20 things nobody says about visual merchandising learned in 20 years of career (including new post-pandemic Covid-19 normality)

I have been planning this post (which I wanted to be a video) since the beginning of 2020, because yes, in January I celebrated my first 20 years of career as a visual merchandiser.

Then the pandemic exploded: the people in the house, the shops closed, fear and everything we know very well.

We begin to see now, a few weeks after the reopening, what the new normal may be, from here every section of the retail industry will have to calibrate itself with the new normal: the process has just begun.

So, sure to help those in charge of VM and retail, I share below the 20 things that nobody says about visual merchandising that I have learned in my 20 years of career.

Let's start from the beginning

1) There is not THE perfect course nor THE perfect book to learn everything in one go

as much as

2) There is no single RIGHT path to becoming a VM

3) You never stop doing research and studying at any level

4) Curiosity about everything is like petrol for a visual merchandiser, explore art, read, learn how to dance, everything is an inspiration

about study

5) The basic rules and theory are fundamental but the practice is needed, a lot

this because

6) Every shop is different, every shop window is different there is no universal or standard solution that works for everyone

7) The types of road and the passage flows are fundamental to properly set up a shop window and the interior

about roads and passageways

8) The passerby never sees the window from the front, but on the side, think about this when you design them

and also because

9) The visual role has various levels: in-store, executive, design, freelance, headquarters ... and this changes the approach to the subject, to the creation and realization of window displays and interiors.

10) Understanding the processes inside the shop is important because only by understanding how the ecosystem of the shop works a visual merchandiser can actively help and not hinder

for this reason

11) Do it simple and understandable: the customer must understand what it is (shirt, trousers, jacket, scarf ... what is it?), abstract forms leave them to the artists, but also and above all the sales staff needs to put back the display as it was and however passionate is about VM, it has another job, other customers to follow and serve

and here we come to the fundamental skill you need

12) Diplomacy and good relations with colleagues/collaborators/referents are fundamentally more important than Autocad if you know what I mean :)

let's dispel some myths:

13) It is not a work based only on creativity, you must definitely be creative to have an artistic sensibility but it is a work full of numbers, data and analysis and problems and solutions are on the agenda

indeed

14) Visual Merchandising is made to implement sales, your job must help sell more, more easily, faster, by optimizing conversions per square meter

common sense is not obvious so I want to say that

15) Nothing should be displayed on the floor (unless it is shoes or large bags) nothing should be unattainable

* it is necessary to underline that now, post Covid-19, this has changed out of necessity in fact in many shops you have to wear gloves, in others, you cannot touch the products, in most, you cannot try on the garments and in others still the products they are sanitized immediately after being touched by customers.

16) The VM is ephemeral, does not last long and must be changed often

* and will continue to be ephemeral and with rapid changes even if with the slowdown hoped for by the fashion industry it will be necessary to consider that there will be changes, which is soon to evaluate.

also

17) It's not enough to set up a display, it requires maintenance and cleaning for all the duration of it.

Moreover

18) The VM can be used for any sector even if it is more developed in the fashion industry, therefore we have great examples there

To conclude, in recent years it has become increasingly obvious, also thanks to the advent of e-commerce which allows you to buy almost everything easily, which (especially) in physical retail sells emotions and experiences, rather than products.

19) Visual Merchandising should inspire, excite and lead the passerby to buy as a consequence of the experience, as if he or she wanted to take home a sort of souvenir (the product) that will make him or her feel good, cool, appreciated, etc. every time he or she looks at it or uses it.

Last but perhaps the most important especially at the moment:

20) Retail and VM have always changed very quickly and always will: keep the pace!

Historically, every revolution, every war, every new technology, every local or global change has influenced this sector, changes that we have not experienced but which still determine strong and well-established rules, other times the change occurred with a movement so slow and sinuous as to go almost unnoticed.

This time not!

This pandemic has claimed victims in every sector and also in the retail sector it is bringing many great changes.

From historic department stores that apparently will not reopen to closings of large chain stores, without considering the suffering of local businesses.

We can no longer go back to Visual merchandising as before, to sell courses or consultancy to fix the color combination in the shop window, the damage is much more serious and cannot be fixed just like that, with an ephemeral material.

We need to understand the market

The fashion industry wants to slow down, understandable, and sensible.

Stores no longer have the same capacity as people.

Some small shopkeepers will not be able to start due to a lack of revenue.

Plus customers are wary and scared and have little money to spend on what's superfluous now.

We cannot ignore that this has and will have an impact for a long time on how and how often we set up the windows.

And today, a few weeks after the reopening of the shops, we cannot know what the real big wave will be that will overwhelm and change the sector probably forever.

We need to observe, study, understand the market that we must not forget is made up of people and their behavior and habit before selling or sell off services or products like it still before the pandemic.

It is not the same as before, please be fair to your clients!

Thanks for reading this

Marica A. Gigante - Visual Merchandising Evangelist