Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Meetings take place every 2-3 months and are comprised of businesses from all areas of
the town centre. If you would like to join, or be kept informed of issues that could impact on
your business, please email us at TownCentres@islington.gov.uk. We would love to see as
many of you there as possible, so feel free to spread the word. You can also keep in touch
on Twitter @FinsburyParkLdn.
Kind regards,
Barry Causton
Town Centre Development Officer (Finsbury Park)
Islington Council
020 7527 3865
Visual Merchandising
Workbook
Helping you to do what you
already do, just better.
Contents
In Store
Product Presentation
2
2
Window Design
Spend By Mode
5
Broken Window Effect
6
Themes
7
Composition
8
Colour
9
Lighting
12
Behind the Scenes
Signage and Graphics
13
13
Window Design Examples
14 Service
Design Your Shop Window
15 Pavement Licensing
Window Design Checklist
16 Food Hygiene
Maintenance
18
34
Marketing
Creating a Brand
Social Media and Google Maps
Business Cards
Design Your Business Cards
46
46
47
47
48
48
49
49
51
52
53
54
55
Management
57
58
60
61
65
In Store
Visual merchandising is
the silent salesperson.
Introduction
Window Design
Why?
The businesss shop window is the customers first impression of the shop. It has an
important role in attracting a customers attention and drawing them inside the shop, while
explaining the nature of a shops business and its brand.
How?
The success of a shop pivots on the frontage it presents to the outside world. As research
into Spend By Mode has proven, pedestrians are a shops key source of revenue, so
making sure that all shop frontages (along each shopping street) are clean and well
maintained is key to prevent the Broken Window Effect. Creating an successful window
display, is of equal importance. Good displays have a consideration for the following:
Themes, Composition, Colour, Lighting, Signage and Graphics; which all have a
dramatic effect on a customers impression of a store.
Information on all of these elements of window design can be found in the following chapter.
Window Design
Spend By Mode
Why?
Spend By Mode refers to the different
spending levels of different people travelling
by different types of transport. It has been
found that pedestrians, bicycle and public
transport users have more spending
power than car users on high streets. The
Local Transport White Paper published by
the Department of Transport, found that
people travelling by foot, bicycle and public
transport are more likely to support their
local high street and local shops, visiting
them more frequently than car users. 1 The
Finsbury Park, Islington : Operator Survey
2015 found that most of its customers
arrived by foot.
How?
By following the various techniques given
in this chapter your shop can become more
appealing to pedestrians.
Window Design
How?
Removing signs of anti-social behaviour will create an atmosphere of lawfulness, and will
act to prevent further anti-social behaviour. Working alongside your neighbour to maintain
a street also will foster a sense of community, care and pride, which creates a safe and
positive shopping environment to which customers will be attracted. Ways of improving
your shop-front include removing shutters from the front of your shop and keeping your
shop in a good state of repair.
Window Design
Themes
Why?
An effective way of attracting customers to a business is by having good displays. Displays
work best if they are tied together with a Theme. Themes are used to create drama, interest
and inspire potential customers to buy a product.
How?
A Theme is the topic of the window
presentation, and is composed of a
backdrop, graphics and images, props or
mannequins, and most importantly, the
merchandise on which the theme is focused.
A Theme can be anything, often changing
seasonally; with holidays/celebrations; or
promotional offers and media tie ins for
example: St. Valentines Day or Easter.
It is important to consider what theme would
appeal to your target customer. When
designing a display you should consider
why certain merchandise is being put on
display as opposed to others for example
is it seasonal, is it a new product in store
etc? This reason will determine the visual
presentation and design of the display. Keep
in mind that displaying a product both in
the window or as part of a in store display
is likely to increase its demand, so there
should be enough backup stock to deal with
this.
Window Design
Composition
Why?
Composition is important in creating a business window that is both visually pleasing and
attention grabbing. A good window display will encourage customers to head in store. The
visual composition of the display will determine its success in attracting attention.
How?
Window Design
Colour
Why?
The effective use of colour can make or break a window display. The Colour Scheme
chosen for a window display or shop interior can change peoples feelings about a business,
and influence whether they make a purchase or not.
How?
Colour has a huge effect on emotions.
People tend to respond in specific ways to
different colours. Warm colours such as red,
yellow, orange, and brown are stimulating
and cheery. They make a room feel warm
and intimate. Warm colours makes a window
or shop feel smaller, but enhance the
appearance of the merchandise, making it
appear larger and optically stand out. Cool
colours such as blue, green, and violet are
calming, soothing and balanced. They help
to create a relaxing atmosphere. Rooms and
windows decorated primarily in cool colours
tend to appear larger and more spacious.
