Enhance Your Shop Window: Visual Merchandising Tips for UK Businesses.

Summary/Overview

If you’ve ever walked past a shop window and found yourself looking in at the displays this is a perfect example of effective visual merchandising. Whether it’s the latest paperbacks in a bookshop window or a festive display on your local high street, visual merchandising techniques are everywhere. However, there’s more to this technique than simply popping products and posters behind a sheet of glass. No matter how big the business, or the products on offer, visual merchandising requires planning, time and effort.

In this guide, we’ll explore what visual merchandising is, why it’s worth your time and how you can use it to your advantage.

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What is visual merchandising?

Visual merchandising is the art of catching a customer’s eye with products and/or decoration. With enough creativity, every aspect of your shop’s space can be incorporated into visual merchandising. From the lighting used in the entranceway to the layout of the shop, the general purpose of visual merchandising is to make a store stand out, and ultimately boost sales.

The main features of visual merchandising include:

• Colour – There’s a lot to be said about colour and the decisions we make as consumers. Colour can evoke emotion and change moods. This is known as colour psychology, and visual merchandisers aren’t afraid to use this to their advantage.
• Lighting – Much like colour, lighting can change how we see things, quite literally. There’s much more to lighting than just ‘on’ and ‘off’, though. Brightness, warmth and colour can all contribute to the overall tone and appeal of a product or venue.
• Space – Visual merchandising is often associated with products behind a store’s glass window with onlookers browsing on the street. However, every space in a store contributes to the overall customer experience. From the arrangement of products to large scale installations, how your customers navigate the space you’ve created will dictate how they shop.
• Sound – You’d be forgiven for thinking visual merchandising is related to sight alone, but it also taps into the four other senses too. Sounds, like visuals, can change moods, set tones, and even recall memories. Whether it’s ambient music or relaxing background noise, sound can quickly influence how your customers feel in your shop.
• Smell – Ever got a whiff of what a restaurant’s cooking and felt hungry? Or caught the scent of pine during the festive season and felt extra Christmassy? It’s impressive what smells and scents can do, which is why they’re also an important part of merchandising.
• Technology – Screens, and other technology, make it easier to include additional information quickly and efficiently. Screens with built in functionality can make the shopping experience easier, providing store layouts, stock numbers and more.

Why use visual merchandising?

With so many of us relying on sight to make our buying decisions it’s no surprise that great visual merchandising can boost your business’ income. Some displays may be enough of a spectacle that people travel just to see your store. Think about the stores you enter and what pulls you in. Are you typically drawn to drab or stark premises, or is it more enticing to visit richly decorated and aesthetically pleasing stores? All this applies to you as much as it does other businesses, so use visual merchandising to your advantage.

Visual merchandising examples for your UK shop.

8 ways to improve visual merchandising in your shopfront.

If you’re a small business or brand in the UK, there’s plenty of things you can do to add some pizazz to your store. We’ve laid out some top visual merchandising tips to help your shop stand out from the rest and increase the number of people entering your store.

Make the most of your space.

Making the most of your space is a good place to begin. You don’t want your store to feel too crowded or too empty. If you have a relatively small space, think creatively about the ways you can showcase your stock. Look at businesses with similarly sized spaces for inspiration and consider how you want your customers to move through and view your products. Think especially about what they need or want to do when on your premises.

Use directional signage throughout your shop.

If you have a wide range of stock spread across multiple floors or in a large space it can be difficult for customers to find what they need. One quick and easy way to address this is to include signs pointing visitors to where things can be found. Try an eye-catching “2 for 1” flyer in the window or a “Last chance to buy” rack by the fitting rooms.

Consider the ways you categorise your stock too, and the things people ask for. If no one can find your paperclips, maybe it’s worth having a sign pointing to stationery. Don’t be afraid to experiment either, you can always take down or add new signs if needed.

Keep your shop theme fresh and inviting.

Like experimenting with signs, wider innovation can be appealing to customers. Changing the theme of your shop with the passing seasons or calendar events can give a sense of relevancy. It can also encourage customers to come see your latest stock.

An easy way to update your space could be a seasonal banner in the window, or some fun decorations by the till. However, it’s important that you don’t change your business beyond all recognition, you still want your loyal customers to be able to identify your brand.

Make shopping an enjoyable experience.

You want to make sure whoever is in your shop is having a pleasant time. Even if they don’t buy anything, you don’t want someone to leave feeling underwhelmed or unhappy. While the basics such as being polite and helpful are essential, it’s also important that your visual merchandising contributes to this too. Think about the lighting in your fitting rooms, the number of mirrors in your shop or the layout of your restaurant tables.

Show the customer why they need your products.

Mannequins were first introduced in the 15^th century to help design dresses, but soon became a way of showing off the available fashions. Today, mannequins work just the same and are a key part of visual merchandising. It’s much easier for shoppers to visualise themselves in your goods if they can see someone (or something) modelling them. The same can be said for furniture or home goods. When arranged in a way that resembles a living space, it’s easier to see how your products might fit into a home.

Choose where you place your products carefully.

One common marketing tactic is to develop a customer persona. This would be your ideal customer, the kind of person that hangs on your business’ every word and loves your products. With this persona in mind, imagine what would appeal to them and where they might work best. For instance, try to place low-cost impulse buys near the till area.

Similarly, look out for any cross-merchandise options. Say you run a coffee shop. Cross merchandising would mean stocking the till with at-home coffee essentials, like a cafetiere, branded mugs or even bags of your own coffee beans.

Use POS to your advantage.

POS, or point of sale, merchandising can be a great way to provide customers with extra info about a specific range or product. Whether you’re busy at the till or your customers are in a rush, POS displays can be the silent assistant that answers everyone’s questions. They can include pricing details, key features or benefits, and even testers and samples for the customer to try. Consider using POS on technical stock, or things that maybe require a little extra info to sell.

Attract people with window displays.

There’s a reason why window displays are so persistent – because they work. Effective visual displays have been shown to increase message retention to 42% meaning you can let your windows do the hard work. Well lit, clean windows featuring your key products are the best way to go but consider injecting some creativity to help your business stand out.

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Useful things to know.

Why is visual merchandising so important?

Visual merchandising is important because it’s often the first thing passersby will notice. It’s often said we eat with our eyes, but the same could be said for shopping too. Visual merchandising can speak volumes about your business, showcasing the products you offer, the type of people you want to appeal to and even your company values.

What should you not do in visual merchandising?

While there’s plenty of room for experimenting in visual merchandising, there are still some things you should avoid. Firstly, you should ensure what’s in the window reflects the store – you shouldn’t promote something to passersby that you aren’t willing to uphold or able to offer. Likewise, your signs should be easy to read, products should be easily identified, and your shop needs to look welcoming.

How can I get better at visual merchandising?

One of the best ways to improve your visual merchandising is to find inspiration in other businesses and experiment with visuals. Adobe Express is a free to use creative suite that allows you to play, create and use templates to build your own visual merchandising assets. Easy to use and beginner friendly, you can try your hand at posters, flyers, outdoor banners and much more.

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