This document discusses various techniques for visual merchandising in retail stores. It begins by defining visual merchandising and outlining its benefits such as reflecting the brand, engaging customers, and increasing sales. It then covers specific techniques like using mannequins effectively, keeping seasonal items prominently displayed, and utilizing the point of sale area. The document also discusses types of merchandising displays including slat walls, grid walls, pegboards, and table displays. Finally, it outlines steps for effective display planning like identifying customer flow patterns and designing for clockwork navigation around the store.

1. VISUAL MERCHANDISE
UNIT-5
(DR.SELVAMOHANA.K)

2. • Retail and visual merchandise
• Types of display
• Display planning
• The planogram
• Methods of display
• Interior display
• Space management
• Planning layout
• Range planning
• Web based marketing

3. Retail and visual merchandise
Visual merchandising-Meaning
• Visual merchandising is a marketing practice that
uses floor plans, color, lighting, displays,
technology, and other elements to attract customer
attention.
• Its ultimate purpose is to use the retail space to
generate more sales.
• Visual merchandising is the practice in the retail
industry of optimizing the presentation of
products and services to better highlight their
features and benefits. The purpose of such visual
merchandising is to attract, engage, and motivate
the customer towards making a purchase.

4. Benefits of Visual Merchandising
Reflects your brand – A good visual merchandising
display stays in-line with the company’s overall brand.
• For example, a franchise business might want all its
franchisees to have the same promotional displays.
• It gives a business a sense of identity and brand
consistency.
Engages the shoppers – An attractive and welcoming
store creates a positive first impression.
It encourages people to come into the store, and can help
guide them in finding the right product for their needs.
Visual merchandising helps create a positive shopping
experience for customers so that they will be more
likely to return for future visits.

5. Grow sales
• When done effectively, visual merchandising
can increase sales by directing people to the
products they want or need.
• It can also help them discover new products
and solutions.
• A nicely dressed mannequin can encourage a
person to seek out an outfit and accessories
that they may not have originally been looking
for.

6. Retail visual merchandising
• Visual merchandising in retail is the display
and promotion of products in a way that
encourages sales.
• Retail visual merchandising also helps
customers to find products easier and generally
makes the shopping experience more
appealing and enjoyable. It’s no wonder it’s
known as the ‘silent salesperson.’

7. Visual Merchandising Techniques
• The two basic questions a retailer needs to ask to help
establish their display strategy are:
• Who is the target customer?
• What does the target customer want?
• Once you have the answers to those two questions, there are
a variety of elements to consider in visual merchandising -
ambiance, color, lighting, etc. There are also some tried-
and-true techniques:
• The Rule of Three - Arranging products in sets of three,
side-by-side. Example - short, medium, and tall
mannequins.
• The Pyramid Principle - Build a pyramid with the largest
item in the center, it draws your eye to the middle.
• Idea-Oriented Presentation - Build a display based on a
theme (i.e. seasonal) or a store-branding image.

8. 1. Paint a picture
• Customers find it useful to get a picture of what a
product will look and feel like before they buy.
• Visual merchandising can help customers to
picture how an item will look in their home or
even how they will wear it.
• The most common way to display items in a
clothing store is to use mannequins.
• Another effective way that apparel retailers can
paint a picture of their merchandise is to make it a
policy for employees to wear in-season clothes
that they sell.

10. 2. Point out different areas
• Clearly, signposting different areas and
departments help to reduce customer frustration.
• Even if the customer isn’t looking for something
in particular, your visual merchandising should
introduce them to another area of your store.
• Giving directions inside your store can be done
creatively.
• Use a bold life-size image or large props instead
of plain signs with arrows, so that customers can
get a pleasant visual experience

11. 3. Use art
• Unique artwork always creates a memorable
experience.
• This concept works for different businesses,
such as boutique hotels, pop-up stores, and
retail stores.
• One-off pieces of art in visual merchandising
give a store a distinctive and exclusive feel.

