The On-Going Visual Merchandising Cycle
Visual Merchandising is never done - it has only just begun. Refrain from letting your selling space become stale or irrelevant by keeping on top of this mandatory merchandising cycle:
Seasonal Flips: If you change your store's layout and organization at the beginning of the season, you are already too late. Take a look at your competing neighbours and see how far in advance they are prepping your audience for the upcoming season. You'll likely notice your retail neighbourhood is about one to two months earlier than the actual start of season. This means all of your key zones and focal areas should be reflecting the new season, or at the very least, the transition. For Seasonal flips, you need to be equipped with a team who has been trained in executing seasonal flips, or is led by a knowledgable, trained Visual Merchandiser.
Monthly Re-Sets: Contrary to how these sound, they can be anything from 3 weeks to 2 months apart. The most common timelines are 6 weeks, in line with window changeovers. These are less involved than the Seasonal flips, but as with all things merchandising, the domino effect of changing one area may affect a larger area than anticipated. The goal is to re-work the areas that are now shopped over, as well as keep feeding in the newest arrivals in the most presentable and impactful way possible.
Weekly Refreshes: Whether or not you actually have new product receipts, you don't want your customers to think that you don't! Give your customers a reason to browse around by changing the configurations and product features of your existing zones. For maximum impact, this should be led by someone who understand the business needs and opportunities of the store.
Daily Maintenance: You don't want to see hours of visual merchandising and impeccable set-ups to 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 imperative to invest in training in your brand standards for optimal presentation at all times.
If you don’t have these rotations in place, that means you need to bring in a Visual Merchandiser to get your store into shape (e.g. a VM ID Revamp), and then work on a schedule to be able to manage the rest, which VM ID can also help to diagnose, such as ongoing merchandising touch-ups and staff training to boost internal capabilities.
It takes a village! Let VM ID be your village.