VM-Guide
Who does VM benefit? The Consumer The Retailer The Brand
- enjoyable shopping experience - creating an exciting easy to shop environment - to showcase innovation and new product - creates a premium environment - easy to maintain & replenish - increase turnover - maintain brand integrity - increase brand visibility and brand awareness - deliver a consistent approach
VM-Guide
How to manage Consumer Flow? With effective merchandising and fixture placement within the store, these will help manage consumer flow, thus resulting in a more impactful shopping experience which will entice the consumers to buy.
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Store Front & Windows express the brand personality. are the first points of contact between consumers and the brand and must communicate the brand message. must have visual impact even from a distance to entice consumers to what is inside the store. need to be maintained and updated to keep interest.
The Golden Rule of 4 Seconds. Thats all the time we have to captivate the potential customers. In this blink of an eye, they must be attracted to our merchandise and stay inter ested. As they enter our retail space, it is important that the first four seconds are positive. Overall, the ambience of the store should stimulate and engage them. They should see and feel that the bra nd offers cutting edge products.
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Space & Zoning (Space Value)
Typical Position Prime Space High Commercial Value Highest consumer flow areas Highest visibility areas in focal points Special feature fixtures Mid floor selling areas Wall fixtures not in focal points R ? ecommended Uses ?Innovative concepts Promotional concepts
Secondary Space Medium Commercial Value
?Basics goods Volume goods
Discovery Space Low Commercial Value
Fixtures around fitting area Fixtures behind pillars and architectural blind spots Single wall fixtures in isolation Cashier area Fitting area
?Accessories product lines Fragmented product lines Volume goods
Service Space No Commercial Value
?Customer Service Display Tools
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Service Space
Example of Space & Zoning
Ludhiana Mall
Discovery Space
Secondary Space
Prime Space
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Product Zone Product Zone is one area of space for a particular product concept.
P ? RIME SPACE Prime Space are zones at the end of key sightline focal points. How to do it: Create focal points at the end of key sightlines minimum one per concept. Effective focal points define communicate to the consumer the essence of the concept (place key items here). Focal points can be created through combination of products, fixtures, graphics, visual merchandising techniques and visual display tools (mannequins). S ? ECONDARY SPACE Secondary Space are zones where the eyes are drawn immediately after focusing on a focal point. It is located to the left or right of the focal point. How to do it: Identify the secondary space to the left and right of each focal point. Develop colour stories within a concept. Use key stock items within a concept. Ensure the products to be of the same concept. Develope additional outfit idea building to encourage multiple purchases and impulse buys. Use Left to Right theory. D ? ISCOVERY SPACE Discovery Space are zones that are least visible and accessible to the consumers. Therefore they need to be encouraged to shop in these areas. How to do it: Ensure easy access with visual display tools (mannequins, mirrors, etc) and fixture placements. Place destination or most wanted products into this area. Place extra stock items in isolated fixtures.
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Minimum Standards
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Gender Separation
Guys and Girls sections should be clearly visible and VM should reflect how they shop.
VM Techniques
Seasonal hanging and folding techniques should be evident at all time.
VM Principles
Focal points, balance and colour stories should be evident in each section.
Retailing Standards
Products should be folded, stacked, sized and stocked (Product densities).
Stock Rotations
Newnessproducts or presentations should be shown to consumers on a regular basis.
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Product Packaging Knowing what is on product packaging such as hang tags and labellings is to educate yourself about the products and use the information to help you organise and sell it. Price Packaging
Marking the products with the appropriate tickets and labels is important to help the consumers shop easily and maintain the correct image profile for the Brand. For placement Using a price sticker, attach to the lower portion of the Vendor Marking (VM) strip.
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Pre-Retailing Standards Hanging Standards
Always DRESS OUT the first hanger. (e.g. t-shirt, shirt and jacket combination) Make sure that all creases are removed as these are unsightly. Ensure all price labels, tags and packaging are tucked away neatly. Hang only the right amount of products on 1 hanging rail. Please refer to the product density charts. If available, use a branded hanger.
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Pre-Retailing Standards Hanging Standards
Note: All hangers hook should form a ? (question mark) on the hanging bar and the products should always be hung for any right-handed person.
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Pre-Retailing Standards Size Order
Product must always be merchandised in size order with the smallest size on top of the pile/front of an arm to the largest on the bottom of a pile/back of an arm. Bottoms must always be merchandised primarily by waist size and then by length, with the smallest size/shortest leg at the top of the pile/front of the arm to the largest waist and longest leg at the bottom of the pile/back of the arm.
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P ? roduct Merchandising is a process of merchandise planning before placing products on the store floorwhere & how they should be placed. With proper execution, the store can achieve: ?More engaging visual presentation. More pleasurable store for shopping. More knowledgeable staff which results in better motivated staff. More satisfied consumers. More successful and positive brand experience. Easier to maintain merchandising presentation. Turning browsing consumers into purchasing consumers. Better sales results.
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Merchandising Principles
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Stop
Dont merchandise a product until you are certain as to where it belongs.
Look
Check out the product and look for special features innovation, finish, style, colour, and fabric.
Check
See if the product needs special merchandising instructions in your Seasonal Planograms or other internal communication materials.
Think
How does the product look when merchandised with the others?
Decide
Know the concept zones on the floor, and decide how the product should be merchandised and which technique to use in presenting it. Show off the product features!
