Visual merchandising is the art of displaying merchandise in a way that stimulates interest and entices customers to purchase. Effective store planning and atmosphere play an important role in garment retailing. Store design, lighting, colors, sounds, scents, graphics, signage, windows, mannequins, fixtures and flooring all work together to create the right atmosphere, educate customers, and influence buying decisions. The layout and presentation of a store help build its image and differentiate it from competitors.

1. SEVENTH SEMESTER - FASHION TECHNOLOGY
INTERNAL ASSESSMENT EXAMINATION – I
ANSWER KEY
08FT702-VISUAL MERCHANDISING
PART –A (5X2=10)
(Answer the ALL questions)
1. Define visual merchandising. State its objectives.
It is the art of implementing effective design ideas to increase store traffic and sales volume.
In the broadest sense, merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a
retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to the variety of products
available for sale and the display of those products in such a way that it stimulates interest and
entices customers to make a purchase.
Visual merchandising is a set of objectives:
 To make effective use of space.
 To position the departments and products.
 To improve store lighting, and to keep atmosphere and cleanliness inside the store.
 To create great displays and signage.
2. How to select the display locations.
Space Planning helps a retailer to determine the amount of space available for selling and for
storage. It also helps determine the following:
The location of various departments
The location of various products within the department-the creation of planograms
3. What are the ways to achieve emphasis in a store front display?
Store fronts must:
 Clearly identify the name and general nature of the store.
 Includes all exterior signages.
 In many cases include store windows – and displays must be fun / exciting to customers.
 An advertising agency and medium to the stores.
4. What is meant by marquee? Mention is applications.
This special type of sign is used to display the name of a store. An effective marquee must
stand out from the other businesses to attract attention. A marquee on some older buildings is a
permanent canopy projecting over an entrance that provides protection from the elements. It can
be used to announce a change in seasons, a special event or a promotion. The top of the
permanent canopy (marquee) provides an opportunity to showcase seasonal displays or special
promotional banners.
It is used in retail stores, garment retailing, store utilization etc.

2. 5. How store space is effectively utilized?
The areas within a store designed to get the customer’s attention are:
 End caps – displays located at the end of the aisles.
 Promotional aisle/area.
 Freestanding fixtures.
 Windows.
 Walls.
 Point-of-sale (POS) displays/areas
PART –B (1X8+2X16=40)
(Answer the ALL questions)
06. Elaborate on basic visual merchandising techniques. (8)
Visual Merchandising is the art of displaying merchandise in a manner that is appealing to
the eyes of the customer. It sets the context of the merchandise in an aesthetically pleasing
fashion, presenting them in a way that would convert the window shoppers into prospects and
ultimately buyers of the product. A creative and talented retailer can use this upcoming art to
breathe in new life into his store products. Passion for design and creativity are essential to be a
good visual merchandiser. A perfect design process and the ability to create ideas that are
different are required. Awareness of happenings in fashion world is needed so as to keep up-to-
date with the dynamics of the market constantly.
Visual Merchandising is that which enhances products, supports brands, increases traffic and
sales, adds visual excitement by way of strategically located and illuminated focal destinations
in an environment, typically businesses and stores, defines and advertises overall
personality and image.
Visual merchandising is the “icing on the cake”.
 It is the first tactile representation of projected merchandise that the customer will see.
Visual Merchandising is becoming increasingly important in giving a store a competitive
edge, since many stores carry similar items.
 It is the important function of merchandising to make the difference in department array,
display of various products and novel designs.
Today's successful retailers make the most profitable use of every square foot of space in the
store and in the warehouse. Since this space is so costly, one must take a strategic approach to
its use. Floor patterns, location of merchandise, levels of inventory and appropriate displays are
all key factors in the proper use of space.
Misuse of space can be as detrimental to success as poor buying or careless hiring. It is very
important for every store to create a suitable atmosphere and appealing presentations in order to

3. trigger the consumer’s buying decision. In a world where one can find identical merchandise in
more than one store, layout and presentation become key differentiating factors.
Visual Merchandising persists since humans started selling merchandise to a customer.
When a vendor arranged his goods to be more attractive for a customer, or when a farmer put the
biggest and ripest apples on top of the basket for consumers to see and touch, that is visual
merchandising. Visual merchandising, store design and layouts are now becoming widely
regarded as important promotional tools to differentiate fashion store images. Store designers
often incorporate elements of the design process into promotional tools such as wrapping
materials, carrier bags, T-Shirts and in-store graphics which are then carried and worn, and
become a powerful promotional tool out in the streets.
The way in which products are displayed in stores can have a marked effect on the
performance of garment range. This is the responsibility of the visual merchandiser, and the
buyer is rarely directly involved in this process despite the potential impact sales.
Importance of Visual Merchandising
The importance of visual merchandising can be well understood by the following points:
 Educating the customers about the product/service in an effective and creative
way.
 Establishing a creative medium to present merchandise in 3D environment, thereby
enabling long lasting impact and the right image of the product to the customers.
 Establishing linkage between fashions, product design and marketing by keeping
the product in prime focus.
 Combining the creative, technical and operational aspects of a product and the
business.
CONCEPTS:
The concept of visual merchandising perhaps, dates back to the time when human beings
started selling products. Each vendor or trader wanted to make his goods appear more attractive
to the customer to enable a quick purchase.
Example of visual merchandising abounds even in the traditional sector, with even the
vegetable vendor arranging the vegetables in a manner in which all are not only visible but the
best ones receive the maximum visibility.
Visual merchandising is a concept:
 To make effective use of space.
 To position the departments and products.
 To improve store lighting, and to keep atmosphere and cleanliness inside the store.
 To create great displays and signage.

