Learning from the Freshest Perspectives

As consultants, we learn a lot from working with multiple types of retailers through different brand needs and consumer behaviours. There is also a huge benefit to extending your Visual Merchandising (VM) insight to teaching at a university; learning these young students' reflections on VM means learning what retail trends are attracting them. The most common threads were: minimal product presentation, Instagram-worthy presentations and experiences, as well as options against non-gender binary shopping.

Generally, the retail stores that were seen as the most enticing by the young, fashion-forward university students, were stores that are focused far more on edited curation, rather than the ones that are heavily stocked. There is no more debate: it's not about showing more - it's about editing down to showing them just what they need. This is no surprise, as we see a huge shift in stock presentation in brick and mortar stores. Make space for those plants, art work, even blanks spaces, and whatever props communicate your brand style - this trend is living on.

We know that Instagram has a lot of credit for promoting effectively, as we have influencers and friends as trusted sources to vouch for the best of the best on this platform. The most common Instagram-users cannot help themselves - they need to share what they love, and show-off how "cool" their experiences are. Give them a reason to Instagram a shot of your retail space, whether it's a display or an experience area, and there you have it - advertising that is unbeatable.

Lastly, as all social topics trickle down to consumer behaviours, gender binarism is certainly relevant to consider in the retail world as well. It's not as simple as a regular VM flip to create gender-neutral zones. We always need to cater to our audience. Where the option of gender-neutral shopping is relevant and lacking, retailers need to take a step back and plan how to effectively present this new offering, so that they are serving their customers' needs appropriately.

The current evolution in retail requires staying informed with these transitions to remain relevant.