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B ? alance is the key defining principle in impactful merchandising. It is essential to create a looks & feels right feeling in all types of product presentation. Without balance, merchandising will never feel comfortable to the eye and may negatively affect how the consumer feels about the range in store. ? Product Blocking Vertical Merchandising Horizontal Merchandising Checker Boarding Product Hanging Visual Break
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Colour helps the consumers to easily spot the merchandise. Hence, understanding the colour story each season is crucial to create visual impact and increase [Link], it is very important to display products correctly.
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Colour Colourization
Always merchandise colors in order of warm, cool and neutral. Always present from left to right, or top to bottom. Do not display products in a zig-zag manner or in the wrong colour order. This will mess up the display and designated look, thus making it difficult for consumers to shop.
Note: A well displayed colorization of products will also be of great help to you during your stock-take.
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Colour Temperatures & Emotion
Colour can also be divided into 2 parts in relation to the temperatures and the emotions they evoke:
Warm Colours
R ? ed, Yellow, & Orange are considered active and exciting. C ? ool Colours
Blue, Green & Purple are considered passive and calming.
Note: Colour can affect our emotions and also change its appearance depending on the lighting environment it is in or the colours place next to it.
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W ? indow merchandising objective is to get the consumers to come into the store to See, Try and Buy the products. By attracting them at the sidewalk level and acts as our brand packaging. As windows are the first point of contact with the consumers, we must always ensure the brand and its concept messages that we communicate are: ? Focused Impactful Simple Clear Balanced
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Window Prepare & Install
P ? reparation 1. Find out the delivery date of window package to ensure it arrives in time for installation. 2. When the package arrives, open it straight away to check th at all elements are accounted. 3. If any elements are missing/broken, contact your brand representative. 4. Store all elements in a safe place until installation date. 5. Try to dress any mannequins for the window beforehand. Installation 1. Remove all old window elements and dispose them. 2. Thoroughly clean the window whilst empty including inside o f the glass. 3. Install windows as instructed by the guidelines. 4. ALWAYS follow the guidelines thoroughly. 5. Redirect window lighting to highlight mannequins/elements.
T ?op Tips: Follow the installation guide lines thoroughly, for the most effective window. Create a window tracker to monitor the sales of featured garments.
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Window Composition W ? indow Composition is defined as how the products, POP and spaces are placed with in the display. Always ensure there is visual balance in the composition of your window.
T ? he most common and effective composition is triangular in shape. It can be either symmetrical or asymmetrical. It can also be in different shapes and have different center lines.
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Window Maintenance W ? indow Maintenance is everyones responsibility from retailer, VM specialist, manager and staffs. All are involved in the full cycle of a window from preparation, installation and maintenance, to preparing for the next window.
Basic Standards Iron the garments used in the window and hide all tags. (see mannequin styling) Where possible use price stands in the window. Change the outfits weekly to keep the window fresh. Maintain the colour story of the concept for the whole time period. Keep the window clutter free! Check the window lighting daily and change any broken bulbs. Sweep the floor daily. Dust the mannequins/props daily. Ensure the window glass is clean and smear free at all times. Check the window stickers are neat and fully secure to window. Do not include POP which is not approved in the VM seasonal guidelines. OK to sell what is in the window if a consumer wants it. But always REPLACE the outfit and re-style it.
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M ? annequin sole purpose is to showcase the products and communicate the brand image. Mannequin must always: ? Display key looks Provide styling cues Communicate the concept of the product Reflect our target consumers Look natural
Top Tips: For a Lived In Look lightly spray the outfit with mineral water directly on product. When dry, it will appear naturally worn. For a Real Worn Look hand wrinkle the clothes in areas where the clothes would naturally wrinkle (i.e. shirt tails, elbows and knees).
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Mannequin Dressing
0 ?1. Separate the arms and torso from the mannequin s bottom half (the legs). Store them safely nearby. 02. Take the legs off from the base of metal stand. Turn it upside down. 03. Slide the Garments over the legs. Add shoes if required. 04. Stand the legs back on the base of metal stand. Add torso. 05. Dress the torso in t-shirt/shirt/jacket/tops. Remember to use a bag (eg. shoe bag) over the head to protect the make up of the mannequin face. 06. Remove the hands from the arms and insert the arms either: > through the tops cuffs/sleeves; > through the tops neck opening; > through the tops wrist bottom and then down the sleeves. 07. Add hands.
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Mannequin Positioning
0 ?1. Group the mannequins at entrance as a lead in. 02. Place the mannequins in key focal points. 03. Spot lit the mannequins for high lightings. 04. Use the mannequins to help define guys and girls areas. 05. Position the mannequins next to fixtures with corresponding outfits. 06. Stagger the mannequins in a group and use plinth to add dept h.
Top Tips: Once the mannequins have been positioned on floor, make those last styling touches.
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Mannequin Maintenance
? Mannequins need to be maintained to keep up the image of the store and remain impactful. Sales assistants are responsible for keeping mannequins within their area maintained. Assure that mannequin positions are not bent in unnatural ways or incorrectly hung. Outfits on mannequins are positioned near the stock. Follow the concept direction of the zone they are in and change according to zone movement. Keep free from lint & dust. Do not use damaged mannequins, have them repaired or replaced. And most importantly, use mannequins as the selling tool. That is what they are! Change looks weekly.
