April 8, 2009
In-Store News: Visual Merchandising – VM in a cold climate
Through a special arrangement,
presented here for discussion is an excerpt of a current article from In-Store
News, a U.K.-based online news portal specializing in retail marketing
and design stories.
Visual merchandising can be the make or break
between drawing idle passers by into the store to spend money, but visual
merchandising budgets are often the first to go says one supplier to the
industry.
The challenge facing retailers is how to
continue producing impressive displays with a diminishing budget.
“The current climate requires a ‘less
is more’ approach to props to create a fun display to launch the new season
and product on a small budget,” said Karen Taylor, visual merchandising
manager at Cath Kidston,
a housewares, fabrics and clothing chain
in the U.K.
“Whilst the principles of visual merchandising
should never fundamentally change, during more difficult times the focus
becomes much more on value for money,” she said.
“When times are tougher, irrespective of who it will have impacted on,
the public are less likely to want to see stores spending money on expensive
and lavish window displays and are more likely to applaud good use of recycling
or the use of every day items.”
The latest Cath Kidston window displays being
installed this week incorporate inexpensive everyday items such as brooms
and buckets to display a range of homeware items,
which Ms. Taylor says is no less impactful than
a more expensive display would be.
The retailer has also kept costs of its displays
down by reusing props that had been in storage instead of investing in
new items.
“By keeping the display simple and cost
effective, we manage to show an awareness of the economic climate without
compromising on visual impact,” she said.
Dorothy Perkins, a U.K.-based women’s fashion
chain, changes its window visuals once a month while it tries to refresh
mannequin outfits every two weeks. Because the chain has stores on every
high street, it needs to continuously revitalize the displays because it’s
dull for shoppers to pass the same display time and again.
“Passers by want to see some change,
not the same window for a month,” said Dorothy Perkins creative director
Jacquie Gray.
Dorothy Perkins is seeing a different kind
of customer coming into stores in recent months as shoppers react to the
credit crunch. As shopping habits change, the task of visual merchandising
is to portray what the brand stands for and emphasize the affordability
of the products.
Its window displays currently feature a range
of outfits, all accessorized with the same pair of shoes. While it is a
longstanding policy of Dorothy Perkins not to put too many different shoes
on mannequins because it overbalances the displays, at the moment it appeals
to the credit crunch mentality.
“People are spending less but still
shopping. We’re seeing an influx of upmarket shoppers
who are looking for more affordable fashion and trading down. We’re looking
at how we can make ourselves more appealing,” said Mr. Gray.
Discussion Question: How should visual merchandising
techniques change during difficult times? Does visual merchandising become
more or less important during downturns?
BrainTrust
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Poll
Shoppers like to imagine what a product would be like in their homes; how it may improve their lives. Interactivity is the next big selling tool. Static displays or vignettes may give way to “Please Touch” displays that talk back.
I seriously doubt that “the public are less likely to want to see stores spending money on expensive and lavish window displays.” If that were true, movie-goers would avoid theaters showing expensively-produced films. It’s a silly premise. Just ask the Christmas shoppers in Manhattan (not Manhattan, KS) who gather in front of store windows featuring lavish and innovative displays.
Visual merchandising becomes far more important during downturns. It’s like theater, to draw on that analogy again, and is reminiscent of the movie boom during the Great Depression and in subsequent financially troublesome times. Store windows should be escapist, tingling the imaginations of viewers. A vision of what once was and what again will be. Positive, upbeat, and fun.
For smaller retailers, I am recommending displays that are more practical than aspirational in their focus. Building feature displays around merchandise more closely related to the core offering is the best way to add to the basket in this environment.
I’ve been pleased to see that even mass retailers are getting back to basics when it comes to visual merchandising; cutting out clutter, creating clear sight lines, focusing on flow and navigability rather than allowing intrusive promotional displays, shop off the floor neglect and claustrophobic layouts. Making it easy for shoppers to find what they are looking for, be it a bargain or a splurge, is right for ANY times.
For modern visual merchandisers struggling in this economy, articles such as this must be very frustrating on several fronts. One, since the eighties at least, visual merchandising has come miles from window dressing, and stores that have conventional window box displays have become the exception rather than the norm. While high street London, 5th Avenue NY and Champs-Elysees still have fashion window displays, retail’s majority storefronts today are more about exposing the expanse of the store.
