The Importance of Visual Merchandising www.creative-download.co.uk
COMPANY HISTORY ABOUT US
Creative Download was launched by Iain Kimmins; a Visual Merchandising professional with an outstanding history in the industry. His career includes the department stores Harrods and Selfridges in London and Tangs in Singapore. He has also worked on retail projects in Shanghai, Dubai, New York, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland. Iain’s experience is based on a commitment to delivering the ultimate retail theatre for your customers together with high standards of Visual Merchandising. “My passion and enthusiasm for retail is not only about being creative but being commercially aware to identify the needs of your business. The Creative Download VM team create exciting shops/stores in order to drive sales.
Iain Kimmins
Having attended Christmas World and Euro-Shop in February, two of the greatest retail trade shows, it was obvious that attendance was lower than usual, and many exhibitors had pulled out of the show. Little did we know that the Corona Virus would certainly take a grip on the whole world. Given these unprecedented and challenging times, the global economy has ground to a halt. Retailers are facing uncertain times. Property rent, business rates, staff salaries to name a few issues. There was the recession in 2007-2008 and we survived and got back on our feet again. There will be an end to this world catastrophe and retailers will be desperate re-open their stores and welcome customers back. People love shopping, there is no getting away from this favourite pastime. Given the lockdown your customers will be itching to leave their homes and visit the stores and shopping malls. So while customers may have to tighten their financial belts, retailers need to step and attract customers back into their shops/stores. From various conversations with our clients, there is a sense of hope, despite the fact that there will be challenges ahead. There is a need to pick ourselves up and start again. As we are all aware, retail has been struggling in this tough market place, however this is certainly the time to think, reflect and in many cases create a new and exciting strategy on how retailers can re-invent themselves and move forward. While it will take time for retail to re-establish itself on the High Street, retailers will need to focus strongly on Christmas and into 2021. There is a need for retailers to ensure their shops/stores are of a superb standard when it comes to Store Presentation and Visual Merchandising. www.creative-download.co.uk
Create a strategy Utilise your store and team effectively Plan a different route Think positively and adapt to survive
Reinvent Focus on the future Think ‘customer’ Improve customer expectation Emerge stronger from this crisis
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Visual Merchandising is the art of presenting merchandise to look good to your customers The Problem
Professionally executed, it gives the store . huge potential to distinguish the brand and excite customers. Poorly executed it will downgrade the store immediately. Lower customer expectation will reduce the perceived value of the merchandise. It is crucial to get the store message across to your customers.
The Solution
Customers want to feel that shopping in your store is a pleasurable experience. They want to be excited by the range of merchandise on offer. The merchandise needs to be presented in a way that brings quality and style. The merchandise needs to represent the ‘must have’ purchase.
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Our Solution Our experience is based on a commitment to the highest standards, delivering the ultimate retail theatre for your customers through a hands-on approach, together with a team of trained visual professionals. Visual Merchandising is more than being creative. It is a commercial driver for your business. The Creative Download VM team create exciting shops/stores driving sales through Visual Merchandising, Store Layout, Fixtures, Product Categories/Product Adjacencies, Signage & Ticketing.
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”You don’t get a
second chance to make a first impression”
Your shop window is your cheapest form of advertising. It is the face of your store, and one of the most important elements of your business Do remember that a potential customer only has a few seconds to look at your window and decide whether to enter your shop. Those few seconds are crucial.
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Given the tough retail trading conditions, it is paramount to ensure that your shop or store is looking spectacular with that all important first impression from the customer. Visual merchandising today is not only limited to the window display; it covers all the necessity to capture the attention of the customers from the shop frontage, awnings, signage to the layout of the store fixtures, merchandise presentation in order to create that memorable shopping experience.
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Happy customers tell their friends who tell their friends who tell their friends. They take photos and share across social media which is a powerful tool.
First impressions are formed FAST Customers vividly remember the worst impression, not the best impression
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. Retail is a competitive business and is constantly changing. It’s your ability to respond to those changes in order to stay ahead of the competition and drive revenue. Create retail theatre for your customers. Give your customers an excellent shopping experience, something to remember their visit to your store. Encourage your customers to shop, experiment and interact with the product. Create a higher level of presentation. Increase the average spend by creating link-selling opportunities. Strengthen the Brand to the consumer.
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Headline in local newspaper…..
Shopper found dead in local store; cause of death – boredom The store is “where the action is” and includes such details as the placement of the merchandise. Retail is very competitive and therefore it is paramount to offer the customer a good shopping experience. Customers want: Quality Products Retail Theatre Promotions Events Pop Up Shops Excellent Customer Service www.creative-download.co.uk
A Journey of Discovery Create and influence your customer. Embrace the seasons, reinventing traditional themes, create excitement and retail theatre. Inspire your customers to shop in your stores by way of quality merchandise, the service provided by your experienced and professional sales team and the overall store presentation.
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To capture attention, awaken the senses, provide your customers with a wonderful buying experience which will bring them back to the store for the next time and become a loyal customer.
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Create retail theatre for your customers and give them the wow factor as they browse your store. Your shop/store needs to be a fun and exciting place to shop. It will give customers an excellent and memorable shopping experience, something they cannot find when shopping on-line.
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Create hot spots or focal points around the store to highlight new lines or trends. Your customer will be drawn to these areas to take a closer look at the merchandise on offer. Display some items that have a higher profit margin to drive revenue. And don’t forget these areas make an ideal “link-sell” opportunity. These hot spots could be stand along columns/plinths or end gondola’s.
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Shanghai
PVG
Dubai
DXB
Singapore
SIN
Hong Kong
HKG
New York
JFK
Zurich
ZRH
Paris
CGD
Berlin
TXL
Milan
MXP
Global Is The New Local Although based in the UK, Creative Download work on many retail projects overseas. These include; Asia, The Middle East, Europe, the US and Scandinavia. Our commercial experience and knowledge is global, and many retail organisations adapt to the ‘Western way’ of Visual Merchandising.
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hello@creative-download.co.uk www.creative-download.co.uk
+ 44 0 7931 984 930