Here’s How Often You Should Change Up Your Retail Presentation
New store opening services through merchandising set-up for Toronto-based retailer, Carpe Diem
Experienced merchandisers know about the importance of regularly revitalizing their retail presentation and space. This includes various aspects such as the retail store layout, eye-catching window displays, strategically positioned store launch zones, special features and promotional areas, in addition to well-thought-out merchandising styles and store space arrangements
Retailers often invest much of their time and energy in creating the perfect presentation for their space. However, if the presentation grows too old, customers will gradually lose interest in a stagnant display and become drawn to more enticing and fresher displays elsewhere. In fact, there’s even a phrase that exists for this - “Display Fatigue!”
Enhancing your retail presentation goes beyond beautiful displays; by merchandising your retail space, you can also create the impression that your space has received fresh and exciting new goods (even if you haven't!). The key lies in ensuring that your merchandise consistently appears different and doesn't give the impression of inactivity over time.
How can you avoid “Display Fatigue” and freshen up your retail presentations?
First, take in all of the factors of your presentation - including your window display, launch zones, etc. - and understand that each of these factors should run on a different schedule.
Store Design
In your retail presentation, the store design represents the most significant transformation and financial investment. Changes to the store and retail design are less frequent than other aspects of the retail presentation. To ensure that changes are minimized, we highly recommend working with a professional interior designer who specializes in retail design. This expertise can help create an initial design that remains relevant and functional for an extended period (Curious about where to find these interior designers? We'd be happy to recommend a skilled and talented retail store designer that we have the pleasure of collaborating with!).
Be sure to evaluate this initial presentation on a yearly basis to determine if the style is still relevant, and consider changes in your brand, trends, and consumer feedback. Subtle improvements, such as adjusting props, repainting walls, or altering lighting, can make a significant difference, and you can prolong the impact of these changes. Plus, you can save the necessary funds to commit to larger changes as your business grows and evolves.
Window Displays and Launch Zones
More often than not, window displays and launch zones typically draw the most attention from customers, making them pivotal elements in a successful retail design. During the initial design phase, it’s important to keep specific display requirements in mind, enabling your window displays and launch zones to serve their intended purpose more effectively.
Special Features and Strike Zones
Special features and strike zones require regular updates with each new product delivery. This practice ensures that the retail space remains relevant and consistently introduces something new and exciting on a monthly basis. Although this might sound like a lot of additional work, it's worth noting that special features and strike zones typically occupy smaller areas compared to window displays and launch zones.
Your space plans will be influenced by the monthly and seasonal changes necessary for effective merchandising. While some zones and fixtures may remain static, others will undergo changes to maintain an optimal flow and layout that compliments the evolving themes.
Guidelines for Your VM Operations
Still unsure about how, when and where to change up your retail presentation? Follow along with these general guidelines for your ongoing Visual Merchandising operations:
Seasonal Flips: To stay ahead of the game, take the time to plan your store's layout changes well in advance of the new season. Observe your competition and retail neighbourhood to gauge the timeframe for seasonal preparations, which usually happen one to two months beforehand. Ensure that key zones and focal areas reflect the new season. For a successful seasonal flip, you need to be equipped with a team that has been trained in executing seasonal flips or is led by a knowledgeable and experienced Visual Merchandiser.
Monthly Re-Sets: Contrary to the word “Monthly”, re-sets can be anywhere from three weeks to two months apart, and the most common timelines are six weeks, in line with window changeovers. These are less involved than seasonal flips, but as with all things Visual Merchandising, the domino effect of changing one area may affect a larger area than anticipated. The goal here is to re-work the areas that are now shopped over, as well as continue to feed in the newest arrivals in the most presentable and impactful way possible.
Weekly Refreshes: Give your customers more reasons to browse your store by changing the configurations and product features of your existing zones. For maximum impact, this should be led by someone who understands the business needs and opportunities of the store (See our VM Packages here!).
Daily Maintenance: One of the worst-case scenarios is seeing your hours of visual merchandising and set-ups magically disappear due to a lack of maintenance. The only reason that some stores are not properly maintained by staff is due to a lack of knowledge of the importance and steps to do so. This is why it's crucial to invest in training in your brand standards for optimal presentation at all times.
If you need a helpful tool to stay on top of your daily and weekly VM management, feel free to download our DIY Daily/Weekly Checklist, or get in touch to get customized staff tools created by us!