ConnectorCommunicatorVisual Merchandising.docx

1、Connector CommunicatorVisual MerchandisingConnector & Communicator: How important is Visual Merchandising (VM) for Britains Apparel Retailing Industry?J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Wireless Retail Sales Satisfaction Study (Wearables, Jan. 2009: 18) reported: 17% reveal that store display factored i

2、nto their customers shopping experience; its importance is right up there with the store itself (16%) and the products price and/or promotion (16%).In comparison with other countries，there is an ultimate concentration in the UKs apparel retailing sector. The retailing businesses, therefore, strive t

3、o reinforce their profitability. (Birtwistle, G., 2001) Visual Merchandising (VM) is a powerful tool (Retailnu, 2008, Accessed: 2010, July 25) for them to achieve marketing targets (e.g. sales target) and influence their customers purchase decision process.Visual Merchandising (VM) is a campaign for

4、 the businesses purposes in up-to-date retailing settings via the presentation of commodities. (Retailnu, 2008) Also, there are 3 major techniques of VM available, store design, product presentation and window display. (Burtrug, F., 2010) The awareness of VM can be derived from nearly 20 years ago,

5、and USA is a starter and expert in the field. VM then enjoyed popularity in Asia, Europe, and UK markets. (Mckeever, K., 2007b) According to flowchart A, VM campaign is a process, connecting the organizations to their customers and communicating with the consumers through visual merchandisers artwor

6、ks, in order to boost sales and customers loyalty. Thus, this essay will set out the importance of VM for the apparel retailing sector from marketing and customer perspectives, based on the flowchart. In addition, the views on VM from marketers, consultants and visual merchandisers are available in

7、the essay.Fractioning as a Connector through Brand DeliveryVM is a connector between the apparel retailers and their customers via Brand Delivery. As Karl Mckeever (Mckeever, K., 2007b, Accessed: 2010, July 25) defined, a brand director of brand delivery consultancy Visual Thinking, one of the UK an

8、d Europes leading VM consultants, Brand Delivery is a well-understood practice, transforming a conceptual idea into a tangible reality or experience. That is to say, VM and brand delivery, based on better perception of and meeting customers needs, transmit the brand values (essence of a brand, e.g.

9、excellence) and value proposition (e.g. value for money) to the customers, rendering the enhancement of a good shopping experience. (Mckeever, K., 2007a) In the writers opinion, the Karl Mckeevers definition presents the bottom line of VM and brand delivery, namely visually establishing bonds with c

10、ustomers as a way of helping them to perceive the underlying meanings and benefits of the products, proposed in the organisations marketing plan, in order to differentiate the organization from their competitors.Case A: Window DisplayHouse of Fraser, Birmingham, EnglandTheme: Christmas Glamour, reca

11、lling the style of the Roaring Twenties and the jazz era of the FortiesThe windows create a lifestyle for the shopper and encourage the product to sell itself, Helen Curtis-Tooze stated, House of Frasiers creative design controller. (Dinardo, A., 2007)Window display, for example, is a fundamental co

12、ntributor for the retailers to transform their brand values to the potential customers. It is a window in a shop, demonstrating goods and the image of the shop. Most importantly, the display is capable of showing the current fashion trends the retailers articles match and seasonal arrivals by an eye

13、-catching approach, for instance telling a past story to inspire customers nostalgic emotion (e.g. Case A). The potentials, consequently, are tempted by the brand image (Moore, C. M., and Lochhead, M., 1998), before they assess the product on offer for shopping choice, depending on whether the ware

14、are compatible with their preference, lifestyle and self-image (Hite, R. E., and Bellizzi, J. A., 1985). In other words, the shop window transmits the appropriate and attractive information to customers, urging their interests on the shop. For this reason, there is a bandwagon in the UK retailing se

15、ctor, delivering the state of the art fashion trend to the fashion shoppers swiftly for the improvement of the competitive edge. (Jackson, T. and Shaw D., 2001) The facts indicate that the displays should be designed inviting and changed seasonally, associated to the fashion trends. In turn the cust

16、omers will be arrested to invest on prevailing fashion trends, as the displays are visual, emotional and psychological stimulants for customers.As a whole, it is suggested that although customers have lots of choices for shopping due to over-loaded information nowadays, the retailers would stand out

