5 Golden Rules Of Visual Merchandising, According To Experts

In the midst of retail highs and lows, creative successions, and shifting consumer attitudes, no fashion visual merchandiser stands alone. The shared feeling? Acing a winning in-store experience that converts ‘viral moments' into a lucrative revenue stream is way more complex than what meets the untrained eye. 

During my early beginnings as a fashion student, a clever professor said to a class of visual merchandisers-to-be: "Fashion sells dreams. Visual merchandising sells reality.” 

The hold that his words have on my approach to product presentation and display design is still epoxy-strong years later. Because, let’s face it—whether actually attainable or merely aspirational—what is the dream of fashion, if not, the possibility of making it our own?

More than the sum of their hero products, fashion consumers are craving a reconnection to real-life events, many times favoring experience over brand.

Bottega Veneta inside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade in Milan. Photo: Dezeen

Similar to a performance, the audience has to be really transported and immersed for it to remain top-of-mind days later. In the retail symphony, every detail works in concert to complete the overall vision usually led by the overture of the window display. 

“Displays should mimic life in that not everything is on one linear plane, but complex, with angles and depth.” says Dennison Lalla, visual merchandising veteran and account manager of retail and creative at Gilson Graphics. “Your goal as a visual merchandiser is to make your customer stop and take a moment to discover.”

Certainly, visual merchandising thrives on human emotion—surprise, desire, wonder—so why is it that even some of the most seriously luxurious stores can sometimes feel soulless? Have we finally lost our touch with reality? Is a little bit of fantasy needed to spark customer interest?

Christopher Vargas, West Coast Visual Manager at Burberry and LA-based fashion designer believes in the magic touch synonymous with visual merchandising: “I 100% believe that displays still need to display a bit of magic to spark customer desirability.” 

In today’s hyper-digitized economy, in-store experiences have become increasingly important in reclaiming a more holistic brand-consumer engagement. Thankfully, there’s a crop of retail professionals who defy capitalizing on the short-term impact of an experience by actually mastering the art of leaving customers inspired: visual merchandisers.

We asked visual merchandising experts to share their golden rules for crafting unforgettable retail experiences for this new era of fashion consumption.

1. CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES START THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

In retail, first impressions matter. As the main point of contact with your audience, window displays are powerful in blurring the lines between reality and potential, which is crucial for leaving your customer’s mind ripe for imagination: Should I try that white pintuck dress on? Will those strappy shoes fit me? I might as well take a peek inside to see what’s in…

Christian Dior Boutique in Cannes. Photo: Christian Dior

Store windows require special attention if we really want to maximize consumer engagement opportunities and, ultimately, grow revenue for the business. Lalla bets on designing consumer-centric experiences: “Looking good on paper is not the end-all of design, but rather the practicality of the design you create and how it will interact day-to-day with both the product and the client.” 

Mulberry AW24 windows by StudioXAG. Photos: StudioXAG.

He adds, “Take the time and get to know the product’s final placement in-store and, most importantly, listen to your sales associates.” Mirroring relevant trends, seasons and promotions, as well as your audience’s shopping preferences in continuous rotation, will talk about your brand’s ability to adapt to constant market changes.

Window displays set the tone of a store and deliver the overarching message of the brand itself, therefore make sure you focus your perspective on the client. Lalla advises on designing for your audience, not your portfolio. 

2. BRAND STORYTELLING WON’T HAPPEN WITHOUT A SMART LAYOUT

In an age when stores are desperately fighting for our attention, ‘painting the picture’ with a constellation of focal points is no longer enough. 

“There are two types of customers: the ones who shop wholesale know what they want and want to be in and out as fast as possible, and the ones who shop retail,” says Vargas. “The ones who shop retail will keep coming back because of how the space triggers all of their senses: the textures within the architecture, the one-of-a-kind scent being released from the vents and, of course, the well curated visuals. It’s important to keep that client’s excitement.”

Layouts provide guests with an easy way through every touchpoint of your store and allow them to browse multiple options before making a purchase. 

Vargas considers spatial layouts essential in optimizing traffic flow and encouraging customer engagement within the experience: “I feel the most important visual element is the interior design. Just like a runway show, set design can transport you to another world. It’s important for a store to do the same. Brands like Loewe, Marni, The Row do this so well. When you walk into the store, you’re taken to a different world and feel honored to shop there.”

Moncler Grenoble St Moritz flagship. Photos: Moncler

A winning immersive environment will effectively close the loop between brand and customer. “The customer is entitled to an experience as they approach and enter space,” explains Lalla. “Understanding the needs of the environment should be first.” 

Stores with multi-sensory experiences have a pleasing and more memorable aesthetic appeal. Crafting spaces that foster connection through sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell will resonate with consumers on a deeper level. There’s no need to overwhelm your customers with all five; delicate and intentional details will do. 

