In the dynamic and competitive retail landscape, where gaining customer preference is an ongoing challenge, self-service stores have had to deploy various strategies to stand out from their competitors. In this context, a fundamental concept emerges: Visual Merchandising. Its central purpose is to enable the store itself to take on the role of its own salesperson, providing the necessary tools to easily locate products and, above all, streamline the buying process in order to foster customer loyalty. In this space, we will delve deep into this crucial concept and provide essential guidelines for its optimal implementation in retail.
What is Visual Merchandising?
This practice goes beyond the mere visual presentation of products, focusing on a deep analysis of consumer behavior in a commercial environment. Its central objective is to effectively influence the customer’s decision-making process through the meticulous manipulation of visual and environmental elements. It is based on the fact that 90% of the information reaching the brain is of a visual nature, according to the “SEMrush Blog.”
To illustrate the significance of this practice, consider a typical scenario: a consumer, initially attracted by a successful advertising campaign, enters a store; however, their initial experience is marred by a sense of chaos and lack of organization: the aisles are labyrinthine, products are seemingly randomly arranged, and available spaces are not efficiently utilized. This negative experience leads them to quickly leave the store without completing their purchase.
To counteract these adverse experiences and seize the opportunity to influence purchase decisions, it is essential to implement effective Visual Merchandising. This involves the strategic arrangement of products, appropriate lighting, precise color selection, and other visual elements, all with the constant goal of fostering customer loyalty. In fact, since 70% of purchase decisions are made at the point of sale, perfecting this concept becomes crucial in attracting potential customers.
Now that we have gained a solid understanding of the concept of visual merchandising and its impact on customer loyalty, let’s move on to exploring essential tools for its successful implementation:
1. Incorporate Neuromarketing into Your Visual Merchandising Strategy!
Neuromarketing has become an essential discipline in the world of marketing and sales strategies. Its focus on understanding and leveraging the mental and emotional processes of consumers provides valuable insights to enhance the effectiveness of visual merchandising.
The fusion of both concepts provides a deep understanding of customers, allowing the creation of a highly effective store design. Self-service stores, in particular, should recognize the importance of starting with a visual neuromarketing analysis to understand their audience before developing visual merchandising strategies. This sequence of steps not only improves the customer experience but also enhances the desired purchasing impulse, which is crucial in a competitive market.
2. Don’t Forget Your Online Store!
Today, e-commerce has become an essential pillar for the retail industry, as confirmed by the 2023 Online Sales Study by the Mexican Association of Online Sales (AMVO). According to this study, e-commerce in Mexico experienced impressive growth, reaching a market value of 528 billion pesos in 2022, representing a significant increase of 23% compared to 2021. This data underscores the importance of online commerce and highlights how it has created extraordinary opportunities for traditional retailers to expand their horizons and reach a broader audience through various sales channels.
However, for self-service companies, maintaining efficiency across all their channels and providing added value without compromising their operations is an ongoing challenge. In this context, the metaverse emerges as a key strategic tool to enhance product presentation and the customer experience in virtual environments, allowing these companies to maximize the effectiveness of their online visual merchandising strategies.
This revolutionary trend in e-commerce enables online stores to apply traditional visual merchandising techniques in a virtual environment, eliminating the need for physical elements such as mannequins and displays. Designers use digital tools to create appealing spaces where consumers can interact naturally with products, generating highly engaging and personalized shopping experiences. This becomes essential in the competitive online commerce market and allows self-service companies to offer differentiated value to their customers.
3. Utilize the Pyramid and Triangle Methods
These two methods are of paramount importance and should not be overlooked in the management of your self-service store, as a deep understanding and precise execution of them can lead to significant benefits. These approaches focus on the strategic arrangement and presentation of products in the retail context to attract customers and stimulate sales effectively.
The Pyramid Method: involves arranging products in showcases or shelves to form a visual pyramid. The most prominent products are positioned at the top, followed by those of medium interest, and finally, basic products at the base. This arrangement creates a visual hierarchy that directs the customer’s attention to the most relevant and attractive products.
