VISUAL AND DISPLAY

PREPARED BY R.UMAMAHESWARI ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR &HOD DEPARTMENT OF COSTUME AND • Visual Merchandising is the art of displaying merchandise in a manner that is appealing to the eyes of the customer. • Visual Merchandising plays an important role to bring shoppers inside the store and make them a purchase clothes • Visual Merchandising (VM) is the art of presentation whereby Visual merchandiser conceptualizes and implements window and in- store displays for stores. Merchandising is an area where the Indian textile and clothing industry, particularly, the small scale enterprises require adequate knowledge and expertise. Exterior Presentations:

The quality of a store front is a major determinant for a customer, particularly a new customer, and should not be underestimated. Exterior Presentations: The exterior appearance of one store, a block businesses or a cluster, silently announce what customers can expect inside. There is a saying - “Give the customer a reason to buy”.

Visual merchandising is also coined as the Art of Retailing The purpose of visual merchandising

To make merchandising desirable To make merchandise easy to locate in the store The purpose of visual merchandising

To introduce and explain new product To promote store image To attract customers into the store To show merchandise assortment Visual merchandising helps in

Educating the customers about the product/service in an effective and creative way Establishing a creative medium to present merchandise in 3D environment, thereby enabling long lasting impact and recall . Setting the company apart in an exclusive position Establishing linkage between fashion, and by keeping the product in prime focus . Combining the creative, technical and operational aspects of a product and the business attention of the customer to enable him to take purchase decision within shortest possible time, and thus augmenting the selling process Key elements:

There are 4 key elements of visual merchandising. They are: Store exterior Store layout Store interior Interior display Exterior Presentations: The quality of a store front is a major determinant for a customer, particularly a new customer, and should not be underestimated. The exterior appearance of one store, a block businesses or a cluster, silently announce what customers can expect inside. Exterior Presentations: Good exterior visual merchandising attracts attention, creates interest and invites the customer into business. Exterior presentation can offer lavish, conservative, progressive or discount image. Exterior Signs: A sign is a silent salesperson, and part of a shopper first impression of a store. Focus on one or two key words to describe the business. A clean, clear message will have more impact. A store sign is its “signature”. Exterior Signs: It is personal, original and continuously recognizable to the public. It should create an image that is consistently carried throughout the existence of store Banners: Banners are used increasingly as an inexpensive but colorful, eye catching means of . Banners can be hung up from flagpoles, projected from the building or flat against the exterior. To provide continuity the same banner design, reduced in size and scale banners can be hung from the marquee and displayed inside the store. However do not over use banners. Then they might be overlooked by the consumers • Selling is the most important part of a store and therefore efforts to utilize each square foot will help to maximize . • One proven way to do this is through interior displays that effectively show merchandise to the customer. •

When planning interior displays, remember that the theme and image presented on the exterior must be carried throughout the interior of the store to provide consistency for the customer. The purpose of the interior• display is to develop desire for the merchandise, show what is available, and encourage both impulse and planned buying. Three goals of store are- Motivate the customer to spend money • Protect the image of the store • Keep expenses to minimum • Combining and display into an integrated promotional campaign will usually be more • . effective. • Color and Lighting: Color contributes significantly to people’s impression of a display as well as stores overall appearance. Color in a display can catch eye and make people pause and look. • The color combination of ceiling, walls, floor covering and the overall décor can affect the atmosphere of a store. •

Changing the color scheme can change people’s attitudes and perceptions of a store can increase or decrease the business. •

Color can change the shape and interest to dull room, and can direct attention toward a specific object or away from problem areas.

Warm colors (red, yellow, orange etc.) are stimulating and cheery. They make room feel warm and intimate. They make room look smaller and object inside larger. • Lighting: Lighting is essential in calling attention to merchandise in a display. • A shopper’s eye is drawn automatically to the brightest item or area. • Lighting treatment may be used to draw attention to the part of display area or to coordinate the parts of total display area. • Lighting can also be used to direct the path of the customers and to make them see various displays along the way. • There are three types of lighting used : Primary lighting • Store illumination • Atmosphere lighting • Primary Lighting: Primary lighting is the overall of illumination of the store using fluorescent or incandescent light sources. • Outside, it includes 150 watt bulbs used as basic window lighting, • marquee lights illuminating the side walks and lighting for generals lobby area. • Inside the store primary lighting is that which fills the selling floor from overhead lighting fixtures and provides the bare essentials of store illumination. Accent• or Secondary Lighting: This type of lighting provides illumination for designated display areas. Flat, shadow less, overall lighting can create a tiresome selling floor. Accent lighting provides change from light to dark highlight to shadows to prevent the boredom. •

