Visual merchandising is a strategic approach to presentation of products or services in the retail sector with the aim to emphasize their characteristics and advantages.

The main focus is to attract, engage and motivate customers to choose and buy the products you offer. Visual merchandising creates stories, reflects the values of your brand and inspires customers by using various presentation techniques.

This key element in retail helps to attract the customers’ attention, encourages them to interact with products and, consequently, motivates them to buy.

Visual merchandiser is an expert in charge of presentation, layout and display of products on the key spots within a shop or a show window.

Their main responsibilities include:

• Creation of a floor plan of the shop with a furniture concept (walls, shelves, central furniture).
• Creation of product layout within the shop.
• Decoration of the shop, from an empty space to its final look.
• Correct lighting highlights in the shop.
• Design and selection of the best solutions for VM merch material, adapted to the specific features of the shop (mannequins, hangers, bars, etc.).
• Creation of an employee handbook.

SHOW WINDOW

Mannequins in the show window are the first visual contact a potential customer has with the shop.

If mannequins and show windows are presented in an attractive way, the retailer will attract customers and sell products more easily. The display window can, therefore, ‘hook’ the customers’ attention.

Key activities for designing the show window display include:

• Placing the mannequins in the shop window.
• Choosing clothes and dressing the mannequins with the focus on key details.
• Placing the spotlight in the ideal position towards the mannequins and products.
• Training employees about the rules and techniques of window displays.