4. Definition:
Various academics have defined visual merchandising:
 Buttle has alluded visual merchandising to as silent salesman.
 McGoldrick suggests that visual merchandising is one of the visible elements of
positioning strategy.
 Visual merchandising can be alternately defined as the orderly, systematic, logical and
intelligent way of putting stock on the floor.
Five Steps of a Sale
The basic rule for any store is that it must sell its merchandise to the consumers:
1. Attract and hold the attention of the passerby, through the glass window.
2. Arouse his or her interest in buying the merchandise displayed.
3. Create desire to want the product being featured in the store.
4. Win confidence to give the customer faith in the store.
5. Cause the decision to buy.
ROLE OF VISUAL MERCHANDISER IN PROMOTION OF FASHION AND
BUSINESS
1. To communicate the store image to its target customers.
2. To establish the store as a distinct fashion centre to projecting the uniqueness of the
Products and there by increasing the market access and sales.
3. To build long-term customer loyalty.
4. To bring a steady flow of regular and new customers to the store.
5. To exhibit timely fashion information and become a source of news of innovations.
6. To remind and encourage customers of their desire for new things.
7. To persuade customers to make purchase decisions.
8. To sell the merchandise to customers.
9. To achieve reasonable profit.
ROLE OF VISUAL MERCHANDISING
Visual merchandising technically, can be defined as the art of persuasion through
presentations, which puts the merchandise in focus. It educates the customers, creates desire and
finally augments then selling process. Thus, the role the visual merchandising plays can be listed
as below.
 The primary purpose is to enable sales of the products/services sold by the retailer.
 To inform and educate the consumer about the product/services in the store.
 To enable ease of shopping for the consumer, by informing about colors, sizes, prices
and the basic location of the product.
 Creating and enhancing the store’s images.

5. Visual merchandising is governed by the common principles of design i.e. balance, emphasis,
proportion, rhythm and harmony. It works on attracting the attention of the customer, creating an
interest for the overall look and color flow of displays, and the other is responsible for
maintaining window and other on a day-to-day basis.
07. (a) Explain the importance of store planning and role of atmosphere in garment
retailing. (16)
IMPORTANCE OF STORE PLANNING
The store design and layout tells a customer what the store is all about. It is a very strong tool in
the hands of the retailer for communicating and creating the image of the store in the minds of
the customers. It is the creation of this image that is the creation of this image that is the starting
point of all marketing efforts. The importance of store design needs to be understood from the
perspective of the retailer and from the perspective of the customer.
For the consumer, a store needs to be simple to navigate. It must appeal to his sensory
perceptions and must create a sense of belonging, a sense of relationship, a sense of belonging, a
sense of relationship, sense of security or assurance and a sense of pleasure in the shopping
experience. While the merchandise, the sales personnel, the location and the pricing, all work
towards creating an image, it is the physical attributes of a store which affect the customer’s
sensory perceptions and makes him relate to the store in a particular manner. They work with the
other elements towards creating the desires image or atmosphere.
UTILIZING BASIC VISUAL MERCHANDISING TECHNIQUES IN STORE
PLANNING
All the elements of the store can play a role when it comes to create a visual impact on
the consumer. Apart from using the product is to make a visual impact on the consumer. Some of
the commonly used ones are:
 Colors
Colour increases brand recognition by up to 80 per cent. Colour improves readership as
much as 40 per cent. Colour accelerates learning from 55 to 78 per cent. Colour increases
comprehension by 73 per cent. Colour advertisements are read up to 42 per cent more than
similar ones in black and white. Colour can be up to 85 per cent of the reason people decide to
buy.
Warm colors increase blood pressure, respiratory rate and other physiological responses – attract
customers and gain attention but can also be distracting. Cool colors are relaxing, peaceful, calm
and pleasant – effective for retailers selling anxiety-causing products.