Primary Colours: Red, Yellow and Blue are the starting points of the colour wheel;
other colours are formed from them.
Red
Purple
Blue
Yellow
Green
Orange
saturation of a colour.
Red
A Colour Scheme is created by combining two or more different colours from the colour
wheel. Some successful colour schemes for shop windows and in store displays include:
11
Window Design
Lighting
Why?
Lighting plays an integral part in the design of the business shop window and in store
display, highlighting the merchandise in the window and setting an ambiance.
How?
Different types of lighting are required for
different functions, both in the shop window
and in store:
Primary Lighting
Secondary/
Accent Lighting
Atmosphere Lighting
12
Window Design
How?
A shops window signage can be either
temporary or permanent and can come in a
variety of formats.
13
Window Design
14
Window Design
Step by Step:
1. Measure the front of your shop, and using the
grid paper as a guide, draw its existing elevation (or
proposed if you are having a new shop front) like
the examples previously. Make sure you show all
windows, doors and signage.
2. Consider which merchandise you would like to
display in your window. Based on a theme, design
a window display using what you have learnt in this
chapter to help you. (See checklist overleaf.)
15
Customer = 1.5m
Window Design
16
17
How?
In creating a successful shop floor design the positioning of various elements in-store
needs to be considered. The creation of Walkways to guide Footfall, Sight Lines and
Focal Points is key; as are Product Adjacencies and Profit Zoning. The position
of the Cashiers and Point of Sale Merchandise as well as and Promotional and Sale
Merchandise need to be thoroughly considered; as does Lighting, and Signage and
Graphics.
Information on all of these elements of shop floor design can be found in the following
chapter.
18
How?
Walkways are created by the shop
through the use of Fixtures and displays.
They should be at least 2m wide (with 1m
between fixtures) to enable enough space
for a shopper to comfortably browse goods
and another customer to pass by them. The
use of a different colour or material on the
floor, is often used to mark key walkways
throughout the store. Footfall is the route a
customer takes through a shop both on and
off these walkways.
Minimum 0.9m
Wall
Wall
Gondala
Table
Minimum 1m
Minimum 2m
Minimum 0.9m
19
How?
Sight lines are imaginary lines that lead the
customer down walkways to certain areas
or specific products at key points known as
Focal points.
Sight lines
20
How?
There are various different tried and tested
ways in which to layout your shop:
In a Grid Layout fixtures run parallel to the
walls creating a grid of aisles. Grid layouts
are easy to shop because they offer clean
sight lines throughout the entire shop, and
they allow for the maximum amount of shelf
space to be achieved, and maximum End
Point exposure.
21
22
Profit Zoning
Why?
Understanding the profitability of different areas within a shop floor is important to ensure
that spaces are used to their maximum efficiency.
How?
Zoning is where the shop floor is divided
into four Zones in relation to sales : Platinum,
Gold, Silver and Bronze. The Platinum
Zone - closest to the door, attracts the most
customers; and the Bronze Zone, furthest
from the door, the least customers. The
Platinum Zone should be full of high demand
and high profit items to attract people in
shop and present the best possible image to
the high street. If a shop can get a customer
through the Platinum Zone to one of the
other areas they will be more likely to stay in
shop longer, and make a purchase.
Bronze Zone
Silver Zone
Gold Zone
Platinium Zone
(Also See Shop Floor Design: Cashiers and Point of Sale Merchandise)
23
Product Adjacencies
Why?
Project Adjacencies help the customer locate their desired products easily, and are more
likely to lead to impulse purchase within shop departments.
How?
Product Adjacencies refers to the deliberate positioning of similar products next to each
other as a way of guiding and helping the customer navigate through the shop e.g. frozen
food next to chilled, or ties next to shirts. Back walls, that can be seen from a distance, can
be used effectively to clearly mark different product areas, that can be used as navigational
starting points. Areas that all shoppers frequent such as unisex products, cashiers or
changing rooms can be used as dividers between different product areas, to help reinforce
different product areas.
24
How?
The Cashier should be easy to find - being
located within a key sight line (See Zoning).
They should provide enough space for
shoppers to queue without obstructing
other customers viewing merchandise.
Cashiers should be free from clutter, and
should enable customers to lay down their
merchandise and bag, allowing enough
space for the transaction to take place.
Cashiers are a key point for extra sales to be
made also.
How?
