FOCUS
FOCUS
With technology, it gives retailers a wider scope in terms of visual merchandising; in the past, everything had to be displayed in the store, on the shelf or in the window. Now, the possibilities are limitless.
as interactive product information dispensers. Beauty brands have also incorporated technologies such as augmented reality( AR) with their product displays to enable customers to“ try” the makeup products before purchase.
Ng shares an example of Zara’ s effort in rolling out an AR experience for shoppers.“ When you snap a photo of the window display using their app, it shows you models wearing the outfits, strutting their stuff right in front of you.
“ With technology, it gives us retailers a wider scope in terms of visual merchandising; in the past, everything had to be displayed in the store, on the shelf or in the window. Now, the possibilities are limitless.”
However, he notes that some technologies are still in infancy and will take a while to be fully matured and adopted, so Pazzion is currently still not headed down this path yet.“ In terms of VM, our next big step is experimenting with large-format screens within the stores to replace posters and billboards.
“ The large-format screens also allow us to change and refresh the look of the store with different photos / videos and provides a more engaging way of interacting with our shoppers,” Ng reveals.
Valentine adds that technology can be a fantastic tool when used appropriately.“ But the idea and the message are always the most important thing. If technology can help you deliver that message more effectively, it’ s great.
“ If it is just there for the sake of it, it usually gets in the way. A boring message doesn’ t become an interesting one just because you use technology to deliver it,” he cautions. ra
Details matter
TOM NG, founder of the shoe brand Pazzion, shares with RETAIL
ASIA how the brand has leveraged visual merchandising in its retail journey.
“ For our brand, I started with the mindset of being different, being uniquely Pazzion.
“ I didn’ t want the store to look too much like a store— I know the irony in this, but I wanted to create a shopping experience that is different. I wanted customers to feel like they’ re stepping into a gallery of sorts when they come into our store.
“ So instead of the very traditional kind of window display, I opted for using different antiques and furniture pieces to showcase our products. That— together with our logo, look and feel and with our signature colours of black and gold— worked as shoppers do recognise our stores and it has this uniqueness to it.
“ I think for every business, they need to think of the fundamentals that they want to convey regarding their brand. For Pazzion, it was sophistication and class. And we conveyed that consistently from our brand motif, down to our store colours, which has the recurrent black and gold theme, down to our window display and visual merchandising.
“ This consistency, I think, is important for all brands, if not even more so for new brands. This will convey a consistent message to your shoppers, which over time, will allow you to build a certain brand association and affinity among your target group.
“ But, of course, once you’ ve established your brand, there’ s nothing wrong to be more daring to experiment with different forms of display. This also helps to add a dose of healthy fun and excitement so that shoppers can be‘ wow-ed’ every time they step into the store.
“ So yes, we are always experimenting with new forms of display to refresh our displays and keep the energy level high.” ra
Retail Asia May 2018 17