With online shopping showing no signs of slowing down, Pippa Chambers speaks to key retail players about top visual merchandising techniques for getting customers through the doors.
Whether consumers notice it or not, the flower-headed mannequins in Alannah Hill stores, the ever-changing colourful montages in the General Pants shop windows and strategically placed banners in David Jones are all positioned for one reason – to entice, engage and inspire the shopper. In the face of today’s online competition retailers are having to work harder at luring in the cautious shopper.
With a shared common goal and equally stiff market competition, the visual merchandising experts at Myer and Sportsgirl have very different approaches when is comes to devising in-store visual strategies.
One sources ideas from overseas and the other creates all strategies on home soil. Both have revealed their visual merchandising tricks of the trade and have given us an inkling as to what they have planned for the rest of 2012.
National visual merchandising manager for Sportsgirl, Rowie Kelly, who used to work for Urban Outfitters in London, said her role is to create, develop and implement visual merchandising (VM) strategies that ‘inspire and engage’ the customer, while also creating sales.
“I need to ensure that Sportsgirl is seen as a fashion leader within the market place – I am quite the taskmaster when it comes to implementing visual merchandising standards nationally, fortunately my teams across the country are equally motivated to deliver the best,” Kelly begins. “There are numerous VM tools in the business, for example, there is a monthly merchandising manual that directs stores on how to complete their monthly set up of window and in store displays.”
Kelly said due to the number of stores the brand has, this needs to be quite ‘prescriptive’. “But our best tools are the sources for our inspiration – this is where the magic starts,” Kelly added.
It is Sportsgirl’s ‘seasonal brainstorming sessions’ that are the key to its success, Kelly stressed.
While VM installations and ideas can exist outside of brand messages and campaigns, she says it is ‘imperative’ that the whole team work closely as a ‘brand team’ and that a consistent message is always delivered to ensure the best outcome. Kelly says the strategies are formed at least six to 12 months in advance and that concepts are developed with Sportsgirl’s creative consultancy, Yellow Door, based in London.
The ‘strategy days’ are held with Yellow Door every six months to finalise the direction for the following season and the brand then locks down the final campaign concepts.
Kelly says the VM team has a tiered approach and although there is always consistency nationally, customers will always find ‘over and above executions’ in the flagship stores.
“The national VM team dedicate the majority of their time to the company’s top 20 stores and that is where you will find the point of difference in propping, installations and young designer collaborations,” Kelly explains. “Brand consistency is very important though and you will always see the same product stories merchandised nationally.”
Kelly and the VM team work ‘incredibly close’ with the buyers and trend forecaster before they produce the strategy, to ensure that they are always displaying product to the best of their ability, focusing on key trends, styling and colour direction.
“Always keeping on top of what is happening in the global market place is critical. We love to think ‘big’ at Sportsgirl,” Kelly says. “Whilst I travel frequently, right now it is so easy to access inspiration from blogs. I try to look at a broad spectrum from street fashion to art installations and graphic design.” When asked what would constitute as a VM nightmare, Kelly says quite simply any display or window that does not project the Sportsgirl brand or does not connect with the customer.
“Knowing who your customer is and what she wants is number one – what does she want to experience when she is in your space and how does she like to shop? Then it’s really about creating a space that will live up to these expectations,” Kelly says. “Also using the element of surprise or creating a wow factor that is different to what she will experience anywhere else can be a drawcard.”
ooking ahead to the spring/summer 2012 season, Kelly says the VM team is planning on being ‘incredibly interactive’ with its customers by letting traditional boundaries of creator and consumer disappear and entering into a ‘participation age’.
Customers can expect to see more interactive windows and in-store displays and new technologies will be used to help drive the experience.
“We are also looking at some exciting collaborations, handing over the reins to the University RMIT VM students to create an installation window in a stand out location,” Kelly added.
Despite it being clear that experts in the visual merchandising fields are needed, a shift seems to be emerging as stores search for that point of difference and look for more interactive ways to draw the customer in.