Promotional or Sale Merchandise
should be pulled together and placed at the
rear of the shop on a single fixture or group
of fixtures. Positioning of Promotional and
Sale Merchandise at the back they will force
people to walk through the non-sale goods
in order to reach it, increasing the likelyhood of a purchase of non-sale, higher profit
goods. After a sale or promotion is finished,
any remaining stock should be relocated to
the least visually dominant position.
While a sale or promotion can be advertised
in the shop window, you should always aim
to present your highest quality goods rather
than sale ones in this key space.
26
How?
Signage comes in a variety of different
forms for different purposes. All shops need
a combination of all the different types to
operate successfully.
While branding should be incorporated into
all signage, Branded Signage is designed
simply to reinforce the brand message.
This can be repetition of the store name or
logo inside often as a large wall graphic.
This is the most important type of signage
externally.
27
28
Lighting
Why?
Lighting plays an integral part in the design of the business premises, both in enabling the
customers to easily find what they are looking for, highlighting in store products and setting
an ambiance.
How?
When thinking about in-store lighting it is
important to understand the following:
While an overall flood of light is required to
illuminate the entire store; shop windows,
priority walls, back walls, display areas,
and task areas such as checkouts and
fitting rooms, will require further lighting
with accent lights. Lighting of these areas
should be at 2-5 times more intense than the
ambient lighting level of the store.
Lights should be properly focused on the
display fixtures and merchandise in these
areas, not on blank walls or floor, and should
be at an angle to maximise the area that is
illuminated. In angling lighting light beams
should be crossed over to avoid shadows.
29
30
Step by Step:
1. Measure the inside of your shop, and using the
grid paper as a guide, draw a plan view of your shop
(like the examples previously.)
2. Measure all your display fixtures within your shop
and draw them inside your plan in the most suitable positions, based on what you have learnt in this
chapter. (See the checklist overleaf.)
Key:
Customer = 0.5m
31
Scale:
1 square = 0.5m
Door= 0.85m
Complete
32
33
Product Presentation
Why?
The presentation of a product in-store can be as crucial to its sale as the performance of the
actual product itself. A poorly presented product can often be overlooked.
How?
The presentation of merchandise can be controlled by the effective choice of different
Types of Display Fixtures and Fittings and by the product Display Design and
Coordination on the fixture. Product Stocking is also important, as is how the display
encourages Product Interaction, and how the product is Prepared for Display.
Information on all of these elements of product presentation can be found in the following
chapter.
34
Product Presentation
How?
Tables can be used to display a variety of
goods. Clothing and home-wares can be
stacked on them, or half mannequins or
busts can sit on their surface. Two different
sizes of tables together are often used to
create maximum impact.
(Also See Product Presentation: Product Interaction and Eye Level Display.)
35
36
Product Presentation
How?
37
Horizontal/Vertical Merchandising
Product Presentation
Product Stocking
Why?
How merchandise is maintained on displays and fittings is important in maintaining an
appearance of a successful, cared for business, and one in which people wish to engage.
How?
Displaying the right amount of merchandise on in store displays is important to ensure sales.
An Overstocked Display can appear
messy or overpowering to the customer,
giving an impression of a lack of care, which
can reduce customer trust. Displays with
too much merchandise can lose their selling
message and theme, and can become
confusing. While shelves should be well
stocked, goods should not be piled so
high that the customer fears in removing a
product.
Product Presentation
How?
Product Interaction can be created in
various ways. In all shops the positioning
of shelf heights is fundamental -if a shelf is
too high or too low, and causes strain, then
the customer will be unable to see or reach
the product to purchase. The ideal position
for goods is at is Eye Level Buy Level
(1.65m). The worst position for placement
of goods is the top shelf, closely followed
by the bottom shelf. In order to prevent
strain, the bottom shelf should be no lower
than 30cm above the ground and the top
shelf no higher than 2.2m. When positioning
different goods on each shelf, your target
market should also considered e.g. the
lower shelves are prime space for targeting
children.
display only
2.2m
small items
1.6m
medium items
0.9m
Eye Level
(Buy Level)
1.65m
large heavy
items
40
Product Presentation
How?
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Trousers
Step 4
Step 6
Step 4
Step 3
Step 5
Step 1
Step 2
42
Product Presentation
Step by Step:
1. Pick one or more of the display fixtures and fittings
similar to what you already have in store, or alternatively draw your own below.
2. Draw your merchandise on the display fixture
based on what you have learnt in this chapter (like
the examples previously.) Dont forget to use the
checklist overleaf.
43
Scale:
1 square = 0.25m
Product Presentation
Complete
44
45
Service
Why?
Creating a visually engaging business is just one part of the larger brand image that is
required in order to create an atmosphere which encourages people to buy. Even with this in
place, a store with poor service can have poor sales.