The Triangle Method: focuses on the strategic placement of products to create a triangular visual pattern in showcases or in the store. This arrangement places the most eye-catching and attractive products at the top vertex of the triangle, while the base of the triangle houses related or complementary products. This approach aims to effectively capture the customer’s attention and encourage interaction.
Both the Pyramid and Triangle methods are based on consumer psychology principles and design theory, intended to direct the attention and interest of customers toward the specific products the store seeks to highlight.
4. Don’t Neglect the Importance of Shopping Types!
It’s essential to understand the various shopping types, such as planned, impulsive, and routine purchases, to develop an effective visual merchandising strategy, as each type requires a different approach. By understanding consumer motivations and behaviors, you can design a store environment that caters to their specific needs and desires.
For example, for impulsive purchases, you can create eye-catching displays and tempting products at strategic points, while for planned purchases, the focus should be on providing detailed information and high-quality options. This not only increases sales but also enhances customer satisfaction by offering a personalized experience.
Pay attention! Although it’s important to understand all types of purchases, one, in particular, can yield significant results for visual merchandising strategies: impulsive purchases. According to data from the SEMrush Blog, more than a third of sales come from impulsive purchases, and in the context of supermarkets, these represent up to 54% of total sales. Therefore, the strategic inclusion of these becomes essential.
5. Omnichannel Experience: Creating Visual Consistency
The omnichannel experience refers to how customers engage with a brand across a variety of channels, spanning from physical stores to virtual platforms. In this context, it is essential to establish visual consistency across all brand touchpoints. This means that whether a customer visits a physical store, explores the brand’s website, or interacts on social media platforms, the visual experience should be uniform and recognizable.
Visual consistency entails using the same colors, logos, typography, and design elements across all channels. This creates a consistent brand image that customers can easily identify and reinforces their connection with the company.
This visual consistency contributes to a unified and memorable brand experience. Customers can feel more connected and secure when interacting with the brand, as they perceive a strong and recognizable identity across all touchpoints.
Visual Merchandising, by focusing on enhancing the consumer experience, is a fundamental element in building customer loyalty. It’s crucial for self-service stores to maintain a continuous focus on this concept, as its effective implementation can yield highly beneficial results. We invite you to continue exploring the latest trends in the retail sector at “Expo ANTAD,” recognized as the leading platform for retail professionals worldwide.
References
Editorial & Editorial. (2023). México, entre los 5 mercados más importantes del mundo para eCommerce retail. Retailers – Negocios e innovación tecnológica. https://retailers.mx/mexico-entre-los-5-mercados-mas-importantes-del-mundo-para-ecommerce-retail/
Rocha, E. (2023). Métodos Pyramid y triangle en el visual Merchandising: impulsando el éxito del retail con estrategias poderosas. BELOW THE LINE, RETAIL, PROMOCIONES | Revista InformaBTL. https://www.informabtl.com/metodos-pyramid-y-triangle-en-el-visual-merchandising/
Editorial & Editorial. (2023c). México, entre los 5 mercados más importantes del mundo para eCommerce retail. Retailers – Negocios e innovación tecnológica. https://retailers.mx/mexico-entre-los-5-mercados-mas-importantes-del-mundo-para-ecommerce-retail/
Serrano, L. (2018). Merchandising y neuromarketing: ¿Cómo diseñar el interior de un retailer? BELOW THE LINE, RETAIL, PROMOCIONES | Revista InformaBTL. https://www.informabtl.com/merchandising-y-neuromarketing-como-disenar-el-interior-de-un-retailer/
Ruiz, A. (2023, 17 febrero). El metaverso y el visual merchandising: las claves de esta tendencia. ESDESIGN. https://www.esdesignbarcelona.com/actualidad/diseno-espacios/visual-merchandising-metaverso
Diariofarma. (2019). El cerebro entiende lo visual. diariofarma. https://diariofarma.com/2019/09/26/marketing-de-influencia-en-el-sector-salud-la-figura-del-influencer-2#:~:text=El%2090%25%20de%20la%20informaci%C3%B3n,m%C3%A1s%20r%C3%A1pido%20que%20el%20texto.