13. 4. Group products
• Place products that complement each other to
encourage cross-selling. For instance, a bag can be
grouped with shoes, trousers and a top to show the
customer what a complete outfit will look like.
• You can also group items based on color to create a
more visually appealing display.
• As mentioned above, avoid overloading your visual
merchandising displays to give a clean and organized
finish.
• If you’re showing plain, everyday products, think about
adding an unusual item to get the customer’s attention.
• The example following uses a small teapot and a cup to
add contrast to the men’s clothes grouping.

15. 5. Remember flower
• Flowers promote relaxation and a sense of
calm, so remember to use them when visually
merchandising your retail store.
• Flowers are popular gifts because they make the
recipient feel special.
• Your store’s flower arrangement can be a large
statement bouquet or smaller flowers strategically
placed around the store.
• The scent of fresh flowers will also result in your
store having a fresh and inviting scent

17. 6. Use social media language
• Using language that people use online in your
store visual merchandising will help invoke a
feeling of familiarity with your brand.
• Your brand will also be seen as on-trend when
using the latest social media lingo.
• Utilizing this strategy in your visual
merchandising is especially useful if your store
has an online presence because customers will be
able to make the connection between your
physical and virtual store.

19. 7. Use mannequins effectively
• To make the best use of your mannequins,
create a theme around each one and dress them
accordingly with the right clothes and
accessories.
• Take every opportunity to give customers ideas
about how they can use different items in your
store to put together a complete look.
• The image next shows how Under Armour
dresses their mannequins for maximum effect

21. 8.Keep seasonal items upfront
• Seasonal products for special occasions, like
Valentine’s Day or Mother Day, should always
be displayed at the front of the store.
• Ideally, you should update your store window
with a seasonal theme, but well-placed
products can have the desired effect of
attracting customers to shop for the special day

23. 9.Utilize the point of sale
• Customers normally make last-minute
purchases when standing in line, so provide
them with the opportunity to stock up on
products that are low-cost and high margin.
• Point of sale visual merchandising needs to be
discreet, The rule of thumb is that the customer
should have enough space to place their items
on the counter.

25. Types of Merchandising Displays
• Slat Walls
• Grid Walls
• Pegboards
• Table Displays
• Point of Purchase Displays

26. Slat Walls
• Slat walls are one of the most popular merchandising
displays used by retailers around the world.
• These display fixtures consist of panels and horizontal
grooves (slats) that are configured to accept a variety of
merchandising accessories.
• Slat walls can be mounted onto walls or combined with a
base as a freestanding fixture.
• They are used in conjunction with attachments such as
arms, hooks and shelves that can easily be slotted into the
slats without the use of tools.
• Another reason slat walls are worth getting right is that they
are extremely durable. T
• they have an impressive life expectancy, can carry heavier
merchandise and are difficult to damage.

28. Grid Walls
• Another merchandising display that has become an increasingly popular
choice for retailers is the Grid Wall. This type of merchandising display is
made from a lattice of wire panels that can easily accommodate a variety of
different hook and shelf options that attach to the grid.
• Benefits of Grid Walls are similar to those of slat walls. They too are
versatile, affordable and customizable.
• However, Grid walls are much lighter and easier to maintain, requiring
minimal dusting and general cleaning.
• With today’s high rent prices, retailers often seek effective and affordable
solutions to utilize wall and floor space that also offers flexibility and so the
Grid Wall is perfect for traders looking to conserve space.
• Apparel stores especially can benefit from the use of Grid wall fixtures as
hooks and hangers are easy to remove and relocate, allowing the retailer a
quick merchandising update with minimal effort.

30. Pegboards
• A Pegboard display is a fixture consisting of a slab of
perforated hardboard.
• The most common types of Pegboards are made of wood or
fiber-board and contain rows of evenly spaced holes which
are used for attaching hooks, bins, shelving and other
storage accessories.
• Benefits of this type of display include being highly flexible
and allowing aesthetically pleasing merchandising designs.
• This type of display is most commonly used to carry
smaller merchandise such as categories found in snake
queues of exit retail for example. Categories include
stationery, jewellery and cellular accessories.

