How do you manage to tell a story in a limited space that delights customers and elevates visual merchandising to a true art? With his “Joy List”, trend expert Ronny de Vylder gives retailers tips on how they can improve their business and thus the shopping experience of their customers. It has everything to do with the art of seeing.
Think outside the box and visit museums
One thing is clear, says de Vylder: “Retail will never be the same again.” Creating an engaging in-store shopping experience is more important than ever, and with competition from social media and online shopping, retailers must: are increasingly thinking “out-of-the-box” indoors, as evidenced by the increasingly interactive “hyperphysical” pop-up stores, the much-heralded collaborations between popular brands like Adidas and Gucci, and the use of oversized items as “visual merchandising Tools”. De Vylder cites as an example a large sculpture in the shape of the Disney character Cruella in Givenchy stores and also shows a photo of an XL necklace in the Marc Jacobs window.
De Vylder takes inspiration from everything and advises retailers to do the same. He himself is heavily inspired by the art world, because “fashion and art are friends”. He mentions the JW Anderson collection, where the models wear sweaters with Rembrandt’s self-portrait, and he also mentions the artist Dimitri Tsykalov, who uses packaging material for his art. According to de Vylder, this shows how shopkeepers can make a big impact with something as simple as stacking boxes.
One of the latest storefronts from Dutch department store De Bijenkorf, which is committed to sustainability, is also a good example for retailers, says de Vylder. A seemingly simple construction of compressed garments forms a compact block reminiscent of the growing mountain of textiles. Because the message gets through immediately, this window invites passers-by to look longer.
Other important sources of inspiration for de Vylder are: Instagram, magazines, festivals, graduation shows, fashion shows and even creatively displayed food at the market. The latter he cites as an example of “true visual merchandising” as it was practiced a long time ago. According to de Vylder, all of the inspiration can be incorporated into a mood board, giving retailers a clearer idea of what visual direction they want their storefront to take.
Attention is a scarce commodity
People generally spend 27 seconds looking at a work of art in a museum, while they only have three seconds for a window display, says de Vylder. That’s why retailers must do everything they can to capture customers’ interest and attention. “Just because people linger at a storefront doesn’t mean they go inside.”
So how do you make them curious? “Focus on one product and highlight it well,” says de Vylder.” The strategic use of mirrors is also very important. It is important to consider what is seen in the reflection of the mirror. “You obviously don’t want to highlight a less interesting part of your store,” he says. Multi-brand retailer Dover Street Market emphasizes the importance of its storefronts in an interesting way, according to de Vylder, with an “online storefront.” Here, under “new spaces” all storefronts per brand are highlighted, allowing customers to see everything at a glance and subtly inviting them to experience everything in the physical store for themselves.
“Don’t underestimate the importance of good lighting either,” de Vylder insists. “Even the most creative shop window in the world is inadequate if it’s not properly lit.” It also allows retailers to think creatively about positioning their items. “Try a so-called waterfall construction, where objects appear to slide along the window in a wavy motion, as seen in gallery and antique shop windows in Amsterdam’s Spiegelkwartier during Art & Antiques weekend. ”
Finally, according to de Vylder, “stacking” offers many possibilities: “Be creative and stack plastic, boxes or other materials on top of each other and then display a product on top of each other.” This can also be translated to photography by working with collages or otherwise superimposes images.”
So visual merchandising can be effective and become a true art when retailers are creative, keep an eye on important trends and are open to different forms of inspiration. “Creativity provides the knowledge needed to come up with a compelling idea and turn it into something special.” And that, according to de Vylder, is exactly what retailers need to do.
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.nl.