FOCUS
Colours draw
the customers’
attention to
specific areas
and encourage
purchasing
decisions to
be made. In
fact, research
shows that 60%
of purchase
decisions are
correlated with
colours.
retail space. It reflects its values and
aspirations.
“Captivating visual merchandising
excite customers and encourage them
to draw inspirations from the brand.
It influences the customer’s behaviour
and perspective of the products. It also
helps to attract footfall in the highly-
competitive retail landscape,” she
comments.
Matthew Valentine, editor of Retail
Design World, — an online platform
covering all elements of the international
retail design sector, also notes that
VM can be changed quickly and at a
relatively low cost. “It’s vital to make
stores that people want to visit,” he
echoes.
Important elements
As VM is supposed to make people
stop in their tracks when they are going
past a store, having that element of
surprise usually works, according to Ng,
especially if your product is new.
New products creatively displayed
bring out the wow factor that draws
customers to them, and it could also
create a buzz among the target audience,
he adds.
Besides the experimental and surprise
elements, it is also important for retailers
to be experiential with their displays
as more customers are looking for
experiences.
Ng explains: “They want to feel
engaged, to be part of the brand or
shopping experience. They no longer
want to just walk past a nice display
or nicely laid-out shelf. They want to
feel involved; they don’t want just to
be sold to. So, having a display that
allows them some level of participation
can increase the time that they dwell in
your store or in front of your display,
and that additional dwell time increases
your chance of selling products to them.
For example, instead of just selling
shoes, maybe talk about a place that
you can wear the shoes to, and with
that, allow them to experience the
place with photos/videos or even travel
recommendations to the place.”
Ng also advises retailers to be
relevant when it comes to visual
merchandising. “Of course, the
underlying fundamental is that the
VM should be something that they can
associate with, or something that they
can either relate to themselves or relate
back to the product.
“So, if the product has a certain
function that you want to sell, be sure
to convey that function through your
VM. Because a picture or, in this case,
a display, speaks a thousand words,” he
adds.
Another important element of
VM, according to Ong, is “an amazing
story — in colour!” The colours must
be within the context of a story that the
brand is telling and customers should be
able to identify and relate to the story.
“The story told through VM at the
retail space must continue to send a clear
and consistent message that the brand
has been communicating through its
other channels.
“Colours draw the customers’
attention to specific areas and encourage
purchasing decisions to be made. In fact,
research shows that 60% of purchase
decisions are correlated with colours,”
she says.
As shoppers these days have a wide
frame of reference — some may have
literally seen it all before — therefore
retailers have to think and work hard
to impress them — and it starts with
understanding the customers and what
they need. Valentine shares: “It’s all
about creativity, and finding innovative
ways to grab attention.”
Some smart retailers are also
building on previous displays, with
some store windows running themes
that are continued through different
seasonal collections. He continues:
“And it seems to me that there is a lot
of humour in windows lately. We can
get convenience by shopping online,
but when we go to stores we want to be
entertained.”
Recent trends in VM are also
getting bolder and more daring,
because engaging consumers in their
shopping trip serves as a plus point in
the whole buying experience.
Pazzion’s Ng recalls: “One good
example will be the Gentle Monster
stores in South Korea. Each store
was designed in different themes and
concepts to entice the consumers in a
360-degree environment.
“They evoke emotions and are
visually appealing at the same time,
thereby contributing to the basic five
human senses.”
Ong points out that retail today
is indeed experiential and it is no
longer just about buying products.
“Customers crave for new experiences
Retail Asia May 2018
15