Visual Merchandising is a store’s visiting card. Even before a customer walks in, talks to a salesperson, browses leisurely through a store, it is VM that would decide whether he will enter the store and buy something.
One may argue that the effectiveness of the store window cannot be entirely measured but then there are ways to test the same.
“If a target of say about 500 pieces is set to sell of a particular product on the window, it can be easily tracked with the sales figures whether or not the target has been achieved,” says Siddharth Bindra, Managing Director of Biba.
On effective ways in which VM can help increase footfalls, Sumit Dhingra, COO, Arvind Fashions Limited says, “The first aspect is getting the right ‘window dressing’, which helps attract customers and in turn, shares the story of the brand with the viewer in a creative manner through a display, which is non-intrusive. The second aspect that must be given importance is in-store merchandise displayed with propping and mannequin clusters, which helps create stories for specific areas within the store. These displays also help showcase the brand ethos to an extent. Proper lighting as per brand standards is the third aspect that is very important because ambience is key to increasing footfalls. One of the most important thing a brand needs to invest in is, developing and training VM champs at store level who follow display standards and make sure the store looks peppy and inviting at all times.”
Deepti Parmar, Senior Manager Visual Merchandising, Pepe Jeans shares her take saying, “Create a clear focal point and position it supporting the products cascading below it hence following the pyramid principle. Bring your most current inventory up front and center to lure even repeat customers in to see what’s new.”
“Also, the elements/ theme/ feel of the window should be continued inside the store on the product wall to ensure the customer connect is not lost,” adds Bhawana Snehi, Manager Visual Merchandising, Spykar Lifestyle.
The duo advises to create local display zones in the store ensuring the floor fixture placement is also in sync with the zonal merchandise. This, they feel, can effectively help increase footfalls and in turn, revenue.
~ With Inputs from Sandeep Kumar & Surabhi Khosla ~
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