The purpose of visual merchandising is to increase sales by using colours, patterns, lighting and signage. Displays, models, props, images, and product placement usually reflect this. It is the responsibility of a visual merchandiser to oversee the overall design of a shop and to exhibit products in a way that will encourage customers to buy. We examine what visual merchandising is and the importance of a virtual merchandiser in retail.
What is Visual Merchandising?
It involves utilizing visual design to attract and retain customers. Through it, businesses are able to increase sales and generate repeat business as well as create a stronger brand image among consumers. This field offers a variety of practical applications and specializations.
What dose a Visual Merchandiser do?
A visual merchandiser presents products and services in a way that highlights their features and benefits. As a member of the retail industry, a visual merchandiser is a professional.
Engaging, motivating, and attracting customers is the purpose of visual merchandising. By interacting with customers in a planned manner, merchandisers help companies increase their productivity and sales.
Creating retail strategies that maximise product aesthetics is one of the main functions of the visual merchandiser in any retail team. An organisation’s identity, look, and feel are shaped by them. The following are involved in this field:
- Communicating choices to stakeholders about new layouts
- Rearranging layouts and displays
- Adapting lighting and implementing new display technology
- Assisting designing with graphic
Skills of a visual merchandiser
To succeed in visual merchandising, it’s essential to develop key skills. Creativity is crucial for designing eye-catching displays that drive sales across various product categories. Strong verbal communication skills are needed to collaborate with retailers and ensure consistency across stores. Additionally, staying informed about industry trends and having solid brand knowledge allows visual merchandisers to create displays that resonate with customers and align with brand philosophies.
Organization and management skills are vital for coordinating materials and campaigns, while interpersonal skills help build professional relationships and manage teams effectively. Proficiency in design and computer literacy, especially with CAD tools, enables the creation of compelling displays. Lastly, strong customer management skills are important for gathering feedback and refining strategies to enhance the shopping experience and increase sales. Developing these skills is key to excelling in visual merchandising.
Visual Merchandising: Job Profiles and Average Salary
Those seeking a career in visual merchandising will find it to be a very exciting and rewarding one. It is a career option in which candidates can expect to be paid well based on their qualifications and experience. Freshers are usually offered salaries between Rs 3 lakhs and Rs 4 lakhs per year.
Some jobs details are given below:
| Job Role | Average Starting Salary (INR) |
|---|
| Visual Merchandiser | 3 Lakhs – 4 Lakhs |
| Layout Designer | 2.4 Lakhs – 3.6 Lakhs |
| Store Manager | 3 Lakhs – 4 Lakhs |
| Brand Manager | 4.8 Lakhs – 6 Lakhs |
| Merchandising Consultant | 4.8 Lakhs – 6 Lakhs |
How to become a visual merchandiser ?
To become a visual merchandiser follow the below mentioned steps:
1. Pursue formal education
You may pursue a bachelor’s degree in art, design, or marketing at the graduate or postgraduate level. At the graduate or postgraduate level, you may earn a degree or diploma, which typically takes one to two years to finish. These classes can teach you about consumer behaviour, vendor management, lighting, design, and material exploration.
2. Get certified
You may earn certification to ensure that you are aware and updated of the upcoming trends in the market. Having the right certification can assist you in advancing in your career as a visual merchandiser. The accredited diploma in merchandising allows an aspiring visual merchandiser enter the workforce with confidence since it offers the skills required to succeed in the field. By learning some skills such as digital design, graphics, colour theory, art, drawing, and graphic design, you may also advance as a visual merchandiser.
3. Gain work experience
Visual merchandisers should have experience with a number of skills and approaches in order to succeed. Participating in an on-the-job course can provide you with the opportunity to design and create unique merchandise displays. It may help you understand the design process and judge how well design components work together better. You can get training in department stores or boutiques as a sales associate and build a successful visual merchandising company over time. To advertise a product’s most beneficial aspects, visual merchandisers use them.
4. Get to know the craft
Merchandise design is a sophisticated process that involves a number of components. Merchandisers play an important role at every phase of the product’s development, ranging from initial design drafts to final installations. They may be able to pick the right props, fixtures, and signage to maximise visual marketing impact. To know your craft in detail and depth makes you effectively design lighting, banners themes, colour schemes, layouts, and other components for retail stores.
5. Identify an industry
You may seek employment with museums, theme parks, traditional retail stores, and event sponsors after earning a bachelor’s degree in visual merchandising. As you pursue further study in a certain industry, such as clothing or appliances, you may also be able to obtain new positions. You may also be able to seek employment at museums, theme parks, traditional retail stores, and event sponsors.
Four important elements of Visual Merchandising
Colour, lighting, colours, and signage are used intelligently to make goods and services more desirable to purchasers. These are considered as the four most crucial elements of visual merchandising:
- Colour – Colour is probably the most significant facet of merchandising. It can be used to evoke a range of emotions, and it may be associated with brand values.
- Light – Light and illumination can be used to emphasise certain aspects of the store and its products. It can also set the mood of the location.
- Space – Visual marketing relies heavily on space. Customers’ interaction with products in the store can be influenced by the layout and placement of the products.
- Signage – A retail experience is enhanced by the use of signage, which is a fundamental tool in the branding process. Signage fonts and styles are usually very specific to brands. They maintain consistency across different stores and locations by being specific, which creates awareness of their brand
