Designing With Homewares
Designing with wholesale homewares is not the same as interior decorating the home because there is more fluidity. With the flow of good through the shop there are frequent options to design new and exciting displays. When an old layout gets to worn out and over shopped then the wares can simply be remixed into new exhibits. The object of visual merchandising is to maximize sales by developing a floor plan that looks good and works well. Basically there is a way to place every good and service in order to focus on its good points. Not only should a display be attractive it should also make it easy for a customer to shop by being well organised and conveniently placed.
1. Make Choices Easy to Locate
It should be very easy for the customer to choose their desired category of the merchandise or they may get frustrated and change their minds. The patron should be able to effortlessly pick out their selection as well as review each choice. The clientele should be able to mix and match between related goods that are tied in with related options. That means that commodities which are more likely to be bought together should be arranged closely together. For example a swimming display being built for the summertime could be designed with sunscreen, pool noodles, swim wears, disposable razors and more.
2. Choose Strategic Locations
Theoretically it is possible to encourage sales by putting everything in the right place. Think about it the next time you are shopping at a major chain store. Visual merchandisers make a living by designing floor plans for this very reason. It is true that novelties and candy are usually kept by the cash register hence the term "impulse items". If a commercial environment is professionally analysed it may be discovered that it is a good idea to move things around. This process is about knowing the customer, as well as being knowledgeable about the products, and even a little bit of feng shui.
3. Educate the Consumer
If the customer feels like they are making an informed decision then they are more likely to make a purchase. This is the philosophy that educating the consumer is based upon. There are a lot of great ways to educate the consumer not the least of which is good customer service. If the merchandise is related to the do it yourself category such as home and garden consider using informational pamphlets. A bulletin board is a great way to keep the patrons informed and it can be regularly updated. Be sure to make the business available online which is where most people go to locate information these days.
4. Communicate Style & Price
This step is two-fold. Even though the idea is for a store display to be as attractive as possible the customer still has to be able to locate the price if they want to buy it. Unless your merchandise falls under the "If you have to ask you can't afford it" category then it is important for the price tag to be clearly and accurately displayed on each item. Items that are for sale or are otherwise a fantastic deal can be featured according to price. In other cases, such as when merchandising with wholesale homewares, it is only necessary to include a demure price tag where it will not damage anything.
5. Increase Sales of Unpopular Wares
If a certain type of good is not selling well in one location then try relocating them to a different area. It may be that people simply cannot see it. Maybe they are not associating it with their needs where it is in conjunction with the other wares in the shop. There have been cases in retail when an item was moved from one place to another before selling out. If the displays have been set up for a long while and are looking shabby then it is time to work on visual merchandising. By freshening up, organising, and redistributing merchandise it is possible to make potential customers want to buy it.
