Handbook

Today, dear readers, I will discuss the fundamental techniques of visual merchandising in the interior design of both large and small stores.

 

Anticipating the question, “What is merchandising?” I promptly answer that merchandising refers to measures aimed at the successful promotion and sale of a product. There are many such techniques, and without dwelling on them, I will explain what visual merchandising entails.

It’s not hard to guess that the correct placement, color, and appearance of a product directly affect its attractiveness to consumers. Therefore, many large and small stores now hire design specialists who, among other things, include recommendations in their store design project on how to advantageously zone the space and position products. These recommendations are the main advice on visual merchandising, i.e., how a product looks to a customer.

The task of a designer specializing in visual merchandising is to present the product to the potential buyer in the best possible light. The goal is to make as many visitors as possible want to buy this product, experiencing maximum satisfaction from the purchase. It’s known that 70% of buyers, entering a store, do not yet know what they will buy and make their decisions only while in the sales area.

 

Now I will explain to you the main rules and techniques of visual merchandising.

Rule #1 – Figures and Their Background

 

Always highlight the product that needs to be sold against the background of others. This can be achieved with:

• A large number, for example, long rows or pallet displays;
• Bright colors – yellow, red, fluorescent;
• Attractive packaging – an unusual look attracts more attention;
• Effective lighting;
• Proper use of POS materials, i.e., price tags, wobblers, stickers, flags, promo stands;
• A complete emotional design image, for example, complementing cheese with a bottle of wine, etc.

 

Rule #2 – Eye Level

 

The product that needs to be sold should always be positioned at the eye level of the potential customer in the store’s interior design, thereby attracting maximum attention.

On 5 or 6-level shelves, this is usually the 2nd or 3rd shelf from the top. I disagree with some marketing experts who think that the eye level should display the best-selling products. They are already selling well, whereas eye-level should showcase products that need promotion.

 

Rule #3 – Dead Zone

 

Experts have established that people see items at the bottom worse, so marketers advise placing on the lower shelves products that are rarely bought:

• In large packaging;
• Stock of goods;
• Targeted products, such as wine in barrels.

The left lower corner of vision is the most unsuccessful, or rather, the “dead zone.”

 

Rule #4 – Switching Attention from One to Another

 

You should not arrange similar products in a long row. There need to be accents so that the buyer’s attention can switch from one object to another; otherwise, they will not buy anything.

 

Rule #5 – Grouping Products

 

One of the main rules of merchandising is to arrange products on the counter or showcase in small groups, not haphazardly.

Rule #6 – 2/3

 

It has been established that a customer better examines items not in the middle of the showcase or shelf, but at about 2/3 of the total length. Therefore, it is more reasonable to place promoted products there.

 

Rule #7 – 7 Plus or Minus 2

 

This refers to the assertion that a person best remembers 7 plus or minus 2 items, so it’s important to arrange price tags and nameplates in a row of no more than seven, or customers will simply stop noticing them.

 

I also want to talk about the main sales areas in the store. They are divided into:

 

• Hot – shelves and racks on the right-hand side and at eye level;
• Cold – lower shelves, the beginning and end of racks, as well as corners, dead ends, and narrow passages;
• Cash registers – the hottest area, as a large number of spontaneous purchases are made there.

 

That’s all I wanted to say for now about the rules of visual merchandising. If you are a store owner and want to properly organize the space of your sales area, I, designer Olesya Blashchenko, will help you with the design and solving merchandising tasks for your store.