Gone are the days of boring mannequins displays in shop windows. Today, with the growing competition, many retailers have come up with innovative window displays ideas such as the use of neon lights, flashy colours, 3D installations, etc.

The idea behind visual merchandising is to create visually appealing displays that lure customers to the store, to increase the store sales and traffic. Most importantly, your ‘display space’ must be perfectly optimized so it saves you the time and money.

Visual merchandising is a very interesting subject in fashion designing. Students who are keen in learning always benefit from a fashion designing course. Topics such as visual merchandising, apparel merchandising, retail management, etc. are all covered under the course content. The course aims at preparing every individual for a better future in the designing field.

In order for visual merchandising to be effective, you need to know your target customers. This would mean you need to prepare a demographic data that includes details of your target customers such as age, gender, income, etc. Having mentioned that, here are key points that also help.

Constant Change

Once monotony seeps in visual merchandising, you can’t do much. The key is to constantly change the window display and you need to decide the frequency of the change. The change can be once a month, once in three months or seasonal.

In visual merchandising, you need to be creative. Thinking out of the box always works. Other than using mannequins, you can think of other interesting concepts to create an impact. Frequently changing always develops interest among customers to look forward to the next collection.

In a creative profession such as fashion designing, ‘change’ is the key.

Use of Flexible Material

Using flexible material in visual merchandising is important. Considering the frequent changes that a retailer has to make, the materials used must be easy to assemble and interchange. Flexible material saves time and money.

You could check some of the recent top brand window display. The most interesting and innovative displays are, Pronovias, Zara, Michael Kors, Hermes, etc. In each of these displays, there are no permanent fixtures. The background can easily be interchanged keeping the trend in mind.

Easy Installation

Rigid fixtures that cannot be easily manoeuvered may pose a problem. Most stores like fixtures that can be a DIY (do it yourself). Fixtures like shelves, stands, tables, etc. that can be easily handled by the store person is preferred. This again helps in cutting down the cost of hiring a person specifically for displays.

Chuck Old Ideas

Since years, mannequins are used as prominent props in visual merchandising. Therefore, you need to break away from the stereotype display of using mannequins and come up with innovative ideas.

In fashion designing classes, students are exposed to new learning methodologies. The new learning techniques help students to expand their knowledge and become creative thinkers. Ultimately, students who are interested in marketing, come up with innovative ideas that help them in achieving their future goals.   

Similarly, steering away from the common concept of using mannequins will help you look for better display options.

The Fun Factor

Trying out something that’s offbeat and fun in visual merchandising can really boost your sales. The use of vintage objects like a bicycle, watch or even an old wooden box can instantly highlight your concept.

The whole idea is to add fun and quirkiness. You could also try displaying props that are interactive. This would raise the level of interest for customers.

Implement Latest Technology

With the new advancement in technology, you can take advantage and use it for visual merchandising. Of late, 3D printing is the new rage for window displays.

In a fashion designing institute, students are trained to develop new skills. During the course, they are encouraged to interact with retailers so they are abreast with the latest technologies used in visual merchandising.

Therefore, being aware of the latest technologies will help you stay ahead of your competitors and increase the sales number.

Visual merchandiser as a career choice is great as it has lots of scopes. Hence, keeping the above points in mind, you can work out different display options and win your customers.