Do and Don't: In Retail, the Lightbulb IS the Detail

When stores are encouraging interaction between shoppers and their products; such as this store providing an electrical outlet for customers to test their display lamps, the least they can do is provide the lightbulb.

Do and Don't: Can't See!

GIVEN the choice, will customers still fully penetrate a selling space if they cannot view the shop or will they simply walk past it?
DO: A beautiful display setting that leads the eye from the front low table to the way to the back wall. Guess which direction customer traffic will go? They will surely visit each unit from the front to the back! DON'T: Too bad the front unit is loaded with too much merchandise that it hinders sightlines to the rest of the shop.

Do and Don't: Crouch to Browse?

DO: Shopping for bags is a breeze in this display. All bags are front faced, making it easy to view. Height levels are great as customers need not reach too high nor bend too low to access the products. DON'T: Bags hanging on a waterfall below waist level?! Viewed from a normal height, one sees only the tops of the bag straps. Is this store really expecting customers to crouch down to browse through the selection?

Do and Don't: Multiple Selling, Anyone?

DO: A great display shows bags of similar price points and end use. To top it off, the store merchandised the bags with coordinating shoes. Multiple sales, anyone? DON'T: Evening bags displayed alongside backpacks and everyday bags? This display would've been better if they segregated a section for evening bags, one for backpacks and one for everyday shoulder bags. Shopping would be easier and the display a lot more organized.

Do and Don't: I like 45' Angles

DO: I like how the angled displays greet customers as they walk this aisle. It makes for an eye catching display and makes both product and price easy to see. DON'T: Well, this really isn't a don't, rather after seeing the 45' angled display above, this flat linear display becomes less appealing.

Do and Don't: Lets Confuse the Customer-NOT!

DO: Make it easy for customers not only to buy but also understand your groupings. By displaying products with the same end-use, in this case a dressy clutch bag with coordinating accessories, it silently sells to customers a one stop shop for their special occasion needs. DON'T: Can this be anymore confusing?! Evening jewelry merchandised alongside an everyday bag; evening clutch bags with everyday wallets immediately below it. Is this how customers will wear them?

Do and Don't: A jacket vest with your beddings?

DO: A nice display bed presented with furniture and accessories that take advantage of multiple selling opportunities. DON'T: Sales Associate to Customer:"Oh such a beautiful bedding set, isn't it? And how about a jacket vest to go with it?!"

Do and Don't: Lighting Premium Clothing

DO: Lighting a clothing store not only requires general lighting but also ones that can focus on specific feature items to create drama and interest. DON'T: The lighting in the store below devalues the premium clothing merchandised. This type of lighting is often used for popular price point goods not unlike those seen in grocery or warehouse type stores.

Do and Don't: Lighting Wall Fixtures

DO: Lighting this disply unit from the front allows customers a good view of the merchandise. DONT: Lighting for this unit can be effective when it is layered with other lighting sources. This display made the sides brighter but the midsection dark.

Do and Don't: Irrationality of Combinations

IRRATIONALITY OF COMBINATIONS
DO: Yes, there is a term for mixing unrelated items in a display. However, the catch is that they still need to belong to a single story as in this case.
The display below of table mats and plates may have nothing to do with pillows and birdcage candle holders but they belong in the same colour story. DON'T: Car mats and kitchen accessories. Hmmm. Even this will not get away with using the term irrationality of combinations.

Do and Don't: Hodge Podge Displays

DO: Make it easy to buy! Within a single category such as souvenirs, group like items together. E.G. Food within its own subgroup and gifts in another.
DON'T: Avoid displaying all kinds of souvenirs together. Products lose their credibility and perceived values when it is in a hodge podge display.

Do and Don't: Layout-Category Placement

DO: Keep your merchandise category layout organized and logically sequenced. This makes shopping so much easier. Best of all, it encourages multiple sales between categories. Fixtures that form mini sections can create a clean delineation between categories. DON'T: Refrain from placing merchandise without careful thought of the story you would like to convey.

Do and Don't: Housekeeping- behind the cash desk

DO: Keep back of cash desks neat and tidy. Just because this is the back does not mean customers now have their blinders on. Remember, this is often where the last impression is formed.

DON'T: When did backs of cash desks become garbage storage? I was purchasing something from this store and this is the cash counter they used to process my transaction. Needless to say the cashier had a harder time bagging my items when she had to move things around to access the bags.

Do and Don't: Valentine Window Display

I realize that not all retailers can afford to hire professional visual merchandisers to do their window displays all the time. This is just fine, when having the right foundation (in this case, fixtures) and by applying some shape to the set-up can go a long way in creating an eye catching display.
DO: (Above)

1. Nesting tables set a good foundation that creates interest in a display.

2. The products placed from top to bottom invites the eye to view the entire display.

3. The diagonal line created by the bags provide eye direction.

4. The backdrop stops the eye from meandering elsewhere.

5. The strong use of the colour red cannot help but stop the eye.

DON'T:

1. Half hearted attempts at this Valentine display fail to attract positive attention.

2. The sparse merchandising and haphazardly placed merchandise look extremely unprofessional and thus, devalue the products.

3. There is really nothing that attracts the eye to this low display. Eye level is really the interior of the shop which just adds to visual clutter.

TO DO THEMED WINDOWS WELL, YOU GOTTA DO IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT