Visual Merchandising 101

2015 • Content, Tips

Tough to merchandise when your focus is on patient and customer care? Here we get back to basics with five simple visual merchandising tips to create displays that will translate into higher sales. Remember that your retail space needs to be your most effective salesperson.

Tip: Your retail space needs to be your most
effective salesperson.

3 Take a tip from retail and display your eyewear in sets
of three.

SENSORY BRANDING. You already know you need visually satisfying displays, but what about the other senses? Known as sensory branding, here are some tricks of the merchandising trade.
- SIGHT. Use cues including colors that trigger purchasing to help control how long a customer looks at and responds to a display.
- SOUND. Slow consumers down and encourage them to stay by playing mellow tunes. Play the Top 40 if you are after the younger set.
- TOUCH. It’s important for people to touch, feel, and try on product. Locked eyewear displays may have the opposite effect.
- SMELL. Certain smells enhance emotion and memory, both big—though often overlooked–factors in why people select a brand.

SHOW, NOT TELL. Savvy apparel retailers make sure staff wears product they sell. Be certain you do, too. Even if some employees don’t require vision correction, put plano lenses into frames so they can show how great your eyewear looks.

GROUPING STRATEGIES. Put your eyewear in a merchandising context that makes the experience easier. Create categories of your own—display by lifestyle, color, price, or end use, for example.

RULE OF THREE. Retailers always display product in sets of three. The reason is that the human eye is most likely to focus on something that is balanced or symmetrical. Try a pyramid shape. It will force the eye to move from top to bottom.

USE LIGHT. Apply different lighting approaches to define mood and attract attention. Spotlights, for example, will highlight product, but be sure to change what’s in those spots on a regular basis.

Next time you are creating a display, try these five tips. They’re easy to apply and are proven winners at retail.

How do you handle merchandising at your location? Please tell us your successes and challenges, and join in the conversation on our Facebook page here.

Reference: For more great ideas on displays and other savvy strategies on visual merchandising, check out www.shopify.com