32. Table Displays
• As per its name, Table Displays are merchandising displays that
have a flat, table shape to them but can be tiered or just have one
level.
• Although the term table could indicate being made of wood, Table
Displays can be made of a variety of other materials as well.
• Table displays are commonly placed near the entrance of a store to
display craft items or other small items and the benefit of this type
of display is that it is an excellent tool for attracting and enticing a
buyer to purchase items they had not planned to buy.
• Table displays can also be used as decoration for seasonal holidays
and are highly visible, invoking a call to action.
• Other examples of Table displays include showcasing clothing,
home décor or as a promotional platform for gifting.

34. Point of Purchase Displays
• Point of Purchase displays, or POP displays are some of the
most important displays in any retail store and yet can be
one of the most underutilized tools in retail.
• This type of fixture is most commonly the marketing
material of the merchandise or brand being promoted, and
most vendors will provide these to stores for free use to
boost sales of their product.
• POP displays are found in high-traffic areas such as next to
the cash register or the doors so that it is easily accessible to
the customer and increases the possibility of an impulse
purchase.
• Stores use Point of Purchase displays to place fast-moving
merchandise such as candy, low price high margin items
and popular goods.
• Many stores also use the point of purchase display for sale
items or items close to the expiry date.

36. Display planning
• The design knowledge and display planning skills
required to develop an entirely new retail store, modify
an existing floor plan, or even remodel a specific area
of your store is a daunting task for retailers focused on
attracting customers and earning revenue.
• The good news is that an entire network of design
professionals, store planners, project managers,
architects, contractors, and more operate and serve in
the largest private sector employment category.
• Even we have (software-as-a-service) solutions today,
some of the solutions listed below offer customer
support in store management.
• Microsoft Visio, EDrawSoft Floor Plan Maker,
ConceptDraw PRO , SmartDraw, FloorPlanner etc.

37. • It is essential to understand your customer
flow and the general patterns of navigation in
specific retail environment before optimizing
customer experience and plan a strategic store
design.
• Retailers, consultants, store planners, interior
designers, and architects all use a variety of
retail design plans and concepts to influence
customer flow and behavior.
• It involves five steps.

38. Step One: Target The First Floor
• Walking up and down stairs or using elevators and escalators to
navigate a store hurts customer flow.
• When possible, planning for a single floor store design will optimize
the customer experience.
• Exceptions exist, such as downtown locations where real estate is at
a premium or large department stores with multiple categories of
merchandise.
• retailers should consider customer perception if they are a luxury
retailer, as shoppers often associate multi-level stores as “elite.”
• Conversely, if a discount retailer is planning store layouts, as
customers associate single floor layouts with “less high-end”
merchandise.
• Consider overall retail strategy and store layout design prior to
selecting store location.
• If retailer have multiple floors, account for the preferences of first
floor shoppers by using this space for the feature or high-margin
merchandise in retail mix.

39. Step Two: Identify Customer Flow
• Customer flow patterns vary depending on the
type of retailer, the size of the store, and the target
customer.
• Retailers need to use their observations to
discover the problems and opportunities unique to
their environment.
• The next step in maximizing space for
profitability is identifying customer flow using
video recording and heat mapping analysis.
• However, setting aside different times of the day
to make in-store observations in person and
recording notes is a step in the right direction for
identifying customer flow patterns.

40. Step Three: Avoid The Transition Zone
• After identifying how customers navigate entire retail
space, turn attention back to the entrance.
• The transition zone area, coined the “decompression
zone” refers to the space just beyond the entrance to a
retail store.
• The average customer needs this space to transition so
they can familiarize with the new environment.
• There retailer should not place high-margin
merchandise, prominent signage, or brand information
goes inside this zone.
• Customers need time, however brief, to adjust to new
lighting, smells, the music, and the visual stimulation in
the store.

41. Step Four: Design for Clockwork Navigation
• The next step moves beyond the transition zone and shifts
the focus on how to leverage a customer’s tendency to
navigate the retail environment.
• The area just outside of the transition zone is where most
retailers make a first impression.
• Customers consistently turn right after entering the store
and continue to navigate the store in a clockwise direction.
• Although researchers and design professionals have
different explanations for the reaction, in general, many
recommend displaying high-margin merchandise and
valuable information just to the right of the entrance
(outside of the transition zone).
• A research popularized the “invariant right” and proved
the effectiveness of the technique with thousands of hours
of video.

