Top 5 Visual Merchandising Misses and Wins
As independent retailers, we may run into many common opportunities that promise to lead us to more sales, more success, and more chances of expansion. However, if we do not take in these opportunities, it may lead to a huge miss for ourselves and our business.
After working in the retail industry for 20+ years, I have personally run into my own unique set of opportunities and common misses in the Visual Merchandising world. Here are those opportunities and misses, and how I believe you should take advantage of them if I was in your shoes!
OPPORTUNITIES
Window Displays with a Local Feel. This can become your opportunity to highlight the local area and their names, colours, brands and events, and focus on who the community is and who makes it up. This will help your business stand out in contrast to global, big-name retail stores.
Upcycle Your Fixtures. Don’t take out what is “old!” Instead, give your second-hand or old fixtures and displays another chance at life. This can also give your retail area more of an “authentic” feel. While all of these older fixtures may not be identical, if they tell a story in a similar style, it can become an opportunity to add more interest!
Curating Packages. While it may be logical for companies to stick to their branding, grouping with other brands is a huge opportunity for independent retailers. This will give your customers more ways to introduce them to new brands, rather than shopping by brands. This will also allow you more freedom to tweak those display sections to your liking and give an introduction to new products based on relevant coordinating pieces, rather than by brands.
Fast Reactions. Don’t miss any extra time waiting for approvals on table set-ups and boutique design! As a retailer, being able to react quickly in tweaking displays based on customer shopping patterns will allow you more time to focus on other areas of the business. No more having to go through the usual approval process that most corporate stores require!
Unique Product Offerings. When your customers come in with interest, their shopping momentum has already started. Be sure to feature the most unique and interesting product offerings, such as new products and unique offerings.
MISSEs
Too Crafty. Rather than highlighting your products in window displays, you may be focusing too much on the “crafts” that surround them. An over-exaggeration of items can confuse your customers, leading them away from the promoted product and to the “aesthetic” of the business.
Dishonouring Products. Honour your products and their well-being by making sure they’re being handled correctly! This means making sure they aren’t on the floors, left in their plastic packaging, or have a high chance of being damaged by water, dust bunnies or more.
Too Many Products! If there are too many products or fixtures on display, your customers will feel very overwhelmed and claustrophobic. Make sure you leave room for “negative space” to give your customers a chance to breathe and take in what your business has to offer.
No LAUNCH Zone. For those who do not know, a “Launch Zone” is the space that acts as a “visual lure” and leads customers into the main store environment. When displaying your products, don’t miss the opportunity to curate your most relevant items and tie them to a theme.
Missing Out on Key Areas. Carving out key areas of the store, such as the launch zone, the display breaks, and interactive spaces (testing stations, consultations, social media displays, etc.) is a great opportunity for customers to use their senses to engage with your products. Don’t miss out on these areas!
It’s inevitable that you will run into big opportunities or huge misses as you run your own business. And that’s okay! Take every win and loss as a learning opportunity. At the end of each day, take the time you need to to assess your progress and analyze what you did well, what you may have missed, and what you could do to benefit your business in the future
If you’re eager to learn more about the Do’s and Dont’s of Visual Merchandising, I invite you to check out my new talk with Ghalia Boustani, Retail Expert of Huckster. Watch it here!