This advice could also be called VM merchandising for people who think they can’t do it. Everyone can do Visual Merchandising! Experience is not necessary.
Visual merchandising is about display products in a way that attracts people to them, to look, touch and feel. It is about displaying products so you sell more.
Sales determine success, and only sales. A pretty display that does not drive sales is a waste of time and space.
A display that wins a supplier prize that does not increase sales is a waste of time and space, despite the supplier award.
Here is my advice on VM for blokes.
- Start with a clean space, a flat surface, in a good location.
- The best display looks like a pyramid.
- Your hero product is at the top of the pyramid.
- A seasonal poster hangs above the display or is placed next to it to signpost the display.
- Flowing from the hero product down to the base of the display are other products. But not so many that you can’t see what you want people to see.
- The display is balanced, even.
- A display of gifts always includes cards.
- Use coloured paper to highlight certain products. But don’t go for a rainbow.
- From a colour perspective, a good display has no more than two core colours as the focus.
- Don’t put signs in the display itself unless absolutely necessary.
- A display can look untidy and that is okay in some circumstances. For example, a box of Beanie Boos exploding from a box .
- Mistakes are okay.
- Oh, and don’t treat this as an engineering challenge. Keep it simple and fun! :
Remember, the alternative is no display at all.
A note to others who may be around when someone is doing their first display – we all did our first display once … be gentle.