Retail Merchandising Tips for Your Store

Ready to setup your store for another successful shopping season? Get creative and have fun making your retail space stand out from the rest! You really want your store to sparkle, look its absolute best, and give new customers an experience that will get them excited about coming back. Here are five tips for merchandising your store from DEMDACO Visual Display Coordinator, Christine Scharf.

1. Lighting

Thoughtful lighting is a great way to create an inviting and pleasant atmosphere for customers. Small adjustments, like using a colored light bulb can change the entire feel of a display and spotlighting certain products you want to showcase will make them stand out from the rest. Try adjusting spotlights to shine on specific table displays, walls, or in front of store window displays. Another clever idea is to try adding small table lamps to nooks and crannies to add visual interest and ambiance.

2. Themes

Having a consistent theme—or flow of themes—in decorations, lighting, colors and greenery, can reduce visual clutter and help the store feel more organized and intentional in its layout. A window or front-of-store display is a great way to establish a theme and entice shoppers inside to see more.

3. Signage

When shoppers aren’t sure what gift to purchase, signage can help to provide ideas and direction which in turn, drives sales. Try merchandising an area with supporting signage that calls out “Gift Ideas for Dad,” or “Teacher Gifts,” or whatever relates to your store. Also, if there are certain products you’ve invested heavily in, be sure to draw attention to them with signage that catches the eye and draws shoppers over to have a closer look.

4. Photo Displays

Creating areas where shoppers are encouraged to take photos of themselves is an on-trend, interactive tactic that has proven successful in recent years. Try leaving a spot in a display where you suggest shoppers take photos, provide signage with a hashtag for social media posting that can also lead to free advertising and buzz via social media. Make the environment inviting and exciting.

5. Get Inspired

Pinterest is a treasure trove of inspiration for displays…try searching “visual display ideas” for lots of great boards. Instagram is another good resource for inspiration. Try searching #visualmerchandising and #windowdisplay for more than a million user-shared images.