6.  Sound & Scent
Sound
 Music viewed as valuable marketing tool.
 Can use volume and tempo for crowd control.
Scent
 Smell has a large impact on our emotions.
 Graphics and Signage
Graphics and signage’s inform the customers about the products, merchandise, price and special
offers and also direct customers. Signages and graphics when used in the store window can
compel customers to enter the store. It is common for many retailers to use posters, photo
enlargements and other graphics in the windows. When merchandise is placed near such photos
and signages the look is enhanced.
Graphics and signage’s inside the store can help identify brands indicate items like 'new releases'
or 'new arrivals' as the case may be, offer direction to various departments within the store, or
simply help the customer locate the products that he seeks. Graphics within the store may be
classified as:
Theme graphics: These are graphics which relate to a particular theme being followed
throughout the retail store.
Campaign graphics: Campaign graphics are graphics related to the current advertising campaign.
 Windows
'Stores have become famous for the windows that they create. Window displays may be
classed as art not just as promotional tools. The message behind these windows is not a simple
issue, and displays have been influenced by many different styles over the years. One Selfridges'
technique is to place products in a scene rather than just placing them on display. Window
displays then appear similar to a magazine lifestyle shoot. Similar window displays using live
models appeared on the opening day of the Manchester store. Selfridges have been able to use
their window displays as a method of defining the new brand image and the continued
reinforcement of that image.
 Lightings
Lighting is a key factor of retail design. The lighting scheme to be adopted for the store has
to be done keeping in mind the kind of products being sold in the store and the target audience.
Effective lighting is a key in the sale of merchandise and also helps create a favorable first
impression of the merchandise and its surroundings.
Important element in successful store design is:
 Highlight merchandise.
 Capture a mood.

7.  Level of light can make a difference.
 Mannequins
The word Mannequin, comes from the Dutch word mannequin, literally meaning 'little man',
Mannequin is the French form. Ii Mannequins are typically used in a retail store environment to
display the merchandise. There are many types of mannequins available; the most common type
is the life-size mannequin. These mannequins are the same size as a real person and have arms,
legs, hands, feet, and a head. Most of them can be posed in different positions to give them a
more lifelike look. Mannequins can look like males, females or children. Other mannequins
consist of only a torso on a stand.
 Planogram
A planogram is a tool used by the retailer that helps determine the location of merchandise
within a department. It is a diagram that visually communicates how merchandise and props
physically fit onto a store fixture or window to allow for proper visibility and price point options.
A planogram is created after taking into account factors like product sales, the movement of the
products within the product category and the space required for various products. They usually
list the exact number of square feet used for various products and the exact number of products
to be displayed in a particular area. For a retailer who has a number of stores spread over various
locations, a planogram is a good way of communicating how displays are to be done. This allows
consistency in presentation across locations. When products are presented in the same manner
across locations, the customer feels familiar and comfortable at each location. This helps to build
brand loyalty and customer trust.
 Fixtures
Fixtures are used for storing and displaying merchandise. They may be floor fixtures or wall
fixtures and are manufactured in various materials like wood, glass, steel and synthetic.
Examples of fixtures include tables, racks, stands, shelves, gondolas, bins and other materials,
which may be used to display merchandise. Ideally, fixtures should be flexible so that the size
can be varied to suit the merchandise being displayed.
 Wall Planning, Floorings, Ceilings
Wall planning, Floorings, ceilings and the walls work together in creating an image. Ceilings
are important because they house the air-conditioning and the lighting. The right lighting is
necessary for the merchandise to be seen in its true colour and form. A store may adopt different
types of flooring depending on the image that it strives to create. For example, a high priced
jewellery showroom may use carpets, while a supermarket would use flooring which is easy to
maintain.

8. Wall Fixtures
To make store’s wall merchandisable, wall usually covered with a skin that is fitted
With vertical columns of notches similar to those on a gondola, into which a variety of hard
ware can be inserted.
Fixture Types
 Straight Rack –Long pipe suspended with supports to the floor or attached to a wall.
 Gondola – Large aisle with a vertical spine or wall fitted with sockets or notches into which
a variety of shelves, peg hooks, bins, baskets and other hardware can be inserted.
 Four-way Fixture- Two crossbars that sit perpendicular to each other on a pedestal.
 Round Rack – Round fixture that sits on pedestal other common fixtures: tables, large bins,
Flat-based decks.
 Textures
Texture deals with the look and feel of materials. Visual texture is the result of light refracted
from any surface. Tactile texture can be rough, smooth, thick, thin, sandy, soft, hard, warty,
coarse, fine, regular or irregular. The combination of visual and tactile texture provides a definite
interpretation of all items and materials encountered.
ROLE OF ATMOSPHERE IN GARMENT RETAILING:
IMMEDIATE EFFECTS AND SIMULATION TYPES
Atmospherics is the design of an environment with the help of visual communications,
lighting, colour, music and scent, to stimulate customer’s perceptual and immediate emotional
responses and thereby influence their buying behavior. Philip Kotler first introduced the concept
of atmospherics. Retailers in India are fast learning the effects of various elements of
atmospherics on customers. Aesthetics on the other hand, takes into consideration factors like the
actual size of the store, the colours, textures, etc. used within the store to create a particular look
and feel for the store. Texture deals with the look and feel of materials. Every material item
possesses a texture. Visual texture is the result of light refracted from any surface. Balance on the
other hand, is the distribution of weight in a display. Three types of balance exist: symmetrical,
asymmetrical and open.
Or
(b) (i) Explain in detail about the various segments of Fashion Industry. (8)
Fashion Segments, a person-level classification, takes account of this diversity to give
retailers and manufacturers an insight into their customers and the wider marketplace. Our
fashion market analysis describes attitudes towards fashion and brands and consumer behavior
related to types of clothes, stores visited and the frequency, value and purpose of shopping trips.

