You would be forgiven for thinking that the rise of online shopping has impacted the nature and practice of physical retail. The truth? Stores are not just surviving in this landscape; they are thriving. Visual merchandising remains a driving force, with 2019 likely to be an even bigger year, packed with bigger expectations. If you are still on the fence, here is a snapshot of what you stand to gain with smart visual merchandising in 2019.
The market is saturated
It’s clear that the customer is spoilt for choice. Even when it comes to smaller impulse items – the customer has a myriad of brands and options to choose from. This is why visual merchandising is required to stay competitive in your market climate. Visual merchandising by Sparfacts is so successful because it sends visual cues to the customer, and when products are presenting in a visually appealing way we naturally build a preference. If you have worked hard to perfect a product that exceeds market expectations, don’t be robbed of your chance to succeed because you failed to embrace the concept of visual merchandising.
Brand identity is everything
In 2018 and previous years, we have seen customers seek out brands that mirror their values and style. 2019 looks to take this a step further, by continuing to build out brand identity through innovative visual merchandising design. In a sea of retailers, stacked side by side, your shop front needs to be able to aesthetically tell prospective customers that you stand for sustainability, high end design, English style – or whatever it is that makes your brand tick. This can be achieved by visual merchandising, in-store setups and in-store merchandising.
Employees have more power
Employees are now at a point where they have more power, but that isn’t bad news. Previously retail professionals would jump from industry to industry, going where the work is. But now? Employees are niching themselves so they can better service the market and grow with trends that impact that space. For example, if your brand is quality vegan beauty products, you will find that your existing and future talent have previously worked in this space and bring with them a greater sense of employee purpose and knowledge. Like customers, employees want to work somewhere that their values are recognised and shared. Don’t lose out on quality talent to your inferior competitor who understands that building an environment where a team can thrive, is what increases retention.
It provides a stream of content
Who is guilty of checking a restaurant or hotel’s social channels before they book? You want to see what their vibe is, and if they are worthy of your stay or visit. The same psychology is now extended to retail experiences. Before we ‘add to cart’ or think about visiting the store down the road, we need to validate our decision with a content investigation. If your store concept has embraced visual merchandising as a driving force – this is great news for you. Your unique concept and store design will be public for all to see, and work to shift the customer from the dream state to conversion. It also gives you a constant source of content inspiration, on those days where you think you have little to say on social – seek inspiration from your visual surroundings.
2019 looks to be another year where unique design and smart visual merchandising can position you streaks ahead of your competitors. By choosing a reputable company to roll out your visual merchandising concept, you can essentially perfect the process once and then continue to add and subtract with ease. If your product offering is strong, but you need to simply get customers in your store to convert – 2019 is your year to take advantage of visual merchandising and increase traffic.
