1. Visual Display Research
What is visual merchandising?
Visual merchandising (VM) is the activity of creating 3-dimensional displays
and plans in order to maximize sales. The purpose of this is to attract, engage,
and motivate the customer towards making purchase(s).
Methodology of VM
How to go about creating a good visual display:
1. Easy, accessible location: For the consumers to reach out for the
products, and for yourself to make amendments
2. Easy selection: For consumers to self-select the products
3. Highlighting certain products you want to push for sale
4. Increasing sales of unsought products: This would allow you to have a
good balance of stock amount in the store, and to clear existing stock
before getting more
Psychology of VM
This section is credited to writer Cecilia Biemann.
(Biemann)
What VM aims for is to create a logically and visually pleasing environment
that captures attention, thus, increasing sales. This is affected and built around
the target audience you want. One must have a clear understanding of image
you want the store to portray. These questions can be of aid:
1. Which age groups are you targeting?
2. What is the average income of target audience?
3. Lifestyles of the target audience?
For Goldlink, our age group target audience varies from young executives to
middle-aged to older business/ working class adults. This being so, the
income of the age groups should begin from $1,000 onwards (to maybe around
$10,000 or even more?). Therefore average income of Singaporeans range
should be around $3,000. (MOM)
Other than our own population, tourists also aid our Singapore economical
growth by a significant amount (as explained and shown in previous report).
Therefore, the target audience for tourists would be mostly SEAsians, as the
gross economy growth is on a rise as of these few months. Singapore currency is
getting stronger (with reference to the current 1: 2.5 exchange rate to Malaysian
Ringgit). Some other neighboring countries’ tourists that frequent Singapore
may include Indonesians, Malaysians, and Burmese.

2. Dynamite Displays
A successful store has winning displays. They can be categorized into several
groups:
1. Storefront Window: The display attracts the exterior crowd into the
store. This is very effective for sales, promotions, new arrivals, and high in
demand merchandise.
An attractive storefront window display is one with a theme. Create a theme
that arouses curiosity. This can be done by, inspiring the audience that these
items can fit into their daily lifestyles. Also, display the merchandise in an
active manner, or how they will look like in use. Example: Ties can be
displayed knotted up to display the final look of them on a person.
2. Showcase: The showcase display is placed for merchandise, which may
be too valuable to display in the shop front, or niche items that cater to
the core audience (with high spending power). Lighting and multi-tiered
fixtures are important here.
3. “Found-space”: These areas are small but usable areas in the store,
where there may be sufficient space to create a small-scale display
amongst the merchandise in the store.
Republic Plaza- Andrew’s Ties
On 13 August 2013, I (with the help of Mr. Tiong and Linda) revamped the
store’s display to attract more audience.
Storefront Display:
The pictures above shows part of the storefront, this is the first display
for the audience to see while they are coming from Tower I building. This

3. display was inspired by, candy stores and bright colors. Red is a
captivating yet powerful color. It captures attention, and represents an
authoritative figure. Blue, on the other hand, has a calming effect on a
person as it symbolizes water bodies such as oceans and lakes. Blue is
also recommended for interviews, as it is a color associated to loyalty, and
being more productive. The colors create a contrast not too irritating to a
person’s eyes, yet captures attention for either. (Johnson) Products used
in this display are from Andrew’s (bowties and striped ties), and Lanvin
ties, (vertical display).
This is the display facing the entrance nearest to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. On
contrary to the other display, this display uses the soothing cool colors, pleasing
to the eyes. Similar color groups are also placed with the focal point (striped
neckties): Cool toned designer bowties and Duchamp cufflinks.

4. In the picture above, the Marzthomson cufflinks area was replaced by,
Thompson and Ateseta merchandise. The new earth tones contain green and
brown, which is the symbolism of nature and stability (as of wood, leather, and
earth), ideal for the workplace. The alternating greens and browns with white
and black also breaks away from monotony, and creates more depth in the
display.
Focal Point & Visual Balance
For the display you want or have created, you want to extinguish a focal point
and the foreground. Questions one can ask to help:
What do you want your viewer to look at first?
Is the feature highlighted effectively?
Is the focal point at eye level?
Darker colors and larger merchandise usually appear heavier as compared to
lighter colors and smaller merchandise.
Merchandising Similar Products Together
Placing similar products creates an impact window: a visually clean image,
allows consumers to easily pinpoint the location of products.
Cross-Mix Merchandising
Displaying a variety can create a comprehensive visual story: Promoting the
hidden goods that are rarely sough after, and showing how these can be placed
into daily lifestyles of consumers. This encourages the purchase (even an
impulse one) and confirms their decisions.
Do consider: 1. Less is more, do not overcrowd

5. 2. Complimentary products (eg. Ties, shirts, and shoes can be placed together to
create outfits)
3. Focus on eye-catching, new merchandise
Lastly, displays should be changed frequently. Ideally is t be changed weekly,
else monthly changes would suffice.
Assessing All Angles
Assessing the display at all angles allows you to see if it is balanced, and better in
a consumer’s point-of-view.
Encouraging Impulse Purchases
Usually items are placed close to cash registers for impulse purchases, however
this would not be as effective and applicable in our case. Do place highly sought
after merchandise in high traffic areas. This can be done by: assessing where do
the consumers usually walk from.
Product Positioning
Shoppers are busy; thus fast moving crowds. Placing products at high traffic
areas (similar to point above) can help attract consumers. Also, groupings are
important. Group the merchandise according to color, item type so that it would
be easy to identify merchandise.
Additional Tips
 Using cloth, paper, etc. as backdrops can help eradicate an unsightly
background
 To avoid a busy look, stick to few colors and textures (theme of display is
important)
 Housekeeping is impeccable; a dirty store is not attractive
Bibliography
MOM. (n.d.). Median Gross Income of Average Household. Retrieved from
http://www.mom.gov.sg/statistics-publications/national-labour-market-
information/statistics/Pages/earnings-wages.aspx
Biemann, C. (n.d.). Mastering Visual Merchandising. Retrieved from
http://www.showmummythemoney.com.au/mastering-visual-
merchandising.htm
Johnson, D. (n.d.). Retrieved from Color Psychology:
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/colors1.html