42. Step Five: Remove Narrow Aisles
• Finally, follow customer flow through the transition zone and
around the retail space in a clockwise pattern. Search for tight
spaces along aisles or around fixtures and displays.
• Research proves that— women in particular — value their
personal space when shopping.
• If a customer is touched, or otherwise interrupted when
interacting with merchandise, they are likely to move on from
the items or exit the store altogether.
• Video analysis showed fewer customers avoid entering narrow
aisles in the store compared to the more expansive, accessible
walkways.
• Wider aisles send positive signals to shoppers and positively
impact customer flow and merchandise interaction.
• Avoid narrow aisles and corridors when planning store layout
and strive to protect customers from unwanted interruptions.

43. The planogram
• A planogram is a visual diagram, or drawing,
that provides details on the placement of every
product in a retail store.
• These schematics not only present a flow chart
for the particular merchandise departments
within a store layout but also show which aisle
and on what shelf an item is located.

44. Planogram Benefits
Product placement and improved sales are just
two very basic reasons a retailer should be
implementing planograms in their shops.
Planograms provide many other positive benefits
as well:
• Satisfying customers with a better visual appeal
• Tighter inventory control and reduction of out-of-
stocks
• Easier product replenishment for staff
• Better related product positioning
• Effective communication tool for staff-produced
displays

49. Methods Of Display Planning
1. Create Displays For Target Customers
2. Less Can Be More
3. Tell A Story
4. Be Specific With Signage
5. Window Displays Attract Foot Traffic
6. Sales Team Knowledge
7. Analyze Weekly Sales And Change Displays

50. 1. Create Displays For Target
Customers
• Who are your target customers?
• That’s an important question when designing
displays.
• Aim to appeal to their lifestyle or the lifestyle
they desire.

52. 2. LESS CAN BE MORE
• Too many items and clashing colors results in
a display that looks like a toddler tossed all the
toys on the floor; the result is reverse.
• When overwhelmed, customers tend to walk
away.
• Avoid overdoing in displays. Instead, focus on
spotlighting a single item or a few related
items to create a coherent theme/story.

54. 3. TELLA STORY
• A story for visual merchandising display helps both during
the design process and makes it easier for the customer to
connect with the product(s).
• The story can be specific to a single display or be made to
flow through the entire retail space by using a singular
cohesive theme from display to display.
• Begin the latter at the storefront with the main window or
space near the entrance.
• The narrative doesn’t have to be complicated and can be
something as tried and true as “back to school” or
“summertime fun.”
• Rely on color and signage to keep the story/theme cohesive.
• This may be as simple as using the same color backdrop or
keywords in the signage.

56. 4. BE SPECIFIC WITH SIGNAGE
• The display may showcase the items perfectly,
but if the signage fails, it all fails.
• Avoid wordy signs — too much information
gets ignored.
• Try the five-second rule: we should be able to
easily read the sign in five seconds or less,
absorbing its meaning without any confusion.
• If the message needs to be longer, consider a
series of signs incorporated aesthetically into
the overall visual merchandising theme.

58. 5. WINDOW DISPLAYS ATTRACT FOOT TRAFFIC
• Display the new and more valuable products in the
window or nearest the entrance to attract foot traffic.
• First impressions do make a difference.
• A passer-by won’t be interested in a storefront that
appears dark, dirty or neglected.
• The front windows need to be kept clean and the
display to create an emotional impact.
• Sometimes, however, minimal lighting works best for
specific designs.
• Again, signage should be clear, concise and connected
to the theme/story of the window.

61. 6. SALES TEAM KNOWLEDGE
• Every member of the sales team needs to be
knowledgeable about the items arranged in the
visual merchandising displays.
• This is especially important for interactive
displays.
• If a team member can’t answer a customer’s
question, confidence falls and the potential to
lose the sale increases.

