ConnectorCommunicatorVisual Merchandising.docx
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ConnectorCommunicatorVisualMerchandising
Connector&Communicator:
HowimportantisVisualMerchandising(VM)forBritain’sApparelRetailingIndustry?
J.D.PowerandAssociates2008WirelessRetailSalesSatisfactionStudy(Wearables,Jan.2009:
18)reported:
‘17%revealthatstoredisplayfactoredintotheircustomers’shoppingexperience;itsimportanceisrightuptherewiththestoreitself(16%)andtheproducts’priceand/orpromotion(16%).’
Incomparisonwithothercountries,thereisanultimateconcentrationintheUK’sapparelretailingsector.Theretailingbusinesses,therefore,strivetoreinforcetheirprofitability.(Birtwistle,G.,2001)VisualMerchandising(VM)isa‘powerfultool’(Retailnu,2008,Accessed:
2010,July25)forthemtoachievemarketingtargets(e.g.salestarget)andinfluencetheircustomers’purchasedecisionprocess.
VisualMerchandising(VM)isacampaignforthebusinesses’purposesinup-to-dateretailingsettingsviathepresentationofcommodities.(Retailnu,2008)Also,thereare3majortechniquesofVMavailable,storedesign,productpresentationandwindowdisplay.(Burtrug,F.,2010)TheawarenessofVMcanbederivedfromnearly20yearsago,andUSAisastarterandexpertinthefield.VMthenenjoyedpopularityinAsia,Europe,andUKmarkets.(Mckeever,K.,2007b)
AccordingtoflowchartA,VMcampaignisaprocess,connectingtheorganizationstotheircustomersandcommunicatingwiththeconsumersthroughvisualmerchandisers’artworks,inordertoboostsalesandcustomers’loyalty.Thus,thisessaywillsetouttheimportanceofVMfortheapparelretailingsectorfrommarketingandcustomerperspectives,basedontheflowchart.Inaddition,theviewsonVMfrommarketers,consultantsandvisualmerchandisersareavailableintheessay.
FractioningasaConnectorthroughBrandDelivery
VMisaconnectorbetweentheapparelretailersandtheircustomersvia‘BrandDelivery’.AsKarlMckeever(Mckeever,K.,2007b,Accessed:
2010,July25)defined,abranddirectorofbranddeliveryconsultancyVisualThinking,oneoftheUKandEurope’sleadingVMconsultants,‘BrandDeliveryisawell-understoodpractice,transformingaconceptualideaintoatangiblerealityorexperience.’Thatistosay,VMandbranddelivery,basedonbetterperceptionofandmeetingcustomers’needs,transmitthebrandvalues(essenceofabrand,e.g.excellence)andvalueproposition(e.g.valueformoney)tothecustomers,renderingtheenhancementofagoodshoppingexperience.(Mckeever,K.,2007a)Inthewriter’sopinion,theKarlMckeever’sdefinitionpresentsthebottomlineofVMandbranddelivery,namelyvisuallyestablishingbondswithcustomersasawayofhelpingthemtoperceivetheunderlyingmeaningsandbenefitsoftheproducts,proposedintheorganisation’smarketingplan,inordertodifferentiatetheorganizationfromtheircompetitors.
CaseA:
WindowDisplay
‘HouseofFraser’,Birmingham,England
Theme:
‘ChristmasGlamour’,recallingthestyleoftheRoaringTwentiesandthejazzeraoftheForties
‘Thewindowscreatealifestylefortheshopperandencouragetheproducttosellitself,’HelenCurtis-Toozestated,HouseofFrasier’screativedesigncontroller.
(Dinardo,A.,2007)
Windowdisplay,forexample,isafundamentalcontributorfortheretailerstotransformtheirbrandvaluestothepotentialcustomers.Itisawindowinashop,demonstratinggoodsandtheimageoftheshop.Mostimportantly,thedisplayiscapableofshowingthecurrentfashiontrendstheretailers’articlesmatchandseasonalarrivalsbyaneye-catchingapproach,forinstancetellingapaststorytoinspirecustomers’nostalgicemotion(e.g.CaseA).Thepotentials,consequently,aretemptedbythebrandimage(Moore,C.M.,andLochhead,M.,1998),beforetheyassesstheproductonofferforshoppingchoice,dependingonwhetherthewarearecompatiblewiththeirpreference,lifestyleandself-image(Hite,R.E.,andBellizzi,J.A.,1985).Inotherwords,theshopwindowtransmitstheappropriateandattractiveinformationtocustomers,urgingtheirinterestsontheshop.Forthisreason,thereisabandwagonintheUKretailingsector,deliveringthestateoftheartfashiontrendtothefashionshoppersswiftlyfortheimprovementofthecompetitiveedge.(Jackson,T.andShawD.,2001)Thefactsindicatethatthedisplaysshouldbedesignedinvitingandchangedseasonally,associatedtothefashiontrends.Inturnthecustomerswillbearrestedtoinvestonprevailingfashiontrends,asthedisplaysarevisual,emotionalandpsychologicalstimulantsforcustomers.
Asawhole,itissuggestedthatalthoughcustomershavelotsofchoicesforshoppingduetoover-loadedinformationnowadays,theretailerswouldstandoutlargelythankstoshowingvisible,memorableandevaluableimagesrelatedtotheirbrandvalues;invirtueofwhich,theapparelretailerswouldfindtheirwaytoinfluencecustomerpurchasedecisionprocessformaximumprofits.
