Visual Merchandising (Introduction & props)

VISUAL MERCHANDISING

•        It is the activity of promoting the sale of goods, especially by their presentation in retail outlets.

•        It includes combining products, environments and spaces into a invigorating and gripping display to encourage and improve the sale of a product or service.

•        It is the art of displaying merchandise in a manner that is appealing to the eye of the customer.

•        The art of displaying merchandise in a manner that is appealing to the eyes of the customer.

•        Visual Merchandising is the actual selling of Merchandise through a Visual Medium. The presentation of the entire store and its merchandise in ways that will attract potential customers and motivate them to make purchases.

•        In simple word we can say visual merchandising is a silent selling.

VISUAL PRESENTATION

A visual presentation is a teaching method used to communicate an idea. Charts, flannel boards, flash cards, slides, models, photography, or chalk boards are aids that can be used. A visual presentation can sell an audience on the importance of an idea. Visual presentation aims for communicating and sharing information in a dataset visually to others (e.g., experts for detailed analysis). The visual presentation must emphasize the relevant information among the rest of the data. This is of particular importance since presentations are often realized on print media, which allow for no or only little interaction. A traffic-stopping store window Visual presentation and exhibition designers take on a wide array of projects for stores, museums, showrooms, theme parks, and special events. They are storytellers in three dimensions, creating environments that inspire, inform, and persuade.

Elements & components of store

 Before we proceed for merchandise display we need to understand the props and fixtures, which are essential elements to display any merchandise.

PROPS

• Props are integral part of a display. A prop is something used with a product to enhance, to tell a story or to make a complete theme in a display. Props are the supportive merchandise in a display which combines with the actual merchandise to make the display attractive. It is something that clarifies the function of the merchandise being sold or the story being told.
• Sometimes props are not beautiful by themselves, but highlight the functionality or beauty of merchandise being sold.
• While selecting a props Visual merchandiser must consider that the merchandise in a display must be the dominant element in overall composition.(below are the exceptions in which props is being emphasized rather than product.)
•  The main objectives behind the using props in a display that it should  complement or highlight the salable merchandise and add visual excitement to the surrounding area.
•  It should not distract customer from their prime purpose rather it should compel them to see the main  products on display.
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Props can made of variety of materials ranging from  woods,  rustic antiques. Examples include a branch or bush for spring summer collection, shocks of wheat, dried leaves, and gray rocks to provide contrast to jewelry

    

Props can be functional object too. One merchandise can be a props same may be on sale at ther location/store depending upon the uses/purposes

 

Chair leg become apparel racks when the chairs are hung on the wall at Decades Vintage in Springfield,

 Simple spools as VM props to show originality.

FRESH SHOE FASHION

shoes are a necessity like food, water and air to breath.

Types of Props

1.      Functional props – display the merchandise (mannequins, Christmas tree, tables, etc.)

2.      Decorative props – establish a mood( leaves, snow, wood chips, etc.)

3.      Structural props – change  of  the window( ladder, pole- vertical, fence- horizontal)

Note- The photographs used in this blog post are not owned by the author( Ranjeet Rana), and it is not for commercial use. These blogs are for educational purpose only, the students of Fashion Design, Retail Management, Fashion communication, Knitwear Design, Fashion Technology and Accessory Design department of the different fashion designing institutes are  the beneficiaries.