Visual Merchandising Display - Fairchild Books

Preface
Is display dead? It has been buried so many times and
in so many ways—especially when times are bad—but
has been resurrected time and time again and often
with a new name. Whatever you call it, it is about presentation,
about showing to sell—creating a store’s look,
promoting an image or a brand, and shaping the shopper’s
attitude toward the retailer and the product.
Just as the display person became the visual merchandiser
back in the 1970s, we are seeing new names and
titles showing up, like merchandise presentation, visual
presenter, environmental designer, and so on. Yet, if it is
about showing merchandise at its best, in an attractive
and attracting manner, it is still visual merchandising and
display.
The retail scene is in a constant state of change. We are
hearing that more and more people are shopping online.
We read about and maybe visit e-stores. Does that mean
that the retail store as we know it is finished? Does that
mean that people are going to give up on getting up, getting
dressed, and going out to the store, and instead let their fingers
do the shopping? Where can they ask themselves, how
does this fabric feel? how does this garment fit? What is the
ambiance like as you sit in front of the computer? Is there
the romance, the sense of discovery one feels at finding a
treasure on a rack? What about the surprise and excitement
of finding something you never expected to find—and it
has been reduced in price as well? How about the chance
to meet and visit and exchange style opinions with friends
and loved ones? Yes! The computer is convenient and a
possible timesaver, but it is not the whole answer. Visual
merchandising and display is not dead; it will always live
and flourish—no matter what it is called—so long as shoppers
find it fun and an adventure to go into a retail store.
Effective visual merchandising and display can be a motivating
factor in seeking out such adventure.
Old loyalties to stores and shops are almost nonexistent
because customers can no longer be depended upon.
They want to be wooed, courted, stroked, and serviced;
they want to be entertained, and each sale is a first sale. If
ever something were needed to distinguish one store from
another, to make one specialty shop seem more special,
more unique, more tuned in to what the market wants—
that something is needed now. That something is effective
Visual Merchandising and Display. Visual merchandising
is the presentation of merchandise at its best; color coordinated,
accessorized, and self-explanatory. Display is the
pizzazz—the theater, the sparkle and shine that surround
a presentation of merchandise and make the shopper stop,
look, and buy what has been assembled with care and
offered with flair.
During a recession, depression, or in a financial crunch,
store owners may take money out of the display budget and
put more money into media advertising. However, television,
radio, and print ads are worthless unless there is some
follow-through at the store. Here, at the point of purchase,
is where display or merchandise presentation becomes
absolutely necessary.
The shopping scene is also changing. Malls are
becoming entertainment centers, and in cities around
the world urban renewal is going on. Downtown, Main
Street, High Street, and Broadway are being revived, and
new retailers are moving in with new brands to introduce
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