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| 6 Visual Merchandising Mistakes That Retailers Make Posted: 31 Dec 2020 10:08 AM PST By Ray Ko As anyone who has ever stepped inside a retail store knows, there are a lot of products and advertising-related eye candy fighting for your attention. Visual merchandising is a store owner's opportunity to blast through the sensory overload and focus a shopper's eye on specific products, entice people to interact with items on display, get them moving around the space in a calculated way, and when they're ready to check out, tempt them into one last impulse purchase. Visual merchandising can be quite creative and a lot of fun, but there are several visual merchandising mistakes smart retailers should avoid. Mistake #1: Overloading displays with too much merchandiseWhen it comes to showcasing merchandise, there is always the temptation to add "just one more thing" to a display. Don't do it—this is a far-to-common visual merchandising mistake. The tried-and-true fashion tip "before you leave the house, remove one piece of jewelry" works for visual merchandising, too. Just because there are several items in a product line doesn't mean you have to show them off all at once. Choose a few items that really represent the brand overall and have the graphic punch to pull people in. Use beautifully designed signage in or around the display to direct shoppers to additional or complementary products. Mistake #2: Assuming people know what to do with what they seeEven when how to use an item seems entirely obvious, such as a lipstick or motor oil, never miss the opportunity to add value to the consumers' experience with visual or written content. You can choose to play up anything you’d like about the product—craftsmanship, sustainability, tensile strength, whatever is appropriate—in an eye-catching, informative way, while also educating people and even enticing them to buy more. It goes without saying that if there's any level of ambiguity about a product, you should counteract it right there at the display. Same goes for anything a customer may perceive as negative. Nip that in the bud. People don't buy what they don't understand. Mistake #3: Using ALL the floor space availableOpen floor space is your store's breathing room. Experiencing a product properly requires adequate space to do so—think three-dimensionally. If you are merchandising on the walls, make sure people can step back from the item far enough for proper viewing without bumping into something. If you're creating a tabletop display, leave ample room for shoppers to walk around it and to linger without blocking another customer's path. If people need to read something, give them a comfortable way to do so (and no, this isn't specific to bookstores). Ditto for trying something on—even jewelry, which requires people to turn about in front of a mirror. And above all, don't stack items where people can topple them onto the floor with one unfortunate touch. Before you say you’re done, put yourself in your customers' shoes, interact with the display, and tweak it accordingly. Other Articles From AllBusiness.com:
Mistake #4: Only merchandising the expensive stuffOf course you want to showcase the best items in your store. But people come into a store for all sorts of reasons—to buy something specific, to browse for a gift, to get advice, to look for a bargain, to waste time until their kid's done at the arcade—and your visual merchandising should have a bit of something for everyone. If not, you stand to lose potential sales. Group complementary items at a variety of price points. Add displays near entry and exit points. Put together irresistible point-of-purchase displays near the cash register and at places where people interact with your employees (who can nudge them toward a purchase). Use a pedestal to show off your store's pièce de résistance, but use it wisely—not only can it draw attention to the item atop the pedestal itself, it can draw the eye down a path lined with other goodies. Mistake #5: Showcasing what you don't have availableAnother common visual merchandising mistake is showcasing a product you don't actually have available for purchase. This would seem obvious, yet "Sorry, we don't have that item in stock" is said about 10 million times a day (okay, I don't have a real stat for that, but you know what I mean). If you're going to draw attention to a product, make sure it's available to your shoppers then and there—or be ready to give them a plausible reason why it's not (and there aren't many of those), an ETA on when they can get it, and a way to let them know when it's available. Then, make it really, really easy on them by offering to deliver it for free, if possible. Stockout risks are quite real. About 30% of consumers put stockouts on the list of reasons their shopping experience wasn't up to par—a concern for your brand and a threat to your customer relationships. When it does happen, the same percentage will either leave the store without purchasing anything or buy the same item elsewhere. Mistake #6: Waiting until the end of the day to tidy upVisual merchandising is all about capturing attention. When you're successful at it, that means people are looking at and interacting with your display all day long. They're picking items up and putting them back down again. They're joggling past tables and countertops. They're leaving fingerprints all over display cases. All types of inadvertent mayhem can ensue—spilled drinks, tumbled about items, opened boxes, breakage and more (shudder). It's absolutely imperative that you dispatch an employee at regular intervals to straighten up every visual display in your store. ServiceChannel reports that 70% of shoppers reported a recent negative experience, and a messy store tops the list of "ick" factors. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Plus, when you have a roving employee moving about, that's an extra opportunity to interact with customers or observe their behavior, both of which open up avenues to more sales. Stop making these common visual merchandising mistakesVisual merchandising is an effective way to increase in-store sales if it's done right. And that boils down to one thing, really—enabling shoppers to browse easily and find the items they want in a pleasant environment. RELATED: If Physical Retail Stores Want to Stick Around, They'll Still Have to Go Digital The post 6 Visual Merchandising Mistakes That Retailers Make appeared first on AllBusiness.com. Click for more information about Guest Post. Copyright 2020 by AllBusiness.com. All rights reserved. The content and images contained in this RSS feed may only be used through an RSS reader and may not be reproduced on another website without the express written permission of the owner of AllBusiness.com.  |
| 3 Choices for a Better Business Year: Plans, Goals, and Resolutions Posted: 31 Dec 2020 09:20 AM PST There is a difference between plans, goals, and resolutions. We use these words somewhat interchangeably, but maybe we shouldn't.