9. The business economics passes four different levels
1. THE PRIMARY LEVEL:
Production of raw materials
2. THE SECONDARY LEVEL:
Manufacture of the finishes product
3. THE RETAIL LEVEL:
Distribution and retailing of fashion business
4. THE AUXILIARY LEVEL:
Advertising and promotion
DIVERISTY OF FIRMS
A wide diversity of kinds and sizes of firms operate at each level of the fashion business.
FORMS OF BUSINESS OWNERSHIP
1. Sole or single proprietorship
2. Partnership
3. Corporation
1. SOLE OR SINGLE PROPRIETORSHIP
This is the most common form of business where the economics of the nation depend upon the
small shopkeeper
In the sole proprietorship, the individual owns the business, assumes all risks and operates the
business for his or her own personal interest.
Examples in fashion industry:
 Designing
 Contracting
 Retailing
 Advisory service
Advantages:
 Ownership of all profits
 Personal satisfaction
 Freedom and flexibility
 Tax savings
 Ease and low cost of organization and dissolution
Disadvantages:
 Unlimited liability
 Limited financial resources
 Difficulties of management
 Lack of opportunity for employees

10.  Lack of continuity
2. THE PARTNERSHIP
A partnership, as defined by the uniform partnership act, “ is an association of two or more
persons to carry on as co-owners of a business for a profit.”
Except for the same legal responsibilities noted under the sole proprietorship, a partnership is
also comparatively free from government regulations.
However, some states do levy various regulations, and partnership information is required by the
internal revenue service.
A contract between or among partners is needed to ensure understanding of the obligations and
rewards that each partner agrees to and shares
Types of partners:
 General partner
 Limited partner
 Silent partner
 Secret partner
 Senior and junior partners
Advantages:
 Ease of organization
 Employee incentive
 Availability of capital
 Ease of expansion
 Management benefits
 Tax savings
Disadvantages:
 Unlimited liability
 Complicated decision making
 Lack of continuity
3. THE CORPORATION
A corporation is defined by law as “an artificial being, invisible, intangible, and existing only in
contemplation of law.”
Types of corporation:
 Public corporation
 Private corporation
Advantages:
 Limited liability

11.  Transfer of ownership
 Continuity
 Capital formulation
 Management specialties
Disadvantages:
 Cost of organization
 Legal restrictions
 Taxation
 Lack of owners personal interest
 Impersonality
 Federal and state regulations
4. THE FRANCHISE
A rapidly growing business arrangement is the franchise.
This arrangement is a contract that gives an individual or the group of people the right to own a
business while benefiting from the expertise and reputation of an established firm.
In return the individual known as the franchisee pays the parent company, known as the
franchisor, a set sum to purchase the franchise and royalties on goods or services sold.
Franchises may be organized as sole proprietorship, partnerships or corporations, although the
form of business organization that the franchisee must use may be designated in the franchise
contract
Advantages:
 Franchising offers advantages to both the franchisee and the franchisor.
 The franchisee can get into business quickly, use proven operation methods, and benefit
from training programs and mass purchasing offered by the franchisor.
 The franchisee is provided with a ready market that identifies with the store or brand
name, thus assuring customer traffic.
 The franchisor has a great deal of control over its distribution network, limited liability,
and less need for capital for expansion.
 Royalty and franchise fees add to the profit of the parental company, and the personal
interest and the effort of the franchisees as owner managers help to assure the success of
each venture.
Disadvantages:
 The franchisee may find profits small in relation to the time and work involved and often
has limited flexibility at the local level.

12.  The franchisor may find profits so slim that it may want to own stores outright rather than
franchise them.
 Attempts to but back franchises often lead to troubled relations with the remaining
franchises
BUSINESS GROWTH AND EXPANSION
 Internal growth
 Mergers and integration
 Horizontal mergers or integration
 Vertical mergers or integration
Conglomerates:
A conglomerate is a company consisting of a number of subsidiary companies in unrelated
industries.
Licensing:
Licensing is an arrangement whereby firms are giving permissions to produce and market
merchandise in the name of the licensor.
Advantages:
 The merchandise is identified with a highly recognizable name, which also highly
connotes high quality.
 And to customers the designer name not only indicates a certain level of quality but
symbolizes statue or achievement as well.
 Because of that built-in appeal, stores have stocked up on designer goods from socks to
fragrances and jewelry.
 Retail programs
 International programs
THE RETAILING AND DEVELOPMENT OF PRIVATE LABELS AND BRANDS
1. NATIONAL BRANDS:
These are the brands that have been promoted through both the print and broadcast media and
have maintained a variety of retailers model stocks and do not feature any degree of exclusivity.
Advantages:
 Advertising and promotion
 Visual presentations
 Prestige
 Continuity of production

