Visual merchandising is an important part of running a successful shopfront. After all, your displays are the key to grabbing the attention of passersby and turning those people into customers. But you are a business owner, not necessarily a designer or artist; so how do you employ visual merchandising to attract more customers? Use these tips for visual merchandising to help you develop a beautiful, inviting display.
- Go outside. If the weather and your location permit, set up a display outside. You can add some flags and balloons to give a bit of a street fair vibe. People who might not walk inside the store will stop to check out merchandise that is set up on the sidewalk.
- Be clear with your signage. Everyone is in a hurry, and if they can’t find what they are looking for quickly, they’ll give up and leave. Use signs to identify departments and categories so that shoppers can find what they want.
- Set the tone. What feeling do you want to convey to your customers? Are you selling warm, cozy, family time? Or romance? Use your shop windows to set the mood.
- Appeal to all the senses. It’s called visual merchandising, but don’t neglect to appeal to the other senses, as well. Play music and light a scented candle to invite shoppers in to your store and carry through with your marketing message. For example, at Christmas time, decorate your windows with a Christmas tree and artificial snow. Play Christmas carols and burn a fir tree scented candle to appeal to all of the senses.
- Help shoppers envision your products in their home. Have you ever looked at a product in a store and liked it but wondered what you would do with it? Help your shoppers see what they would do with it. Instead of setting a pan in a box on a shelf, set a pan on a stovetop with wineglasses and cookbooks nearby. This way, the shopper can envision preparing a romantic meal with the pan.
- Group like items together. Make it easier for your shoppers to find what they are looking for by grouping like items together. Within those groups, create categories of similar products. You can group these categories by colour, price range, or size.
- Use lighting to your advantage. A well-placed light is a simple and inexpensive way to draw attention to a product. Use spotlights in display windows and throughout the store to highlight key merchandise.
- Change it up. A beautiful visual displays attracts customers, but only the first time they see it. A display that has been sitting, unchanged, for weeks or months does no good. Plan to change your displays frequently so that customers will notice something new.
- Use bold colours. A strong colour scheme can attract attention. Build your display around one bold colour, and switch to a different colour scheme the next time you change your display. This will make it obvious that there is something new to be seen.
- Use motion to attract attention. This is another way to appeal to the senses. A moving toy train at Christmas time or a fan blowing on pinwheels in the spring will catch shoppers’ attention.
These ten tips for visual merchandising will help you to build shop displays that will draw customers in and encourage them to stick around and shop.
Resources: http://www.snowbusiness.ie