Unit 30 Visual Merchandising in Retail Assignment Help (GC01661)
Table of Contents
Introduction.
P1 Describe how visual merchandising techniques are applied to goods in different types of retail outlets
P2 Describe how space is used to display goods in three retail outlets.
P3 Explain how retail outlets use psychology in their visual merchandising and display techniques to encourage customers to purchase goods.
P4 Plan a safe visual merchandising display using a range of goods within a retail Context.
P5 Assemble a safe visual merchandising display using a range of goods within a retail context.
Introduction
Visual merchandising is the technique used by retailers to sell products. This technique generally involves the manipulation of improving sales by displaying their products in attractive ways. Retailers use many methods to draw their customer’s attention to the products focusing on sales and emphasizing the best features and benefits of products. Visual merchandising provides several benefits. For example, it allows customers to easily build awareness of their desire products in the store. In addition, visual merchandizing motivates customers to purchase more products that increase sales. In another word, it increases customer satisfaction and improves business performance. It also provides uniqueness and competitive advantages to the businesses. This paper describes how several visual merchandising techniques are used by different retail outlets.
P1 Describe how visual merchandising techniques are applied to goods in different types of retail outlets
The term “visual merchandising”
Visual merchandising is the aesthetic display of the products to attract the target and potential customers, promote them to buy and eventually increase the sales of the store. In simpler words, visual merchandising is the art of displaying products to influence the consumer’s buying behavior. It is essential for the stores to offer a positive ambiance to the customers to enjoy their shopping. The locations of the products in the stores have an important role in motivating the consumers to buy the products. Attractive displays of goods go a long way in influencing the buying decision of the individual. The customers never notice the products that are not well organized. In a word, proper space, lighting, placing of dummies, the color of the walls, type of furniture, music, the fragrance of the store all motivate the customers to buy the products and help in increasing the sale of retailers (MSG, 2017).
Different visual merchandising techniques
Many visual merchandising techniques are used by retailers. These are shelf layout, positioning, stock facings, horizontal and vertical blocking, price marking legislation, use of point of sale material, location, different products, themes, promotions, special events, use of fixtures and fittings.
Shelf layout
Retailers usually dictate the floor and shelf layout. For example, grocery stores (like Tesco) should have enough aisle space for shoppers to move their carts and accompanying toddlers around when they are doing their shopping. Retailers may often move items to the front of the shelves to attract customers and ensure that they have available stock. Retailers can also use the sales-per-square-foot metric, which is the ratio of sales to the total shelf and floor display space, to assess the effectiveness of a merchandising strategy and make the necessary adjustments (Basu, 2016).
Theme display and special events
Retailers should focus on particular themes during specific seasons or events. For example, red should be the dominating color during Christmas or Valentine’s Day as the color symbolizes love, fun and frolic. A white theme would look out of place during the season of love. Retailers should not keep unnecessary furniture as it gives a cluttered look to the store (MSG, 2017).
Positioning
Positioning is the place of products in a manner to attract customers. In order to position products, retailers may emphasize the distinguishing features of their products and try to create a suitable image. Once a brand has achieved a strong position, it can become difficult to reposition it. Proper positioning of products builds up reputation and ranking among competitors’ products (Trout and Ries, 2001).
Stock facings
Facing is a common tool in the retail industry. It is also known as conditioning, rumbling, straightening, zoning, and blocking of products in the store. This technique of facing is used to create the look of a perfectly stocked store by pulling all of the products on a display and shelf to the front. This technique is also used to keep the store neat and organized. Facing is generally done near closing time when there are fewer customers and also while the store is completely closed. In busier stores, it may be done constantly (Suttle, 2016).
Image: Stock facing Source: ICI (2012)
Horizontal and vertical blocking
Retailers may arrange product packages in colorful horizontal or vertical patterns, featuring some brands more than others (Suttle, 2016). Vertical merchandising is the practice of displaying items in a vertical display. By placing popular products closer to the customer’s line of sight, those products have higher visibility than items that have a much lower turnover. A vertical merchandising display allows customers to stay in one position but use their eyes to follow the display of items, from top to bottom, in a vertical fashion. Horizontal merchandising places products for sale in a horizontal manner. This type of display technology has the potential to present items at or near the customer’s line of sight. It also forces the customer to move from side to side to follow the display (Johnson, 2016)………………….