Visual merchandising objectives

Introduction: Visual merchandising

What is visual merchandising?

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Visual merchandising is a visual marketing strategy that involves using visual elements to create a pleasant, customer-friendly shopping experience. This includes, for example, the use of lighting, colors, textures, music, plv, etc. Visual merchandising aims to create a pleasant, friendly atmosphere to put customers at ease and encourage them to buy.

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It's a key element in the branding and presentation of products in a physical or virtual store. It's a marketing strategy that has become indispensable for retail stores. Competition is fierce, and brands have realized that effective store design is a way of standing out from the competition and increasing sales.

Background: The objectives of visual merchandising 

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1/ Visual merchandising objectives 

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One of the main aims of visual merchandising is to create a pleasant, user-friendly experience for customers. Visual merchandising helps to create an atmosphere that reflects the brand's identity and values. 

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Another important objective is toorient customers in the store, guiding them to the most popular or latest products. This can be achieved by using visual elements such as arrows, billboards, attack tables to highlight the path or products on promotion, for example. 

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Right from the start, Ikea revolutionized visual merchandising in furniture stores. The company has built living spaces, promotions are clearly indicated and there are self-service rummage bins. In addition, there are arrow markings on the floor to show customers the way. 

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Since then, in response to urgent customer demand, Ikea has been rethinking the customer journey, and is now offering a different kind of customer experience, rich in immersive, phygital experiences, in some of its stores in Asia.

Faced with the current trend for retailers to relocate to city centers, Ikea has had to adapt its customer experience to smaller spaces, as we mentioned in one of our previous articles.

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Visual merchandising also aims toencourage impulse buying. In fact, it aims to encourage customers to buy products they didn't originally plan to buy, by creating attractive product presentations and interesting promotions, or pleasant environments with music, lights etc... or even smells. 

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And last but not least, the most obvious objective, which links all the objectives together, is to maximize sales and sales profitability. By encouraging customers to buy more products, the average value of their shopping baskets will rise, and sales will subsequently increase.

2/ Examples of visual merchandising 

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Example: Apple

In a different genre to IKEA, Apple is known for its innovative, minimalist approach to design, which is reflected in its visual merchandising strategy. The store window and interior are carefully designed to present Apple products elegantly and effectively.

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Display cases are often used to showcase the brand's latest products, with particular attention paid to presenting each product in a clear and visually appealing way. Bright colors and patterns are often used to attract customers' attention.

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Inside the store, the layout has been designed so that customers can touch the products intuitively and fluidly. Products are displayed on wooden coffee tables, glass shelves and stainless steel walls to create an elegant, modern environment.

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The décor has also been carefully considered, with design elements such as fluorescent screens, posters and artwork adding to the overall visual experience.

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Overall, Apple's visual merchandising is a combination of minimalist design,attention to detail and creative product staging. This provides customers with an immersive shopping experience while reinforcing Apple's brand image as a leader in innovation and design.

Example: Nike

Nike is known for its creative use of visual merchandising to grab customers' attention in stores. The sportswear and footwear brand uses a mix of design elements such as video screens, mannequins, dynamic lighting and art installations to create an immersive experience for its customers.

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Nike stores often display products by theme to tell a coherent visual story. Place shoes, apparel and accessories on creative shelves and displays for a 360-degree "product experience".

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Mannequins are used in innovative ways to create a dynamic showcase for clothing and footwear. Models run, jump and play sports to show customers how clothes and shoes can be used in different activities.

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Nike also uses video screens to display advertisements and videos of famous athletes wearing Nike products. This reinforces the brand's image as a world leader in sport and performance.

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Light can be used to create effects such as shadows and reflections that draw the customer's attention. Overall, Nike's visual merchandising is a combination of creative design, attention to detail and innovative product staging. This provides customers with an immersive shopping experience while reinforcing Nike's brand image as a leader in the sports and performance industry.

3/ 5 practical tips to maximize the impact of your visual merchandising

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1 - Know the principle of pyramid in visual merchandising

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This strategy can be used to organize the layout of products on a shelf.

The principle of the pyramid is to place the most attractive and best-selling products at the customer's eye level, i.e. at the center of the pyramid. Less popular and less attractive products are placed at the top or bottom of the pyramid, where the customer is less likely to notice them.

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2 - Use sensorial sensorial marketing

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To accompany visual merchandising, you can appeal to your customers' other senses. 

For example, for the sense of hearing, there is the possibility of diffusing immersive music that perfectly matches the target audience, creating a harmonious and engaging atmosphere. As for the sense of smell, integrating fragrance diffusers reflects the image and identity of the target clientele, creating a unique sensory experience. In addition, for the sense of touch, you can highlight fabric textures, allowing customers to feel the sensation of the materials.

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3 - Be bold 

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The aim is to elicit a reaction from customers by creating product presentations that encourage them to interact with them, share them on social networks and, of course, buy them. To achieve this, it's important not to be afraid to be bold in your visual merchandising. 

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4 - Find out about your customers 

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It's important to understand the habits and preferences of your target customers to create a product presentation that appeals to them.

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By knowing your target audience, you can adapt your visual merchandising accordingly to attract their attention and encourage them to interact with the products. For example, if you're targeting a young, trendy clientele, you can use modern decorative elements and bright colors to create a dynamic, eye-catching atmosphere in-store.

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5 - Showcase your products 

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Use accessories and decorations to highlight products and present them creatively. This will give customers ideas and encourage them to buy.

Conclusion: The objectives of visual merchandising

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In short, visual merchandising is a key strategy for companies wishing to enhance the customer experience in their stores and reinforce their brand image.

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Visual merchandising also helps companies to differentiate themselves from their competitors by offering unique and memorable experiences. Brands that use this strategy effectively can strengthen their brand image and reputation, resulting in increased sales and customer loyalty.

There are a multitude of tricks you can use to maximize your visual merchandising, with the aim of making the customer experience a pleasurable one and encouraging purchase.

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At Retail VR, we offer innovative tools to simulate customer journeys and optimize your merchandising. With our virtual reality platform, we help our customers to optimize the visual merchandising of their points of sale.

By modeling POS and decoration elements, and automatically creating 3D planograms, you can easily create a store that reflects your image, with visual merchandising that can be tested before going live. Our tools are easy to use, so you can be even more productive. Our centralized SAAS platform enables you to modify your entire assortment at the click of a button within your virtual points of sale, speeding up your execution in physical outlets.

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Boost your efficiency and offer your customers a unique experience with Retail VR

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