62. 7. ANALYZE WEEKLY SALES AND CHANGE DISPLAYS
• To be effective, it’s important to analyze weekly
sales and determine if and how displays are
affecting sales.
• Old displays become invisible to regular
customers.
• Keep it fresh to increase potential for conversions.
• To increase sales, visual merchandising must
engage the customer, while reflecting the brand.
• It should tell a story, appeal to the senses, and act
as a reminder for secondary purchases

63. Layout Design and Planning
• Store layout is the design of a store's floor space
and the placement of items within that store.
• Store layout helps influence a customer's
behavior, which means when done right, it's a key
strategy to a store's prosperity.
• Store owners choose where the best spots are to
place their merchandise, and this helps them
design their customer flow, as well as the
ambiance within their store.

64. Types of layout designs
• Forced-Path Store Layout
• Grid Store Layout
• Loop Store Layout
• Straight Store Layout
• Diagonal Store Layout
• Angular Store Layout
• Geometric Store Layout
• Mixed Store Layout
• Free Flow Store Layout
• Boutique Store Layout

65. Forced-Path Store Layout
• This layout directs the customer on a
predetermined route through the retail store.
• Every aisle in the store is maximized. With
customers exposed to all of the merchandise
offered, this design might entice the customer to
make an unplanned purchase.
• However using this store layout risks irritating
shoppers that have a specific task and desired
location, and could also overwhelm shoppers by
hurrying them through an experience of
customers all moving in one direction together,
quickly.

67. Grid Store Layout
• The grid store layout design is a familiar, repetitive pattern
favored by retail drugstores and hardware stores.
• Customers can move quickly through an efficient floor
space using standard fixtures and displays.
• The presentation is uniform and comfortable due to its
popularity, creating a seamless customer experience.
• Design simplifies inventory control for the retailer - a key to
retail strategy that leverages store design to maximize
profitability.
• However, the downside of this layout is the lack of
aesthetics and the “sterile and uninspiring” environment
often associated with its use.
• To counter this, effective signage's used to guide customers
and create a “cognitive map” of the store.

69. Loop Store Layout
• Also known as the “racetrack” layout, think of the loop
design as the “yellow brick road” of retail store layouts.
• loop store layout uses a path to lead customers from the
entrance of the store to the checkout area.
• This is a versatile choice for store design when implemented
with another layout style or used as a prominent feature of
the retail store.
• this layout for a larger retail space (over 5,000 square feet)
and encourages a clear and visible loop for customer flow.
• Designers accomplish the loop effect by making the floor path
a standout color, lighting the loop to guide the customer,
• or using a different floor material to mark the loop. Lines are
not recommended, as they can be a psychological barrier to
some customers.

71. Straight Store Layout
• The straight store layout is efficient, simple to plan, and
capable of creating individual spaces for the customer.
• Plus, a basic straight design helps pull customers
towards featured merchandise in the back of the store.
• Merchandise displays and signage is used to keep
customers moving and interested.
• Liquor stores, convenience stores, and small
markets use the straight design efficiently.
• However, the drawback is the simplicity: Depending on
how a customer enters the store and moves past the
transition zone, it may be more difficult to highlight
merchandise or draw them to a specific location.

73. Diagonal Store Layout
• Just as the name implies, the diagonal store layout uses
aisles placed at angles to increase customer sightlines and
expose new merchandise as customers navigate through the
space.
• A variation of the grid layout, the design helps guide
customers to the checkout area.
• Small stores can benefit from this space management
option, and it is excellent for self-service retailers because
it invites more movement and better customer circulation.
• When the checkout is located in the center and possibly
raised up, the diagonal layout offers better security and loss
prevention due to the extra sightline effect.
• The downside of this layout is that it doesn’t enable the
customer to shortcut toward specific merchandise, and the
risk of narrow aisles is higher.

