Visual Mechandising; The Art of Display- Triangle Technique by Kathy Duncan of Scared River Designs

 A Guest Blog post by  Kathy Duncan of Sacred River Designs

Visual Merchandising is defined as "the physical presentation of products." It is the art of displaying merchandise in a manner that is appealing to the eyes of the customer. Creating attractive displays will draw customers to your booth. Think of your displays as your “silent salesmen.”

Visual Merchandising, however, is not just about display – it's really all about the customer. Consider traffic flow in your booth. Some options for layout include: “L” shape, “U” shape or “Y” shape configurations. Your customer needs to be able to easily navigate your booth, keep products within an arms reach. As Kimberly suggested, most of the population is right-handed, so keep the items you want your customer to reach for on the right in your displays. Remember to make check-out easy for you and your customer by having a defined area in your booth for check-out and wrapping activities.

Consider this: “over 60% of all women get their clothing ideas from store displays." Again, your displays are your silent salesmen. Make them attractive. Layer your jewelry, suggestive selling will go alot further than you think!

Study tends, do you homework, read trade magazines. Reproduction type stores, like Restoration Hardware, often times get their ideas from flea markets displays. Don’t be afraid to be a trend setter!



Other elements of Visual Merchandising include:

Color, which is a subject deserving of its own blog; there is much to understand about color psychology, and color theory. Customers entering a booth are greatly influenced by the visual information they gather in the first split second. Color can catch a shopper's attention and also greatly affect their mood. A right choice of colors in the display can turn walkers into stoppers and significantly convert them into customers. It is essential to choose the right color for the right theme of display.

Texture - Layers of texture add richness and depth. Magnolia Pearl is a great example of how to use texture, and color for that matter.

Introducing the Triangle Technique

The triangle, or pyramid, technique is simply a layout technique that creates interest by having overlapping layers in height and in depth.



Objects placed in a row are taken in individually by the eye.



Objects aligned in a triangle are viewed as a grouping by the eye.



Ever hear a customers exasperation, “it’s too busy!” or “I don’t know where to look!” This is because their eye cannot rest and is looking for groupings or a pattern.



The following photos are examples of the triangle technique:



There are three triangles in this next photo, can you spot them?



Conclusion:

Visual Merchandising is a very important aspect of your business. Like curb appeal in Real Estate, a visually appealing booth will get the client in your door. And you can’t make a sale if they don’t show up!!!