13. 2. PRIVATE LABELS AND BRANDS
Shoppers who are satisfied with the store’s private label offerings sometimes seek these
collections at the other retail outlets, not realizing that they may only be found in the companies
that successfully developed them.
Advantages:
 Price cutting
 Change of design
 Less competition
 Greater profitability
 Brand loyalty
 The store is the brand philosophy
 Licensed private branding
 Partnering brands
 Wholly owned subsidiaries
 Purchasing from outside contractors
 Using national manufacturer production facilities
 Participating in resident buying office programs
 Forming non competing buying groups
Promoting awareness of private brands and labels
 Advertising campaigns
 Special events
 Creation of special departments
 Visual presentations
 Customer giveaways
 Employee training
(ii) Discuss the role of visual merchandising in garment retailing. (8)
The role of a visual merchandiser largely depends on the type of retail organization and the
importance accorded to the role of visual merchandising. Visual merchandisers must be aware of
the stores layout in intimate detail. Some organizations have two levels of visual merchandising
positions.
1. Responsible for the overall look and color flow of displays
2. Responsible for maintaining window and other displays on day-to-day basis
Displays are usually planned two to four weeks in advance to co-ordinate with special
promotions and advertising campaigns. If a visual merchandiser is working exclusively for a
large organization or chain, signage and props packages are generally provided. The tools used to

14. achieve these attributes are based on creating the most Satisfying experience for the shopper,
turning browsers into buyers.
Let’s start at the beginning. An important element in any store design is the look of the
storefront. Accomplished successfully, the entrance reflects the personality of the store and gives
a glimpse of the merchandise available inside. Design a distinctive store logo that communicates
your mission. Not only will you use this as a storefront sign, but it could also be painted or
applied with special graphics film on the floor as a welcome mat or maybe on the wall behind the
cash wrap. And you’ll want it printed on merchandise, hangtags, and point of sale signage. The
way merchandise is displayed in show windows also has a lot to do with enticing the guests into
the store. Whether you have a store in the mall or on the street, the customer has only a few
seconds to view and be attracted by your displays. Your visual philosophy should replicate a
billboard: make it bold, colorful, and simple. Baby shops often put one of everything into the
window and customer miss it all because they can’t focus.
There are several approaches to retail store organization and merchandise display. The first
and most common are to display similar merchandise all in the same area. If your store presents
merchandise in this way, you’ll probably have a stroller wall, a book section, fixtures for toys
and novelties, and special cases for Smaller or secured merchandise. You might, however, want
to consider as an alternate presentation method, Lifestyle Merchandising.
With this method, diverse products like apparel, books, lamps, furniture, etc., which all
reflect the same theme, are displayed together in a room setting. Having spent my formative
years in the furniture business, it became evident early on that helping customers to visualize
how merchandise would look in their homes was a major contributing factor in affecting a sale.
As a more thematic interpretation of ‘cross merchandising’, presenting products in this manner
can also increase the received value of items that normally would seem unconnected with any
other merchandise.
In addition, creating a professional looking graphics package that displays price and features
and benefits messages clearly communicates the value of your offer. It may be difficult to
compete with the larger national chains’ prices, but displaying current, fashionable merchandise,
sold by knowledgeable sales personnel and priced within a consistent value range will establish
your business as a viable alternative to those stores.
1. TOO much clutter or too busy of a display.
Displays should be easy to read with the human eye. Far too often displays get too involved
and become confusing, telling too many stories or getting out of focus. Start with a simple
message. For example, are you telling a casual, athletic or dress shoe story? Are you delivering a
single gender, or multiple gender messages. There is a lot of merit to the statement, Keep It
Simple.

