Confessions of a Window Shopper
by Nadia Bleker
Many of us have walked passed a shop window and thought “Wow! That dress is gorgeous, I could totally rock that!” or “That window display looks amazing!”. It might even have been good enough to make you enter the shop and buy the garment. However have you ever really thought about who is responsible for creating that amazing display? …Well neither had I! That is why I thought I would find out and share it with all my fellow Window Shoppers.
To start with – a Visual Merchandiser does a lot more than just setting up window displays! They have to check e-mails for any new briefs from head office, attend meetings, go on shop-walk-through’s, analyze the sale stats to know how effective their displays were and work out how to boost sales. (That’s a lot more than simply dressing up a window isn’t it!)
ow about the inside of the shops? Have you ever wondered about who is responsible for the layout…well I’ll give you a clue – the name starts with V & M. Yup! You guessed it! Not only is a Visual Merchandiser responsible for the window displays, but also the product placements and the layout of the different departments within the store.
A big part of a Visual Merchandiser’s job is to know their clientele. They need to know what makes their customers tick, what attracts them to a store and what leads to them purchasing a garment. Knowing this, it’s easy to see why the window displays and the shop layout really needs to attract a customer’s attentions!
A display can be LOUD or bold or even colourful. It all depends on who the shop is catering for (their target market). Other aspects that also effect the work a Visual Merchandiser produces are: Current trends (both locally and internationally), what is selling the best in the shop and what garment is most likely to get more feet through the door. Being a Visual Merchandiser sounds a lot like being a fisherman doesn’t it? – If you know what you are fishing for and use the right bait then you have a good chance of catching your targets; hook, line and sinker!
Next time you walk past a window display take a second or two to really look and appreciate it, because in a lot of ways a window display is more than just an advertisement. It is a work of art.
Well my fellow Window Shoppers that is it for today. Let us know your thoughts on Visual Merchandiser.