7 Most Common Visual Merchandising Mistakes

Customer Experience

Engaging your customers effectively is one of the best forms of promotion and a strong use of promotional material can help customers feel as though they are interacting with a company and obtaining the information they need to know.

An effective way of engaging with your shoppers and leave a positive impression about your shop and your brand is to assist them with their needs when they visit your store. This is very likely to result in future visits and sales from the customer.

Interestingly this engagement is not all about asking the shoppers about their requirements explicitly. The design of the store environment, from all visuals at all locations to the treatment and support of the customers, will all contribute to this.

Impact of Visual Merchandising

First impressions are formed within the first 10 seconds. And, customers remember the worst impression more vividly; not the best impression.

Countless factors affect shoppers' decisions; from the first glimpse of a product through to its purchase. Research shows that all 5 senses come into play even though sight and hearing are the key ones:

Sight: 83%

Hearing: 11%

Smell: 3.5%

Touch: 1.5%

Taste: 1%

Common mistakes to avoid in Visual Merchandising

Even the small and invisible things influence your customers' experience and it is very easy to get things wrong without the right knowledge.

Some of the most common visual merchandising mistakes that the store owners and managers make can be classified in 7 categories:

1. Too much signage
2. Confusing traffic patterns
3. Too much propping
4. Disconnect between exterior window and store contents
5. Poor lighting
6. No point of view
7. Inconsistency in visual executions

As a store owner or manager, if you are not confident with your visual merchandising skills or if you do not have the creative ideas, please contact a professional visual merchandising company for advice.