15. 2. Start out slow and build big.
Creating great displays really starts with a comfort level to develop and then leave it alone. Start
out creating smaller displays and as you feel more comfortable about displays, add more items,
thus bigger display areas.
3. Where do ideas come from?
They come from everywhere and anywhere. Inspiration comes from all sorts of areas and
encounters in life. Use your imagination and be very open minded. Just try to not offend anyone.
For example, animal prints on shoes. Head for the ZOO. Take pictures, buy souvenirs. Visit
locker rooms at a local school for athletic back grounds, buy metal lockers, benches, poms,
bleachers, etc…. Hiking boots, the great outdoors, trails, hiking, mountain ranges, etc…
Make regular visits to local department and specialty stores. Visit the regional mall and look at
everyone. Some of the best ideas will come from outside the shoe industry. Remember that
design principals always a ply, not the different merchandise types other than shoes.
4. Prioritizing display areas in stores.
Placing displays everywhere sends confusing messages to the customer. Prioritize locations to
build visual focal points in stores. Place them at key sight lines, endcaps, entrance tables to the
store or a department. Break up large wall display areas with a visual statement or graphic.
5. Cross merchandising.
Telling a complete story with other complimentary merchandise offerings is a great way to
increase impulse and add-on sales. For example, if you sell handbags, hats or scarves, including
these other items with shoes adds visual excitement. It is quite different than simply using shoes
or one type of merchandise item. You can display athletic or walking shoes on a wall or end cap
with comfortable socks on one side of the panel. If you sell designer hosiery, place it with dress
shoes.
6. Incorporating props.
For added interest, you can add materials most commonly identified as props.
For example, with work boots, use cement blocks, lumber, orange cones, power tools, etc. For
summer shoes, use sand, beach towels, beach toys, umbrellas, etc… There are many options. Use
your imagination and have fun.
7. Use of mannequins or forms.
Even if you don’t sell clothing, the use of mannequins and display forms add a different
dimension to display areas. Everyone relates to the human factor in life.
8. Use of videos monitors.
The use of video monitors to tell a story, compliment a brand or quality of the item or display
offers movement and interest. It is also a way to educate the customer about something new
about products. As with the use of graphics, monitors can be used to simply offer lifestyle

16. imagery and not be design or brand specific. For example, showing a video of a fashion show,
models on a runway to compliment new season styles.
9. Informational signage
Utilizing messages and informational statements about manufacturers, products, materials,
technology, benefits and more in displays is a great idea. It is a positive approach to completing a
statement. You would of course have a combination of the shoes in mention, props supporting
the directional message; add lighting and more to make it perfect. Or the other option is to make
it very simple and clean based on the product attitude or price points.
10. Making a brand statement
If you have strength and positive imaging from brands available in your store, use this to your
advantage. Remember that with multiple stores, the actual store also becomes a brand to
consumers.
11. Use of Vendor fixtures
The use of vendor supplied fixtures is acceptable as long as they are used promotionally,
compliment the store environment and image, add to the aesthetics of the store, can be
strategically located for all of the above reasons. All fixtures require the best flexibility and
function as well as design.
12. Focal fixtures with visual excitement.
A focal display can be a major fixture piece. For example, a children’s focal display unit may
be a cut out or wooden and painted like toys or animation character. This too is visual
excitement. And the fixture should have casters so you can move it from location to location
within the store.
13. Using lighting, the final touch.
Surveys have long proven that displays that are well illuminated sell more products. This is
because light attracts attention. It doesn’t require much, just a couple track heads strategically
placed. Keep it brighter at eye level and slightly above. Lighting is a completely different topic
that we can discuss down the road.
14. Change often.
Don’t let the displays get old. Keep in mind that your regular shoppers visiting the store often
need to be exposed to new displays, new products, etc. Move them around still in keeping with
the proper merchandise assortment department and mix.
15. Maintenance.
With in-store displays, they will always get messed up by customers touching them and not
returning product properly. Keep an eye on display areas and make sure that they are always kept
in good condition.
16. Schedule.

17. To ease tensions and make sure that you have everything you need in order to develop, a
display, plan ahead. Using a calendar, identify the key times of year around holidays or seasons,
new lines, etc… This allows you to make a checklist, obtain all the equipment and hardware and
then begin. It also allows you to anticipate costs that may be involved. Do quick little sketches of
your ideas on paper to get started and better define the display needs. You don’t have to be an
artist, just have to understand what you drew on the paper.
17. Who is responsible?
In most store situations it is best to have one specific person responsible for the creation of
display areas. This better insures that they will have a consistent focus, compliment the store
image and personality, stay maintained and improve. Everyone in a store will have an opinion
about good or bad displays. Remember that everyone has opinions on almost anything. Nobody’s
right or wrong.
18. Change the display settings in frequent intervals:
Changing the arrangement of the displays in regular intervals will initiate new interest about
the products in the minds of the customer. By designing a plan-o-gram and activating changes
frequently one can thus be a proactive retailer. With globalization and the retail boom, visual
merchandising is growing in leaps and bounds. It is not simply concerned about decorating a
store beautifully; but must also symbolize the brand keeping the target audience in mind. The
most important points to keep in mind when developing display areas are to relax and have fun
in that particular area.
08. (a) (i) “Store layout plays an important role in attracting customers”. Justify
the statements with respect to different store layouts. (8)
Store Layout and Design
Objectives of the Store Environment
 Attract customers into the stores.
Important criteria include cleanliness, labeled prices, accurate and pleasant checkout
Clerks and well-stocked shelves.
 Once they are inside the stores, convert customers in to buyers.
The tools to make buyers are in-store marketing, store design, merchandise presentation,
visual displays, and in-store promotions.
Types of Floor Space in the Store
 Back Room – receiving area, stockroom.
 Department stores (50%).
 Small specialty and convenience stores (10%).
 General merchandise stores (15-20%).