Visual merchandising has penetrated the store and become much more involved in developing sales driving endcaps, feature displays, shop concepts, interactive displays, branding statements, collection merchandising, etc. that contribute significantly to the bottom line.
Unfortunately, the very old and outdated image of the role is still with window dressers, which is why more and more of them are seeing their jobs retired along with it.
Please, there’s no exclusive economic motive for “less is more”; it’s a fundamental strategy that’s been followed by many great merchandisers, designers (and cooks) for decades; and spending money on lavish props and accessories might be the reason those particular budgets are slashed long after they already should have been. Moreover, conveying the messages of brands and products as “good value for the money” is and always will be integral to the strategies of smart marketing, without regard to economic conditions or the price bracket of the products themselves. Good visual merchandisers have known this forever.
The helpful message here should be that strong and effective visual presence in retail is and always will be a valuable part of the operation, and those who are quick to abandon it are those who don’t know its true value beyond mannequins and props.
Attitude is everything. The most effective merchandising approach depends on the “attitude” the store wants to project. The #2 chain in Australia for many years was Franklin’s. They had a low price image and purposefully reinforced it with a merchandising approach that resembled a warehouse ransacked by a drunken fork lift driver. It worked very well, communicating clearly that the ONLY people who shopped Franklin’s were bargain hunters.
The other school of thought is that visual merchandising shouldn’t change at all during hard times. That people still want to see the same appealing features that they did during good times.
Given that most of America’s rekindled interest in frugality is driven by the recession, I’d recommend the latter approach for most retailers today. Habitual bargain hunters may favor the “flea market look”–but most of us do NOT want to be constantly reminded that we need to look at a broom instead of a new Bissell right now.
For retail, visuals are everything. But it is surprising how many stores only try to spruce up things when they are behind the curve or, if they’re a public company, when the analysts come to visit. Analysts don’t buy stuff–it’s the public that comes in after they are gone.
I know a number of visual merchandisers in retail and one of the things they have in common is trying to stuff 10 pounds of stuff in a five pound bag–in other words cramming in all the merchandise that is pushed through the system by decree of headquarters and carried out by distribution centers.
As some friends in Vegas might say “I’m trying to make my point the hard way.” Simply there is often too much merchandise to create really strong appealing visuals. Unless there’s a huge sale, people, especially women shoppers, don’t like to snake their way through racks crammed with goods and nothing to show them how it looks or how it will fit in their homes. Every good merchandiser knows this is the idea you have to put in people’s heads.
In their heyday, the great merchandisers like Bloomingdales, Lord & Taylor, Nieman Marcus, Marks & Spencer, and Harrod’s knew how to do it. Some still do but not enough.
The trick to visual merchandising in a recession is to strike a balance between aspirational marketing and displays that reinforce the customer’s inability to live a certain lifestyle. Patronization should be avoided at all costs. Nobody wants to look into a store window so they can be reminded how poor they are.
I think there are a few very timely opportunities for visual merchandising right now. How about all the press Michelle Obama is getting on her smart, yet frugal wardrobe? Making displays tie in with that image could drive some excitement. Also, some of the ideas in the article, such as foundational item reuse (same pants, etc.) may catch further attention.
In these challenging times, people still want to feel and look good, so visual merchandising is critical to create awareness for the retailer/manufacturer and better convey their messaging to the customer. Ironic that now is the time that even wealthy people are finding it chic to look frugal and smart.
The most creative people emerge when there is little budget to spend. They take mundane items and make them special; like those mops, buckets and brooms you mentioned. I find the biggest opportunity is with changing the scale of items or repetition of small items, creating a unique and distinctive visual image. This is how to catch the customers attention and imagination.
Can someone comment on visual merchandising for an aspirational product category like jewelry? As it is, jewelry being a luxury product gets hit maximally during cash-crunch times. So where does visual merchandising go then? What aspects does a jeweler need to focus upon? And more than that, how does he differentiate and rise above the clutter?
Responding to merabachu’s question about visual treatment of jewelry in these times, I’d offer the following:
1) Remember that visual display is an in-store process, and your positioning, location, demographics, assortment, advertising and promotion all together set the stage for how well you can affect your business once customers arrive. This doesn’t mean good visual can’t create sales; it does all the time, but it is and always will be reactive to those drivers above. Customers already have expectations of you when they enter your store.
