ADVANCED FASHION:

STANDARD 9
VISUAL MERCHANDISING

VISUAL MERCHANDISING

Visual Merchandising: The physical

display of goods in the most
attractive and appealing ways.

Store Layout: the interior arrangement

of retail facilities.

Selling areas: where merchandise is

displayed and customers interact with
sales personnel. (75-80% of the total
space)

Sales support areas: devoted to

customer services, merchandise
receiving and distribution, management
offices and staff activities.

VISUAL MERCHANDISING

Floor Plan: A drawing showing

arrangement of physical space, such as
showing the positioning of merchandise
groups and customer services for a retail
store.

Grid Layout: A retail floor plan that has

one of ore primary (main) aisles running
through the store, with secondary
(smaller) aisles intersecting with them at
right angles.

Maze Layout: A free-flowing retail floor

plan arrangement with informal balance.

Fixtures: Shelves, tables, rods, counters,

stands, easels, forms, and platforms on
which merchandise is stocked and
displayed for sale.

MERCHANDISE
PRESENTATION

Merchandise presentation includes the ways

that goods are hung, placed on shelves, or
otherwise made available for sale in retail
stores.

Shoulder-out presentation: The way most

garments are hung in home closets with only
one side showing from shoulder to bottom.

Face-forward presentation (face-out

presentation): Hanging of clothing with the
front fully facing the viewer. This should
always be done at entrances and aisles.

RETAIL FIXTURES

Carousels: Circular racks that turn.

RETAIL FIXTURES

Dump tables/bins: A rimmed table or

bin used to hold sale or special
merchandise on the sales floor,
especially in discount operations; it has
no formal arrangement.

RETAIL FIXTURES

Four-way rack: A fixture with four

extended arms, that permits
accessibility to hanging merchandise all
the way around

RETAIL FIXTURES

Rounders: Circular racks on which

garments are hung around the entire
circumference

RETAIL FIXTURES

T-stand: Freestanding, two-way stand

in the shape of a T, that holds clothes
on hangers, sometimes with one
straight arm and one waterfall.

RETAIL FIXTURES

Waterfall: A fixtures with an arm that

slants downward, that contains knobs
to hole face-forward hangers with
clothing at various levels.

DISPLAYS

Displays: individual and notable physical

presentation of merchandise.

Displays are intended to:

Stimulate product interest

Provide information

Suggest merchandise coordination

Generate traffic flow

Remind customers of planned purchases

Create additional sales of impulse items

Enhance the stores visual image

INTERIOR DISPLAYS

Locations for interior displays:

Just in the entrance

Entrance to department

Near cash/wrap

Next to related items

Across from elevators and escalators

Ends of aisles

COMPONENTS OF DISPLAYS

Merchandise

Lighting

Props

Signage

MERCHANDISE

More interesting if in odd numbers

Groups:

One-category, or line-of-goods

Related groupings: go together or

reinforce each other

Theme groupings: event, holiday, etc.

Variety or assortment groupings:

collection of unrelated items all sold at
the same store.

LIGHTING

Used to direct customers attention to

the display

Use more light for dark colors, less light

for light colors

Beamspread; the diameter of the circle of

light

Beamspread techniques:

Floodlighting: recessed ceiling lights to

direct light over an entire wide display area

Spotlighting: focuses attention on specific

areas or targeted items of merchandise

Pinpointing: focuses a narrow beam of light

on a specific item

PROPS

Objects added that support the theme

of the display.

Functional Props: used to physically support

the merchandise. (mannequins, stands,
panels, screens, etc)

Decorative Props: used to establish a mood

or an attractive setting for the merchandise
being featured (ex: mirrors, flowers,
seashells, surfboards, etc)

Structural Props: used to support functional

and decorative props and change the
physical makeup of displays. (boxes, rods,
stands, stairways, etc)

SIGNAGE

Includes individual letters and

complete signs. Often on some
kind of holder.

Can tell a story about the goods.

Should try to answer customers

questions.

Should be informative and concise.

Can include prices, sizes,

department location.

WINDOW DISPLAYS

Seen from outside of the store.

First contact with the customer.

Can have a series of windows.

Advantages of Window Displays:

Establish and maintain an image

Arouse curiosity

Disadvantages of Window Displays:

Expensive to design and maintain

Requires space

Merchandise can get ruined (sun ,etc)

Glare

TYPES OF WINDOW DISPLAYS

Enclosed windows: have a full

background and sides that
completely separate the interior of
the store from the display window.

Ramped windows: floor is higher in

back than in front

Elevated windows: from 1 to 3 feet

higher than sidewalk

Shadowbox windows: small, boxlike

display windows

TYPES OF WINDOW DISPLAYS

Semi-closed windows: have a

partial background that shuts out
some of the store interior from
those viewing the window

Open Windows: have no

background panel and the entire
store is visible to people walking by

Island windows: four-sided display

windows that stand alone, often in
lobbies.