In May 2018, Which? released its annual survey of the best and worst retailers in the United Kingdom, and its results say a great deal about how crucial visual appeal is to the public perception of high street stores. At the top of the charts was Lush, who was praised for the “sensory experiences” and the atmosphere of their stores, with easily-accessible products and helpful customer service.
In the last place, for the eighth year running no less, was WHSmith, whose poorly laid-out stores and nonchalant staff rated extremely poorly with those polled by Which?. Despite being considered “the world’s first ever retail chain”, WHSmith has struggled to keep with changing trends, even leading to a Twitter account dedicated to mocking the company’s outmoded store designs.
But what is it about visual merchandising that makes it such a pivotal factor to the success of a store?
Visual merchandising lets your store put its best foot forward
Visual merchandising is the art of creating an in-store layout, from product placement to how displays are designed. Whilst stores like WHSmith seem to put little effort into making their individual branches stand out from each other—more function than form—the art of visual merchandising gains stores a great deal of respect within the industry and excitement from customers.
However, it isn’t just about highlighting specific products, but the overall message and personality of your brand; this can be done through a single display or a high-concept scheme which covers an entire store. FormRoom, an award-winning brand experience agency, notes that these schemes are what help us to develop “the feeling and emotional connection which we get from the brands we love”.
Whether by putting emphasis on our favourite products or focussing on how you want customers to feel entering your store, your brand can use visual merchandising to highlight its best features and its best products.
If your store doesn’t stand out, it doesn’t stand a chance
The primary purpose of visual merchandising is to attract passing customers, and giving your store an eye-catching colour scheme is one of the fundamental ways to do this. As The Balance points out, “wherever the eyes go, the feet will follow”, so if your store pops out of the high street, new customers are sure to pop in.
Of course, it isn’t just a case of making your store stand out visually, but in terms of what you offer your customers beyond your core product range. As one store owner recently told the Telegraph, “customers are…becoming more careful with their money and not treating themselves as much”.
Consequently, making your customers feel like they will be able to treat themselves on a budget before they even walk into the store is essential. It has been said that experiential retail techniques can “better ensure positive sales results and repeat business” simply by offering customers things which can’t be replicated by an online store.
What to avoid when it comes to retail design
The key elements of retail design revolve around making customers want to come back to your store. As such, you should never keep your visual merchandising scheme in place long enough to get stale. As customer priorities and the popularity of certain products fluctuate, find new ways to make your store match these trends. Hiring a design agency is the best way to help your stores tell a story, taking your customers on a journey that leads them to the products they want, via items they didn’t know they wanted.
Most crucially, visual merchandising isn’t something you should leave to chance. As in the case of WHSmith, it could drastically hinder your reputation with customers. The retail design of your store should reflect its image and message and, whether or not they are already familiar with your brand, both intrigue and attract passers-by.