75. Angular Store Layout
• The “angular” store layout relies on curved walls and
corners, rounded merchandise displays, and other
curved fixtures to manage the customer flow.
• Luxury stores use this layout effectively .
• There is a perception of higher quality merchandise that
the angular layout leverages to target the appropriate
customer behavior in that environment.
• And although this design sacrifices efficient space use,
because of the rounded displays and limited shelf
space,
• if a retailer has sufficient inventory storage away from
the sales floor, this layout is useful in creating a unique
perception.

77. Geometric Store Layout
• A geometric layout offers artistic expression and
function when combined with the appropriate displays
and fixtures.
• The unique architecture of some retail stores, including
wall angles, support columns, and different ceiling
styles mix well with the uniqueness of a geometric
layout.
• Merchandise displays and fixtures of various geometric
shapes and sizes combine to make a statement, often as
an extension of the retailer's overall brand identity.
• Clothing and apparel stores use a variety of
environmental merchandising strategies (for example,
music, scents, and artwork) with the geometric layout
to enhance the customer experience.

79. Mixed Store Layout
• The mixed store layout uses design elements from multiple
layouts to create a flexible option for retailers.
• Department stores use a compelling mix of straight,
diagonal, and angular concepts, among other design
elements, to create a dynamic flow through a range of
departments featuring a variety of merchandise.
• Large grocery store chains also successfully combine
mixed store layout elements.
• For example, customers have the flexibility to navigate
through a grid layout for their basic groceries but feel
compelled to search the angular displays featuring high-
margin wine, beer, and imported cheeses.
• The advantages of combining different store layouts seems
apparent, but the space and resource requirements to
maintain this design can pose difficulties to retailers.

81. Free Flow Store Layout
• In a free flow layout, the intent is not to lead the
customer using predictable design patterns, displays, or
signage.
• There are no specific design rules followed for this
retail store design, and customers have more liberty to
interact with merchandise and navigate on their own.
• For this reason, the free flow layout is sophisticated in
its simplicity.
• customers feel less rushed in this creative environment.
• The main disadvantage to this experimental design
layout is the risk of confusing customers past the point
of their preferred behavior and disrupting customer
flow.

83. Boutique Store Layout
• The boutique layout (also called shop-in-the-shop or alcove
layout)
• Merchandise is separated by category, and customers are
encouraged to interact more intimately with like items in semi-
separate areas created by walls, merchandise displays, and
fixtures.
• Typically used by boutique clothing retailers, wine
merchants, and gourmet markets, this layout stimulates
customer curiosity in different brands or themes of
merchandise within the overall category.
• The downsides of the boutique layout include the following
factors: Reducing the total display space for merchandise with
inefficient space management
• Encouraging too much exploration of separate areas within the
store , the exploration can distract customer interaction with
the merchandise.

85. Store Layout objectives
• Customer buying behavior is an important point
of consideration while designing store layout. The
objectives of store layout and design are −
• It should attract customers.
• It should help the customers to locate the products
effortlessly.
• It should help the customers spend longer time in
the store.
• It should motivate customers to make unplanned,
impulsive purchases.
• It should influence the customers’ buying
behavior.

86. Interior display
• Interior display of the retail outlet is concerned
with following strategies.
Lighting strategy
Signage strategy
Product Display strategy
Fixture strategy
Window strategy

87. • The store interior is the area where customers actually look for
products and make purchases. It directly contributes to influence
customer decision making. In includes the following −
• Clear and adequate walking space, separate from product display
area.
• Free standing displays: Fixtures, or mannequins installed to attract
customers’ attention and bring them to the store.
• End caps: These displays at the end of the aisles can be used to
display promotional offers.
• Windows and doors can provide visual messages about merchandise
on sale.
• Proper lighting at the product display. For example, jewelry retail
needs more acute lighting.
• Relevant signage with readable typefaces and limited text for
product categories, for promotional schemes, and at Point of Sale
(POS) that guides customers’ decision-making process. It can also
include hanging signage for enhancing visibility.
• Sitting area for a few differently abled people or senior citizens.

