NEW AND NOW: What’s HOT in Store Design and Visual Merchandising

2016 • Tips

When it comes to both visual merchandising and store design, 2016 is a year for mixing it up. Too much matching is definitely out, so add fresh accessories and touches of color to break things up if your location’s design is uniform throughout.

Tip: “Look at your traffic flow. Retail research has determined that stores work best when they encourage a counterclockwise circulation.”

70% The retail menswear market has grown by 70% since the late ‘90s.

Here are 9 tips and trends to help you update your look for 2016.

1. COLOR POPS. You’re selling eyewear, so color should be coming from or focusing on product, not the walls or display units. Use color as an accent—in display props, wall art, area rugs (on the floor OR wall), fresh flowers, accessories, and throw pillows.

2. WINDOWS. Lifestyle stories are big in window displays this year. Use props, but make sure they encourage passersby to focus on your merchandise, not on the props themselves.

3. LIGHTING. Though fixtures that feature metals are popular for 2016, the principles behind lighting don’t change. If you’re using LED lighting, be sure most are warm, not cool lights. Cool may make product pop, but warm will flatter faces.

4. FIXTURES. Be sure to use shorter fixtures and displays near the front of your location and larger ones in the rear. First, you don’t want to block the view of eyewear displays in the back, and, second, you don’t want to give consumers a reason to never make it to the rear of your dispensing area.

5. MEN. Consider expanding the amount of display space dedicated to men’s frames and sunwear. Thanks to affluent millennials, the retail men’s market will be growing faster than women’s over the next several years. The retail menswear market has already grown by 70% since the late ‘90s.

6. FLOORING. Dark flooring is popular this year. It looks super sophisticated, but it’s hard to keep footprint-free, so maintenance is key. It you are stuck with dated carpeting that you can’t replace, area rugs are trending, too. Try placing one on top of your other carpeting to create a point of interest. Just make sure its texture won’t have people tripping over it.

7. TRAFFIC. Look at your traffic flow. Retail research has determined that stores work best when they encourage a counterclockwise circulation. One reason? Most people will hold things like your eyewear in their left hand and communicate with others using their right.

8. LONGEVITY. Retail guru Paco Underhill says that most store decors have a five-year lifespan. If you haven’t done so already, start saving for your next interior redo. And, in the meantime, add small changes and fresh touches like pillows, rugs, art, and props.

9. POSITIONING. Everyone is always jostling for position in retail. During 2016 retail one of the most visible moves will be the middle market working to differentiate itself by mimicking the high end in terms of product, look, and feel.

Do see your competition taking any steps that affect the way you want to look to consumers? Do you have plans for any design or visual merchandising changes in 2016? Please tell us and join the conversation on our Facebook page here.