2) Visual strategy in tough times should in my opinion focus most on basics and best sellers, no matter the category. These products are your consistent sales leaders and you need to rely on them now more than ever. They also typically represent your best values.
3) Display better choice options and/or related options along with or near these best sellers to suggest and remind customers of your broader selection, and hopefully adding to the sale at the same time. Make displays that help the sales and service process so add-on or choice options are clear and near as you present them.
4) Avoid cramming the SALE push down their throats visually. Position and sign sale items clearly, but don’t abandon regular pricing and display of those either. I promise you that today everywhere, retailers are giving away margin where they didn’t need to and on the other hand, customers are still paying regular price for a portion of their purchases. Don’t make the mistake of over-generalizing your store.
If you do these things, maintain your in-stock position, and make certain your customer service isn’t eliminated or phoned in especially during these times, you will be creating differentiation in this climate. It’s amazing how much retailers create their own failures during this time because they look and act like they’re going out of business before they face the possibility. People still want to shop at stores that are alive and well; be one of those.
More Discussions
As Boomers ‘Age Out of Peak Purchasing,’ How Can National Brands Retain Interest With Gen Z?
According to a recent First Insight study titled “Is Gen Z Still Choosing Your Brand,” while…Is Supply Chain Volatility Here To Stay?
Can we expect an ongoing volatility to remain in terms of retail supply chain?Has Same-Day Delivery Become an Expectation Across Retail?
Are expectations around retail delivery speed in flux?
Shoppers like to imagine what a product would be like in their homes; how it may improve their lives. Interactivity is the next big selling tool. Static displays or vignettes may give way to “Please Touch” displays that talk back.
I seriously doubt that “the public are less likely to want to see stores spending money on expensive and lavish window displays.” If that were true, movie-goers would avoid theaters showing expensively-produced films. It’s a silly premise. Just ask the Christmas shoppers in Manhattan (not Manhattan, KS) who gather in front of store windows featuring lavish and innovative displays.
Visual merchandising becomes far more important during downturns. It’s like theater, to draw on that analogy again, and is reminiscent of the movie boom during the Great Depression and in subsequent financially troublesome times. Store windows should be escapist, tingling the imaginations of viewers. A vision of what once was and what again will be. Positive, upbeat, and fun.
For smaller retailers, I am recommending displays that are more practical than aspirational in their focus. Building feature displays around merchandise more closely related to the core offering is the best way to add to the basket in this environment.
I’ve been pleased to see that even mass retailers are getting back to basics when it comes to visual merchandising; cutting out clutter, creating clear sight lines, focusing on flow and navigability rather than allowing intrusive promotional displays, shop off the floor neglect and claustrophobic layouts. Making it easy for shoppers to find what they are looking for, be it a bargain or a splurge, is right for ANY times.
For modern visual merchandisers struggling in this economy, articles such as this must be very frustrating on several fronts. One, since the eighties at least, visual merchandising has come miles from window dressing, and stores that have conventional window box displays have become the exception rather than the norm. While high street London, 5th Avenue NY and Champs-Elysees still have fashion window displays, retail’s majority storefronts today are more about exposing the expanse of the store.
Visual merchandising has penetrated the store and become much more involved in developing sales driving endcaps, feature displays, shop concepts, interactive displays, branding statements, collection merchandising, etc. that contribute significantly to the bottom line.
Unfortunately, the very old and outdated image of the role is still with window dressers, which is why more and more of them are seeing their jobs retired along with it.
Please, there’s no exclusive economic motive for “less is more”; it’s a fundamental strategy that’s been followed by many great merchandisers, designers (and cooks) for decades; and spending money on lavish props and accessories might be the reason those particular budgets are slashed long after they already should have been. Moreover, conveying the messages of brands and products as “good value for the money” is and always will be integral to the strategies of smart marketing, without regard to economic conditions or the price bracket of the products themselves. Good visual merchandisers have known this forever.
The helpful message here should be that strong and effective visual presence in retail is and always will be a valuable part of the operation, and those who are quick to abandon it are those who don’t know its true value beyond mannequins and props.