88. Lighting strategy
• When done well, light can help structure and
influence the customer’s mood while shopping.
• Store planners and designers use lighting
solutions to highlight or downplay specific areas
of the store to draw in customers.
• Lighting specialists provide expertise in the
appropriate types of lighting for specific store
layouts, based on natural light exposure, and can
recommend solutions that suit budgets and
environmentally conscious business models.

89. Signage strategy
• Signs provide product information for specific
merchandise, help customers navigate the store
layout efficiently, and create the desired price
perception.
• Retailers should keep signs fresh and updated
based on the merchandise offered, the season, or
specific promotions.
• Keep in-store signs and messaging consistent with
the brand voice and use standard fonts and colors
that are easy to identify and read with your
lighting.

90. Product display strategy
• The word “display” comes from the French word
“deployer”, which means “to unfold.” Far from
being exclusive to clothing.
• In general, displays come in all shapes and sizes,
and refer to the movable units in the store that
feature merchandise such as tables, racks,etc
• Careful selection of the type and placement of
displays is crucial to the overall retail strategy of
using space management and store design to
influence customer flow and in-store behavior.
• Also, treat displays as flexible, cost-effective
investments

91. Window strategy
• Windows welcome customers from the outside
and draw them into the store where layout design
and the various elements of visual merchandising
go to work.
• The window display requires careful attention to
lighting, size of display units, type of merchandise
featured, props (like mannequins), and signage.
• Because the customer has yet to enter the store, a
window display must combine all of the visual
merchandising elements to successfully promote
the retailer’s brand and personality.

92. Fixture strategy
• Fixtures refer to the more permanent units in the store.
Counters, wall mounted shelving units, support
columns, and bench seating are examples of fixtures.
• The purpose of fixtures is to coordinate store layout and
influence customer flow and interactions.
• Materials that are “authentic and have some warmth to
them” work best (real wood versus laminate, stone or
marble versus coated plastic, glass versus acrylic).
• “Fixtures should be made from premium authentic
materials that are durable and up level the experience,”

93. Space management
• It is the process of managing the floor space
adequately to facilitate the customers and to
increase the sale. Since store space is a limited
resource, it needs to be used wisely.
• Space management is very crucial in retail as
the sales volume and gross profitability
depends on the amount of space used to
generate those sales.

94. Optimum Space Use
• While allocating the space to various products, the
managers need to consider the following points −
• Product Category −
– Profit builders − High profit margins-low sales products.
Allocate quality space rather than quantity.
– Star performers − Products exceeding sales and profit margins.
Allocate large amount of quality space.
– Space wasters − Low sales-low profit margins products. Put
them at the top or bottom of shelves.
– Traffic builders − High sales-low profit margins products.
These products need to be displayed close to impulse products.
• Size, shape, and weight of the product.
• Product adjacencies − It means which products can coexist
on display
• Product life on the shelf.

95. Retail Floor Space
Here are the steps to take into consideration for
using floor space effectively −
• Measure the total area of space available.
• Divide this area into selling and non-selling areas
such as aisle, storage, promotional displays,
customer support cell, (trial rooms in case of
clothing retail) and billing counters.
• Create a Planogram, a pictorial diagram that
depicts how and where to place specific retail
products on shelves or displays in order to
increase customer purchases.

96. • Allocate the selling space to each product
category.
• Determine the amount of space for a particular
category by considering historical and
forecasted sales data.
• Determine the space for billing counter by
referring historical customer volume data.
• In case of clothing retail, allocate a separate
space for trial rooms that is near the product
display but away from the billing area.

97. • Determine the location of the product categories within
the space. This helps the customers to locate the
required product easily.
• Decide product adjacencies logically. This facilitates
multiple product purchase. For example, pasta sauces
and spices are kept near raw pasta packets.
• Make use of irregular shaped corner space wisely.
• Some products such as domestic cleaning devices or
garden furniture can stand in a corner.
• Allocate space for promotional displays and schemes
facing towards road to notify and attract the customers.
• Use glass walls or doors wisely for promotion.