18.  Offices and Other functional Space – employee break room, store offices, cash office,
restrooms.
 Aisles, service areas and other non-selling areas.
 Moving space for shoppers through the store, dressing rooms, service desks and customer
service facilities.
 Merchandise Space.
 Store Layout
Objectives:
 Ease of access for the customer in finding the products.
 Giving customers adequate moving space for shopping.
Different styles of Layout
Grid (Straight) Design
Best used in retail stores to shop the entire store can be confusing and frustrating.
 Forcing customers to see, walk inside the large store may disturb and cause them to look
elsewhere.
 Most familiar examples are supermarkets and medical stores.
Curving/Loop (Racetrack) Design
 The customer enters, loops through the store (usually in the shape of circle, square or
rectangle) and returns back to the front of the stores.
 Expose shoppers to the greatest possible amount of merchandise by providing free
movement and cross- shopping.
Free-Flow Layout
 Fixtures and products grouped in to free-flowing pattern.
Storage – no defined traffic pattern for Jeans, Casual Wear, Stockings, Underwear,
Accessories, Pants, Checkout counter, Clearance Items, Dressing Rooms, Tops, Skirts
and dresses, Hats and Handbags Best suitable for small stores (under 5,000 square feet).
 Works best for shopping of similar product types, such as fashion apparels.
 If there is a large varieties of products, there will be no clear idea where one department
stops and another starts.
Spine Layout
 Based on main walkway running from the front to the back of the store (transporting
customers in both directions).
 On either side of spine, merchandise department’s branch off towards the back or side
walls.

19.  Mainly used in medium-sized specialty stores ranging from 2,000 – 10,000 square feet.
Feature Areas
The areas within a store designed to get the customer’s attention are:
 End caps – displays located at the end of the aisles.
 Promotional aisle/area.
 Freestanding fixtures.
 Windows.
 Walls.
 Point-of-sale (POS) displays/areas.
Visual Communications
 Name, logo and retail identity.
 Institutional signage.
 Directional, departmental and category signage.
 Point-of-Sale (POS) Signage.
 Lifestyle Graphics.
 Coordinate signs and graphics with store’s image.
 Information displays
(ii) Give the step by step procedure of planning a store layout. (8)
The last element which is integral to the internal look of the store is the store layout. Simply
put, the layout of the store is the manner in which merchandise or products have been arranged
in a retail store. It helps the movement of the customer within the store. An ideal layout strikes
the balance between the merchandise to be displayed and productivity.
A layout is like a plan for the store. It is meant to aid movement and flow of customers, so
that they move through the entire store. Areas within the store need to be demarcated as prime
selling areas, impulse merchandise areas, destination areas and seasonal or special merchandise
areas. By balancing the destination areas and the impulse buying areas, the flow of the traffic
through the store can be directed.
The entrance are of the store is often referred to as the 'decompression zone' or the
'trill1sition zone. This is the area near the entrance, of the store. When the customer enters the
store, he is making a transition to a new environment: Merchandise placed right near the
entrance is usually lost on the customer entering the store. At this point, he is adjusting to the
new environment and very rarely does buying occur right there. Sales staff greeting the
customers with a pleasant 'May I assist you?' may more often be met with a prompt 'No' as a
reply. The retailer needs to understand that at this point, the customer is still taking in the
environment of the shop; he may have a predefined list of items to buy or may just have come

20. there to browse around. He needs to be given time to adjust to the new environment before
trying to sell him products.
The question that then arises is, why should retailer stock merchandise in this part of the
store or what can he do with the transition zone? Since retail space is premium, it needs to be
utilized. Retailers use this zone to sell deeply discounted merchandise, or put up a power display,
offer the customer a coupon, a basket, or simply sell products like flowers. Many stores also start
displaying and selling seasonal products before the main section of the store. The Amarsons
store in Bandra, Mumbai, sells seasonal merchandise like raincoats, umbrellas, torans; divas and
artificial flowers in an area before the main entrance to the shop. This allows customers to adjust
to the environment.
Once the customer has passed this decompression zone, he would on most occasions, turn right.
The cash wrap or billing counters are usually placed to the left and high impulse merchandise is
placed near these counters. The cash counter is the place where the retailer has a captive
audience in the customer and it is here that most of the impulse sales are made.
Store layout Consider alternate presentation method say Lifestyle Merchandising. With this
method, diverse products like apparel, home furniture, accessories, interior design products etc.,
which all reflect the same theme, are displayed together in a room setting.
(b). Discuss the factors to be considered in selection of display locations, lifts, and staircase in a
retail store. (16)
SELECTION OF DISPLAY LOCATIONS
Space Planning helps a retailer determine the amount of space available for selling and for
storage. It also helps determine the following:
The location of various departments
The location of various products within the department is used for the creation of
planograms.
The pros/cons of specific locations for impulse products, destination areas, seasonal
products, products with specific merchandising needs or adjacent departments (complementary
goods)
The relationship of space to profitability is required.
Space Planning is not only an element of retail design but is also an element of merchandise
management/category management. Since category/merchandise managers are responsible for
the overall profitability of the merchandise, it is linked to the retail space allocated for the
merchandise within the store.
When one walks into a department store, one rarely thinks about the reason behind the
location of various departments and the placement of products. The retailer has to take into
account various factors while determining the location of various departments. The first factor

