Visual merchandising refers to how a store is designed and how products are displayed. It includes everything from your window displays to your product placement and signage in-store.
The aim of visual merchandising is to make your store and your stock as appealing as possible to your customers in order to maximise sales, so it’s crucial to get it right!
So how does visual merchandising impact sales and attract customers exactly? And how can you implement these techniques in-store? We’ve created a guide with tips to keep in mind.
How does visual merchandising impact a store?
Done successfully, there are many ways in which visual merchandising can boost your business. Great visual merchandising can:
- Improve sales on specific products
- Promote sales and offers
- Improve customer experience in-store
- Help you stand out from competitors
- Attract new customers
The result of all these factors is ultimately an increase in revenue for your business, which is why visual merchandising is so essential.
There are several different visual merchandising techniques, all of which play an important role in attracting customers and selling your products. Let’s look at some examples in more detail:
Window displays
Window displays are a prime example of how visual merchandising attracts customers. They offer an opportunity to grab your customers’ attention and tell them about your products and your brand.
Whether it’s seasonal displays or a new product line, using backdrops, props and lighting to tell a story about your products is a great way to promote them to your customers. A good window display is one that captures attention and entices customers inside. Check out our retail window display tips for ideas.
Product placement
Where you place your products in-store can have a massive impact on sales. There are lots of tricks you can implement to boost a particular product line or influence your customers to spend more. For example, placing your higher-priced items in more prominent positions and at eye level will encourage purchases. Placing items at the front of your store is a great way to attract new customers, while placing them near the till is also a frequently used technique to upsell products at the point of sale.
Layout is another important factor. Guiding your customers’ journey through your store through a specific layout gives you control over the products they interact with and which displays are in their line of sight.
Signage
In-store signage is another crucial element of visual merchandising. This can be everything from pricing to promotional messages. Customers can get frustrated if the information isn’t readily available, so signs and snap frames that show clear pricing and helpful details are important for reducing pain points.
Signs that promote things like offers, new product lines or encourage calls to action are also imperative for boosting store sales. This is your opportunity to highlight your deals, advertise your USPs and garner new interest in your products.
Colours
Colour psychology is also a clever means of visual merchandising. Did you know that colours can play a significant role in how visual marketing attracts customers and influences action? If you’re looking to prompt a call to action or promote sales, use vibrant reds and orange. To create a serene atmosphere, use blues and greens. Colours are proven to have an emotional effect on consumers, which you can use to your advantage to meet your business goals.
These are all the elements in how visual merchandising increases sales – and subsequently, your profit margins. From attracting traffic through window displays to promoting products and influencing your customers’ journey to the checkout, visual merchandising directly impacts how your customers spend.
Attracting your target market
Awareness of your target market is vital when planning the visual merchandising in your store. Many demographics have different likes and dislikes, so before choosing the aesthetics of your signage and displays, you need to clarify who your target audience is. You should think about their:
- Age
- Gender
- Location
- Ethnicity
- Estimated incomes
This information will give you a clear customer persona that you can tailor your visual merchandising to in order to maximise its impact.
How to monitor the success of your visual merchandising
To check the success of your visual merchandising, you should ask for customer feedback. Take note of what works for your target audience and adapt this accordingly into your strategy.
You can also keep track of how successful your visual merchandising is by analysing your sales data, which will show which your best-sellers are. Once you know this, you can continue to promote them in prominent areas or use these visual merchandising techniques to push sales on other products.
Understanding how visual merchandising impacts a store is crucial for all retail sectors. When visual merchandising is done well, it will attract new customers, influence purchases in-store and, subsequently, increase sales for your business.
Make sure your store is optimised for visual merchandising success with our wall-mounted sign holders, poster holders and display and merchandising solutions here at Displaysense.