17、 largely thanks to showing visible, memorable and evaluable images related to their brand values; in virtue of which, the apparel retailers would find their way to influence customer purchase decision process for maximum profits.Performing as a communicator by Visual Voice and Silence ServiceAs a co

18、mmunicator, VM is beneficial for the apparel retailers, creating an effective interaction with the shoppers via Visual Voice and Silence Service. (Ryan, J., 2010)Faith Bartrug, a visual merchandiser at Faith Bartrug Design, revealed that VM is a visual voiceSpeaking to customers by visual language s

19、uch as graphic, colour and light etc. to form a enjoyable atmosphere (e.g. Case B-1)The environment invites you inside. The psychology of good design keeps you there. (Bartrug, F., 2010a, https:/ aithbartrugdesign .com/about-published Accessed: 2010, July 25) The designers view presents VM as a self

20、-promotional approach for the apparel shops via the visually well-designed image, which has a huge impact on the shoppers store choices. Given that there is a multitude of assortments available in a shop, VM is an effective method to customize the commodities visibly, palpably and understandably by

21、the usage of unique displays. Clothing stores, for instance, tend to adopt an open place in store design for displaying products as much as possible, as a way of enhancing customers interests on the shop. (e.g. Case B-2) Accordingly, Susan Richie, (Wearables, Jan. 2009: 18), vice president and co-fo

22、under of the National Network of Embroidery Professional, concluded: The more you give your customer a visual of where she might want to go, the easier she will go there; if you have samples available, they will sell. This suggests that VM is vital for the apparel shops to attract potential, regular

23、 customers and enhance sales volume. Case B-2 Store Design & Product Presentation, Anthropologie, London, EnglandThe majority of female clothing and accessories are presented on the tables, and set an essential area with a female tailors form wearing a cardigan and sporting a skirt constituted of br

24、oken willow-pattern porcelain pieces wired together. Also, there are white porcelain tea and coffee pots covering with loosely crocheted white covers.The introductory message: This store is all about visual detail.(Ryan, J., 2010)Nevertheless, the aim of VM is not only product-oriented, but customer

25、-oriented, namely creating values for customers via a service. According to Mr. Makeever, VM is such a silent service, benefiting customers for seeking articles, offering inspiration, solutions and suggesting merchandising messages. (Mckeever, K., 2007a) Mare E Babej and Tom Pollak (Medcalf, G., May

26、 2008: 38), partners of Marketing Strategy Consulting Firm, Reason Inc., maintained: It is indisputably intuitive that a message delivered at point-of-purchase (e.g. Case B-2) has the best chance to influence the desired behaviour, getting the consumer to take the product off the shelf. The consulta

27、nts ideas refer to a fact that the communication in the shop should be regarded as a valuable customer service, which works both ways, not only to help customers to evaluate the products the shop sells, but also influence their purchase decision process.In Britain, there were about 33% of consumers

28、who make no decision on what brand they were going to buy until they were in-store, while the statistics worldwide was 30%. Next, 16% of British shoppers, beyond the percentage of global shoppers by 6%, altered their plan to buy other brands, dissimilar to the brand they planned to buy. Most signifi

29、cantly, one in 4 customers, who had no plan for shopping previously, bought an item due to the in-store display. (Marketing, 3 Dec. 2008) The survey reveals that the Brits actually have less ideas for which a brand or product they intend to buy in a shop, but VM helps them to make their decision or

30、has informative influences to change their former plan.Flowchart B shows the links between VM campaign and customers purchase decision process. As can be seen, it is obvious that purchase decision process is also an information receiving process in terms of customers (Birtwistle, G., 2001), which is

31、 divided into 5 stages, while there are two key parts in VM campaign, external and internal, which has a direct effect on each stage of the purchase decision process. Initially, window display attempts customers by demonstrating the shops image and conveying the fashionable information to them. (WaI

32、ters, D., and Laffy, D., 1996) That leads to stimuli, which draw potential customers Attention on the shop and response to the information (Howard, J. A., and Sheth, J. N., 1969) the customers will have an attempt to enter the shop for further information. That means window display connects the apparel shop and the potentials successfully. And then, the internal part, store design and product presentation, starts to influence the purchase decision process. The lured customers begin Brand Comprehension fo