes would suffice.

Assessing All AnglesAssessing the display at all angles allows you to see if it is balanced, and better in a consumer’s point-of-view.

Encouraging Impulse PurchasesUsually items are placed close to cash registers for impulse purchases, however this would not be as effective and applicable in our case. Do place highly sought after merchandise in high traffic areas. This can be done by: assessing where do the consumers usually walk from.

Product PositioningShoppers are busy; thus fast moving crowds. Placing products at high traffic areas (similar to point above) can help attract consumers. Also, groupings are important. Group the merchandise according to color, item type so that it would be easy to identify merchandise.

Additional Tips Using cloth, paper, etc. as backdrops can help eradicate an unsightly

background To avoid a busy look, stick to few colors and textures (theme of display is

important) Housekeeping is impeccable; a dirty store is not attractive

BibliographyMOM. (n.d.). Median Gross Income of Average Household. Retrieved from http://www.mom.gov.sg/statistics-publications/national-labour-market-information/statistics/Pages/earnings-wages.aspxBiemann, C. (n.d.). Mastering Visual Merchandising. Retrieved from http://www.showmummythemoney.com.au/mastering-visual-merchandising.htmJohnson, D. (n.d.). Retrieved from Color Psychology: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/colors1.html