Pros and cons of plans, goals, and resolutionsA plan can take the form of a standard business plan or marketing plan. It can also be a more individualized funding, HR, security, disaster, continuity, or operations plan, for example. It seems odd, but many plans have no specific goal to measure; their purpose is merely "to plan," check a box, and be able to say that "I planned…" or "we planned to…" It is always good to plan, but the devil is definitely in the financial details and in the reality of the situation. Plan killers include outside forces: political, economic, social, technological, and environmental. Goals can be part of a stated plan, or be standalone and not very specific: diversity goals, set aside goals, transparency goals. Too often, though, without the resources and support needed to become reality, they become just marketing words or aspirations. What’s worse is many people see them that way. When you choose goals, be specific but know the risks. Resolutions are required by corporations, and are in politics and many legal documents. A corporate resolution documents the actions and decisions of a board of directors and holds the board accountable to investors, licensing boards, and state and federal regulators by showing the board is acting in accordance with its fiduciary responsibilities. Resolutions hold people accountable. They also aren’t just for corporations; they may be a good choice for your business. We MAKE plans, SET goals, but ADOPT and COMMIT to resolutions. A resolution is stronger than a plan or a goal. When choosing between a plan, a goal, or a resolution, remember it's your business and your choice. We judge ourselves and others by our results and keeping the commitments we make, so choose wisely. Good and bad resolutionsResolutions can be proposed and adopted at any time; we can make plans or set goals at any time, too. They are not just something to have by the end of the year or the beginning of the next. If you choose to have a business resolution, instead of a plan or a goal, there are decisions you need to make. Not only do you have to define the resolution, you have to define how you’re going to make it happen and commit to it. And if you don’t want to commit to the resolution, just make a plan or set a goal. Other Articles From AllBusiness.com:
There are actually three different ways to think about a resolution: fixer, creator, and guardian. Each of these ways has a different perspective and frame of mind, and has different ways to achieve success, yet each one can have successful results.
Are you proposing a resolution? Which one of these perspectives reflects your frame of mind? If you are conflicted (not resolute), the resolution you want and the commitment you must make to achieve it can be watered down so that it becomes a plan or a goal. And that's okay—just different. The same is true if you are part of a group, or not the ultimate decision-maker, and there is no single, united frame of mind on the issue. So that your resolution has real meaning, ask yourself what did you learn, observe, or experience during the last year that makes you committed to do whatever is necessary to change, improve, or keep the resolution? Are you:
You also can use this approach in group settings to learn each person's point of view and frame of mind. Most likely, the final wording of a resolution will contain aspects of all three, but one aspect will be more dominant. The last thing to consider is commitment. How committed are you and others to turn this resolution into reality? If there is not emotional, financial, and action "buy-in" by those in charge and those affected, you have a plan with a goal. Again, okay, just different. Judging the resultsIf you make a plan or goal, instead of a resolution, then the results have to be judged differently than the results of a resolution. In a resolution, what you are trying to avoid is "lack of resolve." This term means something is insufficient, lacking, or missing. What’s absent is something that’s more than just necessary—it is required or desired and of high value. Can the results of a plan or goal show a "lack of resolve"? It can, but it can also be explained away or justified. We expect more from resolutions and we are often disappointed. Caveat emptor: be careful what you ask for. Before you adopt a resolution, instead of just making a plan or setting a goal, be aware of any limitations. You will judge yourself and others will judge you and your results. Being in charge means the “buck does stop here.” But, do make all three of them: plans, goals, and resolutions. They are all positive steps to business success. No matter the perspective, they show that you, or you and your team, have taken the time to really observe, evaluate, and learn.
RELATED: 6 Key Tasks for Your End-of-Year Business Checklist The post 3 Choices for a Better Business Year: Plans, Goals, and Resolutions appeared first on AllBusiness.com. Click for more information about Jan Triplett, Ph.D. CBTAC. Copyright 2020 by AllBusiness.com. All rights reserved. The content and images contained in this RSS feed may only be used through an RSS reader and may not be reproduced on another website without the express written permission of the owner of AllBusiness.com.  |
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