What Does VM ID Mean?
VM ID - We turned 3-years old in July, and thought it might be a good time to clarify what on earth VM ID means. When we named our company, we thought the name was pretty self-explanatory- but being in the world of visual merchandising, perhaps we were slightly biased!
VM = Visual Merchandising
ID = Identity
What is Visual Merchandising? To avoid turning this blog into a long essay, we will quote Wikipedia for now: “Visual merchandising is the practice in the retail industry of optimizing the presentation of products and services to better highlight their features and benefits. The purpose of such visual merchandising is to attract, engage, and motivate the customer towards making a purchase.” Yes, window displays are a part of this, but contrary to popular belief, are only a small part of the grand visual merchandising picture.
So if VM ID is in reference to a Visual Merchandising identity, what does that mean exactly? Similar to how a logo is the label of a brand image, the visual merchandising is also a part of its culture. Whether there are multiple locations that need a common thread or a single store needs to reinforce its brand image, visual merchandising impacts the customer’s perception of how established the brand is, how shoppable the store is, the value of the products, and its supports of its operational needs. Think of it this way: a high-end luxury retailer and a fast-fashion retailer may offer some of the same products - such as basic staples like jeans or plain t-shirts - but even before touching the merchandise or trying them on, the very way they are presented implies what the brand is all about.
Your Visual Merchandising ID is important in both your online merchandising as well as your physical spaces as well. Shop merchandising should have a similar feel across all channels via styling, staging, displaying, and merchandising methods.
Turning to the retailers now: What are the presentation standards you follow to ensure that your products are being presented in their most optimal way? What are visual merchandising tools and methods you’ve adopted so that maintenance and upkeep are feasible by your staff members? What are presentation methods that customers will associate to your image?
Each piece that makes up your VM ID needs to work for you in boosting your business, elevating your brand image, and support your operational needs. Visual Merchandising is a part of your branding, and VM ID helps to identify that through the integrity of YOUR branding through our retail experts.
VM ID is Toronto-based but services clients Canada-wide and beyond!