Attitude is everything. The most effective merchandising approach depends on the “attitude” the store wants to project. The #2 chain in Australia for many years was Franklin’s. They had a low price image and purposefully reinforced it with a merchandising approach that resembled a warehouse ransacked by a drunken fork lift driver. It worked very well, communicating clearly that the ONLY people who shopped Franklin’s were bargain hunters.
The other school of thought is that visual merchandising shouldn’t change at all during hard times. That people still want to see the same appealing features that they did during good times.
Given that most of America’s rekindled interest in frugality is driven by the recession, I’d recommend the latter approach for most retailers today. Habitual bargain hunters may favor the “flea market look”–but most of us do NOT want to be constantly reminded that we need to look at a broom instead of a new Bissell right now.
For retail, visuals are everything. But it is surprising how many stores only try to spruce up things when they are behind the curve or, if they’re a public company, when the analysts come to visit. Analysts don’t buy stuff–it’s the public that comes in after they are gone.
I know a number of visual merchandisers in retail and one of the things they have in common is trying to stuff 10 pounds of stuff in a five pound bag–in other words cramming in all the merchandise that is pushed through the system by decree of headquarters and carried out by distribution centers.
As some friends in Vegas might say “I’m trying to make my point the hard way.” Simply there is often too much merchandise to create really strong appealing visuals. Unless there’s a huge sale, people, especially women shoppers, don’t like to snake their way through racks crammed with goods and nothing to show them how it looks or how it will fit in their homes. Every good merchandiser knows this is the idea you have to put in people’s heads.
In their heyday, the great merchandisers like Bloomingdales, Lord & Taylor, Nieman Marcus, Marks & Spencer, and Harrod’s knew how to do it. Some still do but not enough.
The trick to visual merchandising in a recession is to strike a balance between aspirational marketing and displays that reinforce the customer’s inability to live a certain lifestyle. Patronization should be avoided at all costs. Nobody wants to look into a store window so they can be reminded how poor they are.
I think there are a few very timely opportunities for visual merchandising right now. How about all the press Michelle Obama is getting on her smart, yet frugal wardrobe? Making displays tie in with that image could drive some excitement. Also, some of the ideas in the article, such as foundational item reuse (same pants, etc.) may catch further attention.
In these challenging times, people still want to feel and look good, so visual merchandising is critical to create awareness for the retailer/manufacturer and better convey their messaging to the customer. Ironic that now is the time that even wealthy people are finding it chic to look frugal and smart.
The most creative people emerge when there is little budget to spend. They take mundane items and make them special; like those mops, buckets and brooms you mentioned. I find the biggest opportunity is with changing the scale of items or repetition of small items, creating a unique and distinctive visual image. This is how to catch the customers attention and imagination.
Can someone comment on visual merchandising for an aspirational product category like jewelry? As it is, jewelry being a luxury product gets hit maximally during cash-crunch times. So where does visual merchandising go then? What aspects does a jeweler need to focus upon? And more than that, how does he differentiate and rise above the clutter?
Responding to merabachu’s question about visual treatment of jewelry in these times, I’d offer the following:
1) Remember that visual display is an in-store process, and your positioning, location, demographics, assortment, advertising and promotion all together set the stage for how well you can affect your business once customers arrive. This doesn’t mean good visual can’t create sales; it does all the time, but it is and always will be reactive to those drivers above. Customers already have expectations of you when they enter your store.
2) Visual strategy in tough times should in my opinion focus most on basics and best sellers, no matter the category. These products are your consistent sales leaders and you need to rely on them now more than ever. They also typically represent your best values.
3) Display better choice options and/or related options along with or near these best sellers to suggest and remind customers of your broader selection, and hopefully adding to the sale at the same time. Make displays that help the sales and service process so add-on or choice options are clear and near as you present them.
4) Avoid cramming the SALE push down their throats visually. Position and sign sale items clearly, but don’t abandon regular pricing and display of those either. I promise you that today everywhere, retailers are giving away margin where they didn’t need to and on the other hand, customers are still paying regular price for a portion of their purchases. Don’t make the mistake of over-generalizing your store.
If you do these things, maintain your in-stock position, and make certain your customer service isn’t eliminated or phoned in especially during these times, you will be creating differentiation in this climate. It’s amazing how much retailers create their own failures during this time because they look and act like they’re going out of business before they face the possibility. People still want to shop at stores that are alive and well; be one of those.