Importance of Visual Merchandising to Brands

Visual merchandising is a retail strategy that maximizes the aesthetics of a product with the intent to increase sales. Visual merchandising can also play a role in the look, feel and culture of a brand. Done well, it can create awareness while simultaneously increasing brand loyalty. Most importantly, it can draw customers in and close the sale – all based on the aesthetic quality of your retail display.

1. Components

Success factors of visual merchandising include the store’s appearance, signage, lighting, uniforms, menus, point of sale material, color, shapes, textures, packaging, ticketing, presentation and the “wow” factor each of these elements bring together in a retail setting When these elements come together to showcase a brand, it enriches the customer experience, leading to a positive shopping experience and increased sales.

2. Brand Experience

Customers must be able to experience your brand through the visual components that surround your product. For instance, an up-and-coming cosmetic brand can better showcase its product through colorful displays with bold signage and edgy models to convey a sense of youth. On the other hand, a conservative cosmetic brand can use pastels, script writing and soft imagery to appeal to a mature audience. These subtle strategies not only draw the demographic into the brand, but it also opens up the customer to the brand experience. This, in turn, fortifies brand loyalty and increases the chances of a customer repurchasing in the future.

3. Themes

Brands can better execute visual merchandising strategies by implementing themes into their displays. Themes tell a story and create customer buy-in. They generally accompany a new product launch. Most importantly, themes allow a brand to reinvent itself with new colors, layouts, fonts, design, pictures and photographs at the time of a new product launch. Theme ideas can range anywhere from coordinating colors to grouping products to individual motifs and anything in between. There aren’t any rules when it comes to themes but it’s a good idea to consider the store, season, new product, overall look and feel of the brand, and how the theme will tie into any current in-store promotion.

4. Tonality

Tonality refers to your brand’s consistency throughout all marketing materials. It also can be referred to as your brand personality or voice. It means conveying the look, feel and completeness of your brand within all existing marketing elements. That means visual merchandising must be consistent across all platforms including in-store displays, your website and on third-party websites. This ensures customer brand loyalty and also ensures that brand is going to deliver. In turn, the emotional connection a customer has with your brand is strengthened.

Source: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-visual-merchandising-brands-72247.html