This can be accomplished from down lighting from ceiling, showcase lighting and valence lighting (drapery or canopy). Incandescent bulbs are most often used for secondary lighting. They range I size from tiny Christmas trees light to small candle like or complexion bulbs, to full size globe or reflector type bulbs. • Displays: individual and notable physical presentation of merchandise. • Displays are intended to: – Stimulate product interest – Provide information – Suggest merchandise coordination – Generate traffic flow – Remind customers of planned purchases – Create additional sales of impulse items – Enhance the store’s visual image • Atmosphere Lighting: Atmosphere lighting is used to play light against shadow to create a distinctive effect on specific displays. • Generally this category includes the use of color filters, pinpoint spotlights and black lighting to create dramatic effects. Fluorescent lights are used for primary lighting, as they cannot be focused directly on an object. Incandescent lamps have sharply defined beams that are easily directed to highlight the merchandise on display. Spotlights are great for merchandise displays. The angle at which spotlight is directed is very important. Any angle sharper than 45 degree is likely to momentarily blind a shopper. Color filters that change the color of the spotlight are available for spotlights. Gels are colored acetate that can be placed over light bulbs. They are similar to filters but are less expensive. They are available in roll form and can be easily cut to fit the light. High intensity discharge lamps are the most efficient bulbs available because they provide more light per watt. They help in reducing the cost and is also flattering to customer. • Props and Fixtures: A prop is something used with a product in a display that clarifies the function of the merchandise being sold or the story being told. Props are integral part of a display. They are used in virtual merchandising to tell a story about the product A display prop may be something that is not for sale, such as floor coverings, wall treatments, backgrounds, mannequins, shelves and steps There is a saying -“Give the customer a reason to buy”.

Visual merchandising is also coined as the Art of Retailing • Locations for interior displays: – Just in the entrance – Entrance to department – Near cash/wrap • Locations for interior displays: – Next to related items – Across from elevators and escalators • More interesting if in odd numbers – Groups: • One-category, or line-of-goods • Related groupings: go together or reinforce each other • Theme groupings: event, holiday, etc. • Variety or assortment groupings: collection of unrelated items all sold at the same store • Lighting • Used to direct customer’s attention to the display • Use more light for dark colors, less light for light colors • Props • Objects added that support the theme of the display.

• Functional Props: used to physically support the merchandise. (mannequins, stands, panels, screens, etc) • Props – Decorative Props: used to establish a mood or an attractive setting for the merchandise being featured (ex: mirrors, flowers, seashells, surfboards, etc) – Structural Props: used to support functional and decorative props and change the physical makeup of displays. (boxes, rods, stands, stairways, etc) • Signage • Includes individual letters and complete signs. Often on some kind of holder. • Can tell a story about the goods. • Should try to answer customers questions. • Should be informative and concise. • Can include prices, sizes, department location. • Visual Merchandising Personal Skills • Creativity is the key skill coupled with above- average ability for artistic expression. • Visual Merchandising Personal Skills Technical and design expertise (e.g. building stet, props, setting up proper lighting, etc) are helpful besides the knowledge of fashion and art/design industry trends and forecasts and an ability to work well with others. • with teams such as buying, design and marketing to create design themes and plans, often months in advance, including window and in-store displays, signage and concepts; • conducting research on current and future trends in design and lifestyle, and associated features; • meeting with business, sales managers and retail managers to discuss sales strategies; • identifying and sourcing props, fabrics, hardware and lighting; • maintaining a budget and negotiating with suppliers of visual materials; • working with architectural features of stores to maximise the available space; • using artistic skills or computer-aided design (CAD) packages, such as AutoCAD, Mockshop or Adobe Creative Suite, to create visuals and plans; • creating visual merchandising packs to communicate visual guidelines including layout principles, visual dressings and signage - usually applies to those based in a head office; • visiting branches to coach in-store visual merchandising or sales teams to interpret the guidelines and training them in the execution of the visual concept • assembling or dismantling visual displays in windows or in-store; • carrying out 'comp (comparison) shops' to maintain awareness of other retailers' visual merchandising concepts; • leading and motivating teams to complete displays to tight deadlines; • seeking feedback from colleagues and customers on the visual impact of displays and implementing changes. Potential candidates should ensure they understand the difference between visual merchandising, retail merchandising and shop-floor merchandising.• The latter two• are concerned with volumes and allocation of stock and its location and functional arrangement on the shop floor, rather than the visual and creative impact it makes. THANK YOU