Performingasacommunicatorby‘VisualVoice’and‘SilenceService’
Asacommunicator,VMisbeneficialfortheapparelretailers,creatinganeffectiveinteractionwiththeshoppersvia‘VisualVoice’and‘SilenceService’.
(Ryan,J.,2010)
FaithBartrug,avisualmerchandiseratFaithBartrugDesign,revealedthatVMisa‘visualvoice’—Speakingtocustomersbyvisuallanguagesuchasgraphic,colourandlightetc.toformaenjoyableatmosphere(e.g.CaseB-1)—‘Theenvironmentinvitesyouinside.Thepsychologyofgooddesignkeepsyouthere.’(Bartrug,F.,2010a,https:
//aithbartrugdesign.com/about-publishedAccessed:
2010,July25)Thedesigner’sviewpresentsVMasaself-promotionalapproachfortheapparelshopsviathevisuallywell-designedimage,whichhasahugeimpactontheshoppers’storechoices.Giventhatthereisamultitudeofassortmentsavailableinashop,VMisaneffectivemethodtocustomizethecommoditiesvisibly,palpablyandunderstandablybytheusageofuniquedisplays.Clothingstores,forinstance,tendtoadoptanopenplaceinstoredesignfordisplayingproductsasmuchaspossible,asawayofenhancingcustomers’interestsontheshop.(e.g.CaseB-2)Accordingly,SusanRichie,(Wearables,Jan.2009:
18),vicepresidentandco-founderoftheNationalNetworkofEmbroideryProfessional,concluded:
‘Themoreyougiveyourcustomeravisualofwhereshemightwanttogo,theeasiershewillgothere;ifyouhavesamplesavailable,theywillsell.’ThissuggeststhatVMisvitalfortheapparelshopstoattractpotential,regularcustomersandenhancesalesvolume.
CaseB-2StoreDesign&ProductPresentation,
‘Anthropologie’,London,England
Themajorityoffemaleclothingandaccessoriesarepresentedonthetables,andsetanessentialareawithafemaletailor’sformwearingacardiganandsportingaskirtconstitutedofbrokenwillow-patternporcelainpieceswiredtogether.Also,therearewhiteporcelainteaandcoffeepotscoveringwithlooselycrochetedwhitecovers.
‘Theintroductorymessage:
Thisstoreisallaboutvisualdetail.’
(Ryan,J.,2010)
Nevertheless,theaimofVMisnotonlyproduct-oriented,butcustomer-oriented,namelycreatingvaluesforcustomersviaaservice.AccordingtoMr.Makeever,VMissucha‘silentservice’,benefitingcustomersforseekingarticles,offeringinspiration,solutionsandsuggestingmerchandisingmessages.(Mckeever,K.,2007a)MareEBabejandTomPollak(Medcalf,G.,May2008:
38),partnersofMarketingStrategyConsultingFirm,ReasonInc.,maintained:
‘Itisindisputablyintuitivethatamessagedeliveredatpoint-of-purchase(e.g.CaseB-2)hasthebestchancetoinfluencethedesiredbehaviour,gettingtheconsumertotaketheproductofftheshelf.’Theconsultants’ideasrefertoafactthatthecommunicationintheshopshouldberegardedasavaluablecustomerservice,whichworksbothways,notonlytohelpcustomerstoevaluatetheproductstheshopsells,butalsoinfluencetheirpurchasedecisionprocess.
InBritain,therewereabout33%ofconsumerswhomakenodecisiononwhatbrandtheyweregoingtobuyuntiltheywerein-store,whilethestatisticsworldwidewas30%.Next,16%ofBritishshoppers,beyondthepercentageofglobalshoppersby6%,alteredtheirplantobuyotherbrands,dissimilartothebrandtheyplannedtobuy.Mostsignificantly,onein4customers,whohadnoplanforshoppingpreviously,boughtanitemduetothein-storedisplay.(Marketing,3Dec.2008)ThesurveyrevealsthattheBritsactuallyhavelessideasforwhichabrandorproducttheyintendtobuyinashop,butVMhelpsthemtomaketheirdecisionorhasinformativeinfluencestochangetheirformerplan.
FlowchartBshowsthelinksbetweenVMcampaignandcustomers’purchasedecisionprocess.Ascanbeseen,itisobviousthatpurchasedecisionprocessisalsoaninformationreceivingprocessintermsofcustomers(Birtwistle,G.,2001),whichisdividedinto5stages,whiletherearetwokeypartsinVMcampaign,externalandinternal,whichhasadirecteffectoneachstageofthepurchasedecisionprocess.Initially,windowdisplayattemptscustomersbydemonstratingtheshop’simageandconveyingthefashionableinformationtothem.(WaIters,D.,andLaffy,D.,1996)Thatleadstostimuli,whichdrawpotentialcustomers’‘Attention’ontheshopandresponsetotheinformation(Howard,J.A.,andSheth,J.N.,1969)—thecustomerswillhaveanattempttoentertheshopforfurtherinformation.Thatmeanswindowdisplayconnectstheapparelshopandthepotentialssuccessfully.Andthen,theinternalpart,storedesignandproductpresentation,startstoinfluencethepurchasedecisionprocess.Theluredcustomersbegin‘BrandComprehension’fo