21. that is taken into consideration is the amount of traffic generated by that department and the
potential sales. The items having high demand and a fair amount of traffic are not necessarily
placed near the entrance of the store. They are usually located in low traffic areas. Products like
fragrances, jewellery and cosmetics, which are largely impulse items, may be placed near the
entrance of the store. For example, a retailer like Shopper's Stop places impulse items on the
ground level of the store. Products like men's wear, women's wear, children's wear and casual
wear are placed at a higher level in the multi level store. After the acquisition of the bookstore
chain Crossword, Crossword Corners have been placed in the children's and home section. This
has been done to encourage footfalls of women and children into the book corner. .
An analysis of the footfalls in the department, the sales potential of the various departments
and a basket analysis of what customers are likely to buy are required. Ideally, merchandise
should be laid out in a manner that customers would buy rather than mere departments. For
example, in the women's wear section, handbags and footwear and accessories may be placed in
a co-ordinated manner along with the clothes.
Many retailers adopt cross-mix merchandising, which enables a customer to visualise how
various products would look together. Retailers may also create areas within the store where all
products may be displayed together. For example in the home section, all the products that may
be used in a bathroom may be displayed together. This helps the customer visualize how various
products would look together and also encourages purchases.
Retailers very often, resort to merchandising similar products together, this enables the
customers to efficiently use their time while in the store. Placing similar products together
inside the store is called creating a' shop interior anchor area or niche. This is sometimes called
creating a store within a store. These areas are the basic building blocks of the store and retailers
most commonly, use this type of interior organization. When you create an anchor area,
merchandise is usually placed together according to similarity in product, brand, colour or
texture. For instance, in the home section, all lamps may be in one section, while all the bed
sheets etc., will be in another. This product grouping allows customers to quickly find what they
are looking for and to see the breadth of a product category offered.
LIFTS, STAIRCASE, ELEVATORS
A lifts, staircase, elevators is a vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people
or goods between floors (levels, decks) of a building, vessel or other structure. Elevators are
generally powered by electric motors that either drive traction cables and counterweight systems,
or pump hydraulic fluid to raise a cylindrical piston.
Generally, the incidence of footfalls is maximum on weekends with the highest density
on the ground floor, which gets thinner as you go up the floors. For malls having a multilevel car
park the situation can be a bit better since cars parking at different levels generally access the

22. corresponding level of the mall. In malls with basements, people pour in both from the basement
and from the main entrance on to the ground floor. The situation can really look chaotic if the
navigation and vertical transport system in the mall is not well planned. For design purposes a
traffic density of 3sqm per person on the ground floor and 6sqm per person on the above floors
can be assumed. For the multiplex the density can be roughly 12sqm per person, informs
Marathe. A good design should help people navigate quickly to the intended place without
having to wade through the traffic to reach out to an escalator or an elevator. Marathe and
Dubey of Brigade list down some important aspects of designing the vertical transport system:
1. Escalators and passenger lifts should be placed within viewing distance of each other to
facilitate people to use either of the two.
2. Escalators are the prime movers of people between floors, moving about 85-90 per cent of the
traffic.
Passenger’s lifts will be used by the remaining 10-15 per cent people including people on wheel
chairs, having physical limitations etc.
3. Based on the assumed traffic density a diversity factor of 85 per cent should be applied.
4.A five minutes peak traffic study shows that 12 per cent people require vertical transport in a
peak five minutes period.
5. Banks of escalators should not be located more than hundred meters apart.
6. Escalators with one meter width are ideal for malls. This will allow two people to stand
adjacent to each other on one step, a significant feature of people moving in groups and with
small children. One meter Wide escalators have a capacity to move about 7000 people per hour.
7. All escalators have a minimum of five meters of queuing up space on either ends.
8. Passenger lifts should ideally have center opening doors, with a minimum width of a meter
and a half.
9. Lifts should preferably be provided in two car groups to prevent problems due to unplanned
shutdowns.
UTILISATION OF STORE SPACE
Making Productive Use of Space— Merchandising should organize products to make the most
reductive use of space. This involves setting shelves at heights that will clear merchandise but
not waste space, adjusting hooks and bins to the size of the item and fitting long- and short-
handled items together.
Determining Which Products to Put Where—Retailers advertise products they think customers
want. That same idea should govern what items are put in prime display space in the store. Keep
the best display area for high-demand, fast-moving products. Putting slow-movers in prime space
won’t make them sell faster; it will only suggest to customers that the merchandise they want is
in another store.