Sportsgirl is not alone with its idea of linking up with customers.
As part of General Pants’ online mentoring program, Bubble, which acts as a platform for artistic prodigies to present their works to the wider world, it too launched a window display competition and asked artists and illustrators to produce an image to form part of one montage collage to be displayed in store windows nationwide.
Creative, visual merchandise and brand general manager for Myer, Wayne Latham, has been with the department store giant for nine years and prior to this has also worked in VM roles at Country Road and Jeanswest.
Latham, who is accountable for all creative extensions of the Myer brand, from marketing campaign concepts right through to the in-store experience for the customer and creative digital executions, had his first experience at window dressing as part of school work experience, at Fosseys, in the early 1980s.
“My role is very dynamic and exciting,” Latham begins. “I lead a team of almost 40 talented individuals, including creative concept designers, visual merchandise subject matter experts, graphic design artists, product ticket writers and a commercial photography studio. The needs of the Myer business are vast and varied so myself and the team need to be nimble and flexible in our approach to maintain market competitiveness.”
Latham says it is important as both a leading fashion and gifting retailer that they get the VM strategies right and must demonstrate a positive impact on sales or store footfall.
He says the team uses a variety of tools to deliver the VM strategy and a seasonal allocation of VM components ensure the shop floors transform as a new season commences – for events such as Christmas or Mother’s Day.
“We have a prescribed presentation methodology for merchandise for each specific business Myer houses,” Latham says. “Home entertainment has a very different VM strategy to women’s fashion, and even within the fashion offer we have a tailored approach by brand and product type.”
Latham said the brand’s ‘Myer one’ loyalty program also helps with store VM strategies as it provides the brand with information of customer cross-shopping habits, which in-turn allows them to create ‘thoughtful product presentations’ to entice customers to buy.
“Using the brand marketing plan as a base, we build the VM strategy up to include any specific merchandise initiatives, exciting product or new brand launches,” Latham explains. “We then overlay gifting events and any other specific VM initiatives. A VM strategy is vital to ensure each store is presented in a consistent way that reflects the brand.”
Latham says the VM strategy is typically determined six months before, then progressive work occurs as the season begins, and the marketing campaign is photographed.
However, some VM tools need to be developed in excess of 12 months before use, for example, Latham says 8,000 Christmas trees and 13,000 Christmas wreathes are needed to dress the Myer stores for Christmas.
Latham says there is a base level of consistency across each of the stores in terms of VM, however with a vast fleet of stores of differing ages and equipment, there is some local interpretation.
He says they celebrate and encourage a degree of localised interpretation as this allows stores to inject creativity and feel a sense of ownership.
“The Cairns VM team will inject something that is relevant to the local climate, whereas a Tasmanian store will take a different approach,” he added. “Our Structure is built to support and influence stores’ VM decisions to ensure we have a framework to the interpretation, so things do not go off track.” Latham says being a harsh critic of your own work is critical, along with a keen eye on the local and international market.
“I place a strong emphasis on originality and creativity with the team, it shows a lack of imagination when Australian retailers replicate an idea exactly from overseas,” Latham added.
In advising new or smaller retailers on VM strategies, Latham says they need to develop a plan based on their merchandise strategy – make changes to the store and the way the merchandise is presented to engage customer interest – and ‘focus on doing less better.’
“One beautifully dressed torso in a boutique window is far more effective than a series of poorly dressed mannequins if you lack the skill to dress them,” Latham stressed.
“Also, study why some stores look and feel appealing and why others are less so. Take those learnings and test them in your store. Change will create energy and inertia in your store, people will be interested in what is happening and more likely to enter your store.”
In planning Myer’s next VM strategy, Latham says there will be a strong focus on new product and brand launches and on an ‘exciting gifting program’ for Christmas. “We have an exciting concept planned for the Spring Racing Carnival and our iconic Christmas windows in Melbourne and Brisbane are in their 57th year – it’s a busy and exciting time.”