98. Range planning
• Range planning refers to selecting the products
and finalizing the price.
• The ultimate aim is for the final range selected to
meet and exceed the customers’ expectations.
• Additionally buyers will want the range to be
innovative and merchandisers will want it to
achieve high rates of sale and deliver excellent
margin.
• Range should be constructed such that it can be
delivered to the consumers’ baskets in the most
reliable and profitable manner

99. Factors to be considered in range
planning
• Buyers and merchandisers have a lot of questions to
consider when developing and planning the range, such
as how to provide the customer with:
• the right depth and width of range – ensuring sufficient
choice and range completeness
• the right price architecture – guiding the customer
through the options available
• the right quality and value – ensuring the brand and
product propositions fit your business
• great on shelf availability (with minimal stock
investment) – ensuring maximum sales potential off the
lowest possible cost base

100. • a flexible, responsive, agile supply base – to
ensure you can follow consumer trends quickly
• a better return per square foot than the last
range – to mitigate the ever increasing cost of
property
• a better shopping experience for the customer
– to secure their loyalty, repeat business and
increased basket size…
• So it is understandably a lengthy and involved
process

101. Web based marketing
What is Marketing?
• As defined by the American Marketing
Association, “marketing is the activity, set of
institutions and processes for creating,
communicating, delivering, and exchanging offers
that have value for customers, clients, partners,
and society at large”.
• Marketing changes the perspective of a person.
There are two approaches of marketing −
Traditional marketing
Online marketing

102. What is Online Marketing?
• Online marketing is advertising and marketing
the products or services of a business over
Internet.
• Online marketing relies upon websites or emails
to reach to the users and it is combined with e-
commerce to facilitate the business transactions.
• In online marketing, you can promote the
products and services via websites, blogs, email,
social media, forums, and mobile Apps.
• Online marketing is also termed as Internet
marketing, Web marketing, or simply, OLM.

103. Components of Online Marketing

104. Keyword Research
• Choosing a correct and relevant set of keywords can
help design a crisp and persuasive advertise for online
marketing. Before accessing any keyword research tool,
analyze,
• What is the purpose of this web page?
• Which phrases the users might enter while looking for a
solution?
• Are my keywords relevant to the users’ intent?
SEO Friendly Website
• Mapping the right keywords need to categorize the
keywords in a thematic order and then link the
respective articles to the keywords.
• This makes the website maintaining easy.

105. Web Analytics
• The ultimate goal of analytics is to identify
actionable insights/performance on monthly
basis which can help to make favorable
changes to the website gradually. This in turn
ultimately leads to strong profits in long term.
Online Advertising
• It is placing crisp, simple, and tempting Ads on
the websites to attract the viewers’ attention
and developing viewers’ interest in the product
or service.

106. Mobile Advertising
• It is creating awareness about the business and
promoting it on smart phones that people carry
with them inseparably.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• It is the activity of optimizing web pages or
complete website in order to make them search
engine friendly, thus getting higher position in the
search results.
• It contributes to overall rankings of the keywords
through influencing factors such as appropriate
titles, meta descriptions, website speed, links, etc.

107. Social Media Marketing
• It includes creating profiles of brand on social
media platforms such as Google Plus,
LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, etc.
• It assures that you remain connected to the
existing or potential customers, build
awareness about the products and services,
• create interest in and desire to buy your
product, and interact with the customers on
their own terms and convenience.

108. Email Marketing
• Advertiser can interact with the customers to
answer their queries using automatic
responders and enhance the customer
experience with the website.
• can offer the options such as signing-in to
subscribe to newsletter.
• can make the emails catchy and crisp, so that
they don’t make recipients annoyed.
• Also, use selected best words in the subject
line to boost the open rate.

109. Content Marketing
• It includes creation and sharing of media and
publishing the content in order to acquire and
retain customers.
Blogs
• Blogs are web pages created by an individual
or a group of individuals.
• They are updated on a regular basis. we can
write blogs for business promotion.

110. Banners
• Banners are long strips of cloth with a slogan or
design.
• They are carried for demonstration, procession, or
hung in a public place.
• There are internet banners in parallel to tangible
banners for advertising.
Internet Forums
• They are nothing but message boards of online
discussion websites, where people posts messages
and engage into conversation.