How?
A customer will judge the overall service they receive from a business on a variety of
factors: amongst these are the level of Customer Interaction; the general appearance,
Maintenance and cleanliness (Hygiene) of the shop or restaurant; and the quality of the
merchandise and service the shop offers.
Information on all of these elements of service can be found in the following chapter.
46
Service
Customer Interaction
Why?
A key part of service in any business is how its employees interact with their customers.
Staff can help to create a positive experience that will encourage customers to undertake a
transaction and return again.
How?
The key to good service is being
knowledgeable, helpful and welcoming. This
can be achieved through various shop floor
behaviour:
Smile when greeting a customer in person
and on the phone (people can hear it in your
voice). Use age appropriate greetings. The
live customer always takes precedence over
the customer on the phone.
Never judge a book by its cover. All
customers deserve attention regardless of
their age or their appearance.
Stay visible and available, but do not hover,
and do not turn away if you see a customer
approaching.
Be proactive and ask if you can help. Learn
to read body language to see if a customer
could use some help.
If a customer asks for help and you dont
know the answer, endeavour to find out from
a colleague. If a customer wants something
that is not on display, go to the stock room
and try find it. If the item isnt in the stock
room, offer to order one in for them.
47
Service
Pavement Licensing
Why?
In owning a business you should always be looking for opportunities to improve your
business and the service you offer, to ensure customer satisfaction and remain competitive
in your market. Applying for pavement licensing can be useful in achieving this, giving your
customers the opportunity to sit outside or you to advertise directly on the street.
How?
All businesses within the Finsbury Park
area can apply for Pavement Licensing
online on through the council website. Once
an request has been made to the council
an officer will visit your shop to make an
assessment. Following your assessment you
are required to make a formal application
with: drawings of the seating or advertising
boards location on the pavement; photos
of the proposed items; evidence of a public
liability agreement for the sum of 3million;
and an admin licence fee. The process
can take up to eight weeks to approve so
applying well in advance of the period you
wish to using the seating/board is important.
Further information can be found at:
http://www.islington.gov.uk/streettrading
48
Service
Food Hygiene
Why?
In running any business within the catering industry hygiene is key. Not only is hygiene
important in attracting people to your establishment, but in making them return. Customers
are unlikely to return to somewhere that has made them or a friend ill. Word of mouth can be
detrimental to a business of this kind!
How?
As way of improving hygiene in each
business and to make customers aware of
the hygiene standard of a establishment
in which they may want to eat, a rating
scheme has been devised called The Food
Hygiene Rating Scheme. Run by local
authorities in partnership with the Food
Standards Agency, each catering business
is subject to a planned inspection, where it
is given a hygiene rating from 0-5, based on
the standards of hygiene found (with 0 being
poor and 5 being very good.)
The rating given will depend on the following:
how hygienically the food is handled; how
it is prepared, cooked, and cooled; what
measures are taken to prevent food being
contaminated with bacteria; the condition
of the structure of your premises, including
cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation,
equipment and other facilities; and how
you manage and record what you do to
make sure food is safe. This rating can be
improved, following guidance issued by the
inspecting officer.
Further information can be found at: http://
ratings.food.gov.uk
49
Service
Maintenance
Why?
How a business visually welcomes customers has a lot to do with whether or not they enter
a shop. It is hard to overcome the negative image of a poor shop exterior.
How?
Certain areas should be checked on a
regular basis to ensure their maintenance:
51
Marketing
Why?
Good marketing and promotion is key to business success. While having a well visually
merchandised and maintained stop is important, if no one knows it exists you can only
appeal to passers-by. According to the Finsbury Park 2015 operator survey, nearly 40% of
local businesses currently dont undertake any promotional activity at all. In an area which
is seeing rapid changes, it will be those businesses with an effective marketing strategy that
will succeed.
How?
A business must first define the Brand
image it wants to portray, its target
audience/s, and identify the mix of channels
it will use to get its message out. These
could be printed materials such as leaflets
and posters, press adverts, and though
creating an online presence through a
company website, or free channels such as
Google Maps (and other online directories
such as yell.com) and Social Media
like Facebook and Twitter. Face-to-face
marketing - talking to potential customers
and networking - is also important, and youll
need a good Business Card to hand out.
Marketing
Creating a Brand
Why?
Creating a successful brand image is important ensuring you attract your target customers
and improve the chances of purchases and repeat business.
How?
A businesss Brand Image is the
retailers identity in the shoppers mind. It
encompasses not only the goods it sells, but
also the businesses atmosphere, reputation
and service. It should be incorporated in
everything the shop does.
