 The Secret To Getting Customers Into Your Store Don’t Underestimate the Power of Visual Merchandising For retailers who’ve seen sales drop along with the economy, it’s time to get creative. “Right now, people do have to be more inventive,” says Sharon Leicham, author of Merchandising Your Way to Success and How to Sell to Women. “You have to look for different ways to display your goods to attract customers into your store. People underestimate the power of visual merchandising, but it sells product. It’s why department stores invest so much money in their displays. Now, more than ever, you’ve got to do something outstanding to pique a customer’s interest. It’s critical.”
While department stores spend plenty on displays, that doesn’t mean independent retailers have to as well. “You can find things around the house or borrow them from another business. One example might be a window display of shoes on pedestals. It’s important to keep the display very sparse, as the person walking by only has three seconds to view your window. You might also borrow light reflectors from a camera store, set a camera next to a shoe on a pedestal, and recreate a photo shoot.”
Creating a story can draw in customers, but don’t overlook the power of lighting and color. “I see a real trend in the use of more color in stores. For a while stores went with neutral colors as a way of showing off the product, but now you need to incorporate color, either through wall paint or LED lighting. I think there’s something to color theory, how it affects behavior and purchasing. For example, a color like red is aggressive and makes you feel a little nervous, while in a store you want people to feel comfortable, so you’d want to pick a relaxing color instead, possibly in combination with something bright.”
Tapping into what’s going on in the culture at large can also resonate with customers. “If you carry children’s shoes, you could capitalize on the popularity of ‘Toy Story’ by using some of the themed toys as props.” But toys aren’t the only story you can tell in your store display. “One thing that’s been lacking in footwear stores is building outfits to pair with the shoes. If you have gold or silver sandals, maybe you bring in a dress or even a boa and do a table display. It tells a story, and creates ideas for someone going out for a special evening. Talk to a nearby clothing store about borrowing some goods, and be sure to post a sign saying the clothes are from that store. It’s a great cross promotion.”
Wondering if visual merchandising is a lot of work with no tangible reward? Leicham says you can easily test the effectiveness of your display. “If a shoe doesn’t sell, but sells once it goes in the window, that gives you a measurement. You want to move things around. Trust me, it works.”
Sharon Leicham is the author of Merchandising Your Way to Success and How to Sell to Women. She is the creator and principal of merchandisingHUB.com. She has served as trade marketing manager and global marketing manager for Specialized Bicycle Components; director of merchandising and national sales manager for Royal Robbins; Director of Apparel Merchandising for Sierra Designs: and Contributing and Visuals Editor for Outdoor Retailer magazine. She currently contributes a merchandising column for Specialty News (SNEWS) and Florist’s Review and writes for GearTrends and GearTrends Fitness magazines.
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