Page 198 - DMGT552_VISUAL_MERCHANDISING

Unit 10: Dominance Factor in Merchandise Presentation

2. Visual merchandising includes not only window and interior displays but also, how to Notes
present any and all merchandise for customer inspection, and create total, ..............................
environments.
3. Merchandise presentation must be creative as well as .............................. so that customers
can make purchases easily.

4. When preparing a visual merchandising layout, it is desirable that the visual merchandiser
give emphasis to some special aspect of the product. It can be the colour, the coordinates,
the brand name, the size, the price, and end use. This emphasis is known as the
..............................
5. It is always .............................. to coordinate merchandise.

10.2 Budgeting

Retailers of all sizes must grapple with how much of the budget to allocate for their visual
merchandising. No matter how much is earmarked to accomplish the store’s goals, it never
seems to be enough. Budgets are established in many ways, with the major department store
organisations using the most structured formats. The small, independent merchant, on the other
hand, tends to be less disciplined about budgeting, particularly where visual presentations are
concerned. This may be because the staff does not include visual professionals who can lobby for
reasonable allocations or because these merchants view visual merchandising as something to
be achieved with whatever resources are left over after stock purchasing, human resource costs,
and advertising. Generally, there are three aspects to visual merchandise budgets, no matter
how large or small the organisation: display fixturing, materials and props and labour costs.

Display Fixturing: Equipment of a more permanent nature, such as stands, platforms, pedestals,
merchandise forms, and mannequins, is generally used for a long time. Except for the major
department stores where specialised forms and mannequins are set aside for specific purposes
(such as the mechanical ones often used at Christmas time), this type of equipment is generally
used for all presentations. Since the materials from which these forms are made are long-lasting,
expenditures for this classification of display pieces are made infrequently, perhaps once a year
or less often. Repairs to such equipment, such as mannequin restoration, often come out of a
contingency budget. More and more retailers are setting their sights on less costly mannequins,
such as unisex types made of wire or other materials that can be used for many purposes.
Creative visual merchandisers are even producing their own mannequin substitutes to feature
merchandise. These forms are often very exciting and can be made inexpensively. Using a
variety of basic materials, the trimmer comes up with forms that serve the retailer’s purposes.
Materials and Props: The settings that we see in store windows or inside stores that set the scene
for a display are changed frequently. Sometimes these backgrounds are painted or adapted for
repeated use, saving the retailer a great deal of expense. For specific seasons such as Christmas,
when glittery fabrics, imaginative mechanical devices, and other materials indicate a specific
setting, it is difficult to use the same fabrics that worked well the rest of the year.
The transformation of a store at this holiday period is costly. However, because it is a time when
most retailers generate a major portion of their annual sales, budget cuts are not usually made
at this time. The majority of retailers over-expend themselves at this time of the year and,
if necessary, cut back on the moneys used for visual presentations for the remainder of the year.
By borrowing props such as chairs, ladders, bicycles, and musical instruments from other
businesses or from their own merchandise departments, retailers can stretch budgets. It is the
creative visual merchandiser who can develop effective presentations when costs have been
greatly reduced.

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