A shops brand image is driven by the
retailers Business Plan a formal
expression of the retailers purpose for
operating the business. This is often
translated into a simple slogan for the store,
that appears on much of its marketing. The
Mission Statement summarises what the
business plans to do, who its target market
is, and what makes it unique (its USP) in
the face of its competitors. A good way
to decide on your Unique Selling Point
(USP) is to consider what things you sell
the most of, what you make the most profit
on and what you want to be known for. This
will tell you what you are good at, what you
make money from, and what you enjoy. It is
crucial to define your USP because it is what
makes you stand out from the crowd.
53
Marketing
Google Maps
Why?
Featuring your business on Google Maps gives it an online presence even when your shop
is not open, and enables your business to reach more people.
How?
On using Google Maps customers are able to find out the following:
An overview of your business - the business type, including the merchandise you sell or
service you provide.
Images of the inside and the outside of your shop and merchandise.
Reviews for your business.
A link to your website.
Your opening hours and contact details (phone number and email).
The address, and directions to your business in relation to public transport.
The service is free, easy to use and can be updated regularly by the shop owner.
Link:
https://www.google.com/business/
Marketing
Why?
Social Media
Creating accounts on social media can help keep people up to date with your business.
How?
Social media such as Twitter and Facebook is a free way to market your business - thus
reducing the budget required for marketing. It can be used not only to help your business
reach a larger amount of customers, but to also enable your business to retain a link with
existing customers. Customers are able to directly contact you and give you feedback and
you are able to directly contact your customers with sales, offers or events in shop. The
most powerful marketing for a business is recommendations from friends and family, which
following/liking a business on social media provides.
The service is free, easy to use and can
be updated regularly by the shop owner.
Links:
https://twitter.com
https://www.facebook.com
Marketing
Business Cards
Why?
Having a well designed business card is important when conducting business afield. They
create an air of professionalism when swapping details with someone else, and, when
designed well, can give a good first impression of your brand.
How?
Business cards should be created
professionally and not at home. They should
be created to look consistent with all your
other printed materials.
55
Marketing
Step by Step:
1. Using your company branding and contact details,
design yourself a business card. Use the example
overleaf to help you.
56
57
Management
Why?
Having clear procedures in place to help manage your business is vital to its success. This
ensures that not only do you and your employees understand clearly what it is you are trying
to achieve, but also how and when you are trying to achieve it.
How?
The two most important documents in a businesss paperwork are their Business Plan and
Calendar - a document that should be shared physically or digitally amongst all employees.
A strong understanding and control of company finances is also integral; something that is
most effectively controlled through Managing Overheads effectively.
Information on all of these management elements can be found in the following chapter.
58
Management
How?
60
Management
How?
Management
Managing Overheads
Why?
Managing expenses is a key for business success, and overhead costs play a pivotal role in
realising favourable profit margins. Almost all companies have some form of overhead consisting of specific categories of indirect expenses. The better your business is in managing
overhead costs, the more competitive your will be in the marketplace.
How?
Keeping a close eye on your Business
Rates can be an effective way to minimise
your overheads. If your business rent is
reduced, you can apply to your council to
have your business rates reduced. This is
because the rates are based on the rent
that you are paying for your premises. Visit
www.2010.voa.gov.uk in order to check the
value that your rates are based on, and
whether you could have grounds for a reduction. You will then need to check with your
local authority.
62
Notes:
63
Notes:
64
Useful Resources
Visual Merchandising Books/Guides:
Bell. J and Ternus. K / Silent Selling: Best Practices and Effective Strategies in Visual
Merchandising / Fourth Edition / Fairchild Books / New York / 2012
Diamond. J and Diamond. E / Contemporary Visual Merchandising and Environmental
Design / Third Edition / Pearson Education / New Jersey / 2004
Morgan. T. / Visual Merchandising: Window and In-Store Displays for Retail / Laurence
King/ London /2008
Pegler. M / Visual Merchandising and Display / Fourth Edition / Fairchild Books / New York
/ 2004
Visual Merchandising a Guide for Small Retailers / North Central Regional Centre for Rural
Development / Iowa State University / 1991
Business Guides:
COBRA - Complete Business Reference Advisor
http://islingtonlib.cobwebinfo.com
Food Hygiene: A Guide for Businesses
www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/multimedia/pdfs/publication/hygieneguidebooklet.pdf
The Small Business Online Marketing Guide - Google
https://www.google.com/ads/pdfs/small_business_online_marketing_guide.pdf
Produced by:
65
In Partnership with:
66