A good Visual Merchandising course is able to pass on all the necessary skills to be able to perform at best in a profession that in itself combines technique, creativity and knowledge of both Design and Visual Communication.
The Visual Merchandiser in fact it is a professional specialised in exhibition system management within points of sale and showroom and has great skill in the procedures that lead a customer to purchase. This experience is closely linked not only to need, but also and above all to the satisfaction of a desire; this is why the figure of the Visual Merchandiser plays a key role in the sales process.
In this perspective the Italian Design Institute Visual Merchandising course trains a visual and commercial communication specialist in the shop, able to successfully cope with an increasingly complex and competitive market, providing students with all the technical and creative skills to enhance the brand identity in the store, and ensuring that the purchase is transformed into a moment, an experience in fact, stimulating, exciting, and above all, building loyalty.
Correct organisation of a shop's display space helps to increase sales. There are some basic rules of Visual Merchandising which, therefore, should be followed in order to make the shop more competitive, optimise space and ensure good profitability.
One of these basic rules is the verticalityThis direction, in fact, exerts a greater attraction than the horizontal direction and allows a more incisive impact of the goods displayed. This rule is most effective when applied with colour and can be adopted with any type of product and in any sector. In wall display, a fundamental principle applies: product positioned below 20/30 cm is not valorised, above 190 cm it is unreachable, while the space between 80 and 160 cm (between hands and eyes) is considered profitable.
L'sequence interruption is another of the basic rules of Visual Merchandising. It refers to that strategic moment when the display rhythm is broken, repetition and attention is truly 'captured', increasing the desire to buy. The game created by the alternation of repetition and interruption enhances the assortment and increases the saleability of the products. Interruptions are made with images, busts and changes in the repeated display modes.
A good Visual Merchandiser must have a perfect understanding of geometry. The human mind's innate knowledge of the fundamentals of geometry allows displays that exploit these patterns to make products more easily recognisable and memorable to customers. In Visual Merchandising there are three basic geometric patterns: pyramidal, diagonal e rhomboidal.
Lo pyramid scheme is the most effective, it draws attention to the summit, embraces the whole exhibition and makes it stronger and more incisive.
Lo diagonal pattern is achieved by placing three elements at three different heights, generally from left to right. By placing three busts or three mannequins, for example, attention can be directed towards the back wall where other items in the same merchandise category are displayed. This also reinforces the concept of assortment.
Lo rhomboid patternFinally, although it is the least used, because it is the most difficult to make, it is obtained by intersecting the figures, arranging the products appropriately, diversifying them by colour and fold, always following the rhomboid reference.
Another important rule is symmetry, i.e. the balance between the parts that make up the exhibition, achieved through the specular use of colours, shapes and volumes. In symmetrical displays, the external products must be equal.
In the fashion industry, there are specific symmetries such as 'funnel', where the longest garments are located in the centre of the display, 'organ pipe', when the longest garments are displayed at both ends, and 'half organ pipe', when the display starts with the short garments and ends with the long ones at the opposite side.
Among the basic rules of Visual Merchandising we also find the compactness. A product displayed in a compact manner attracts more and communicates more assortment. A principle that applies mainly to certain products such as jeans and T-shirts. The same applies to bars and pastry shops: a customer who sees a half-empty tray unconsciously thinks that the products still present are leftovers from the day before. A full tray sells more than an empty tray.
These are just some of the basic rules of Visual Merchandising which, if correctly applied, enable a shop to increase the chances of selling its products.
