The 11 elements of an effective visual merchandising strategy

Visual merchandising is perceived in many quarters as the definition of the look and feel of a shop and often includes the following elements:

• Interior displays: refers to displays arranged within the store that can include product shelves and decor aspects of the store.
• Store layout: refers to the manner in which a store is laid out, that is, how the space within the store is utilized. This can mean the place where certain products are located within the store, the story told by the flow/ placement of the products within the store, access to passages, such as entrance and exits and so much more.
• Mannequins: refers to the use of toys within the store to demonstrate how items would look when worn by a real person, and includes the type, styling and positioning of mannequins to communicate messages to customers while in the store.
• Point of purchase display: refers to the appearance of the point where customers congregate to checkout, and includes the signage, decor and physical structure of points of purchase.
• Bundling: refers to displaying products together, so that customers can visualize how different products may be used together, such as displaying a bundle made up of a suit, shoes, socks, a phone, watch and dummy car keys.
• Store environment: refers to the atmosphere of your store, whether physical or digital, and includes the music played, odor, colors, lighting just to name a few. This was more extensively discussed in a previous post.
• Window displays: refers to the labeling and design of window spaces in order to grab the attention of passerby, attracting them into a shop, and can include placing products near the window for display, placing advertisements on the window intended to lead them into the store. These displays are key elements of visual merchandising which can impact inflow into the store.
• Outdoor signage: refers to signs outside the store that help passersby identify your store and are mostly located far from the store on mobile or immobile surfaces such as cars, bus benches, trains e.t.c.
• Exterior fixtures: refers to items such as marquees, banners and awnings, that help communicate your first impression to store visitors, and are mostly located outside the but near the store. Are an integral component of the elements of visual merchandising
• Seasonal displays: refers to items that help communicate themes such as Easter sales, Christmas or Black Friday which are all short time-based shopping periods. This can include a Christmas tree or photos of Santa.
• Product information: refers to tags that contain product descriptions such as features, and price.

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