“My favorite rule is always less is more. Let the client fall in love with the best pieces so they can be excited to come back for more. No need to bombard them with all of the products at once and confuse them,” says Vargas.

Burberry’s grand store takeover of Harrods in London. Photo: Harrods.

However, don’t forget about those shareable in-store moments, such as propping, projections, photo opportunities, and pop-up activations, to name a few. Bespoke experiences help leverage the value of your brand among your audience.

3. PRODUCT PLACEMENT AND STRATEGIC STORE STYLING SHOULD ALIGN WITH YOUR CUSTOMER’S SHOPPING NEEDS

Even though digitalization has changed fashion retail’s landscape forever, some things in visual merchandising remain the same. For example, did you know that 70% of customers shop at eye-level, working their way from left to right, and make buying decisions in less than two minutes?

Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills new shoe salon. Photos: Footwear News

Anticipating your customer’s shopping needs in your navigation strategy is key in crafting bespoke shopping experiences. 

When it comes to strategic store styling, achieving visual harmony relies heavily on a skillful use of space and thoughtful reduction. “Positioning items at various distances and yet balancing the placement lends itself to making a set interesting and telling a better story,” Lalla explains. “Not every item is important, so pulling something back, or overlapping or angling an item is important.”

And yet, we can’t forget that it takes a village styling a store and ensuring a successful product placement. “Having a strong team within the store gets the customer excited," says Vargas. "If a customer wants to shop for a certain brand they go to the store to do so. Success lies within the store employees to romance the product along with how the visual merchandising team has displayed it.”

Also, a streamlined product placement should not only follow a consistent story, but also convey your brand’s message to achieve a relatable appeal with your audience. This lifestyle approach to a customer-centered shopping experience can help brands embrace the new age of fashion consumption successfully.

With IWD, retailers can easily create and share 2D and 3D visual merchandising guidelines for the ideal in-store atmosphere, share with their teams and accurately implement them, and lastly, analyze its performance in each of their locations. 

4. STORE LIGHTING IS IMPORTANT, BUT LACK THEREOF IT IS TOO

If anyone knows of the impact of good lighting in retail is a visual merchandiser. A multifaceted component, lighting captures your customer’s attention, sets the mood, and brings emphasis to certain elements in-store and out, from products, to props, signage and artwork.

Khaite SoHo flagship. Photos: Khaite

Lalla confirms, “Lighting is the most important icing on the visual cake. Don’t just walk away from a moment without addressing your lighting!” 

Understanding the environment you’re designing for is, again, of utmost importance in enhancing the customer experience. Casting compelling shadows and manipulating colors, where relevant, will deliberately build a distinct ambiance.

“Lighting is VERY important! A poorly lit store takes away the excitement and thrill of shopping at that moment,” adds Vargas. “Just like how we eat with our eyes, we also shop with our eyes. If it’s poorly lit, our brain automatically says, "This product is basic, keep scanning for excitement.” 
For visual merchandising best practices, don’t let lighting be an afterthought; make purposeful use of it in beautiful execution. “The main thing to avoid bad lighting is to make sure there are no random dim spots anywhere. You have to create a feast for your eyes, and that is highlighted by excellent lighting.” 

“Note that it doesn’t necessarily mean you should be adding more lighting for a moment to work,” Lalla warns. “Reducing its intensity, and sometimes even turning it off completely, can emphasize the importance of an item, such as in a vignette moment in a window. Shadows add depth, interest and an emotional attachment.”

5. ACCEPTING CRITICISM AND LAST-MINUTE CHANGES IS PART OF THE VISUAL MERCHANDISING JOURNEY

Ok, so here’s my confession: this article was originally going to cover the “most common visual merchandising mistakes to avoid.”

Sadly, some expert sources and colleagues deemed the topic too ‘negative’ and showed a bit of resistance for contribution to this piece. And I get it—whoever truly likes criticism, or perhaps assessing a touchy subject, probably never poured their heart and soul into a creative project they had long been passionate about.

Gucci SoHo store renovation. Photos: Les Façons

“Being able to understand and accept that we are never perfect but always improving is key and so is our work. The audience is the rule, they are the true judges of success and failure,” Lalla explains. 

This article’s new angle reminded me that last minute changes are inevitable, and in fashion visual merchandising, they’re practically unavoidable—many of us know that you have to be well prepared in anticipation for any shakeup throughout the course of your creative journey. 

Speaking of changes, it’s no secret that fashion designer shakeups are in abundance these days, which will affect the visual aesthetic of a store in alignment with its new brand identity. Vargas recommends visual merchandisers trust the process to deal with creative shifts, “Designer shakeups are something that will never go away; in fact, we have seen at least 5 big houses do it in the last year. Instead of fighting the changes within the visual merchandising, you need to embrace and trust them.”

I now think mistakes are good and admit that sudden creative shifts are best approached with creativity and an open mind. Recognizing where we went wrong and how we can better ourselves gives us a chance for growth and improvement in our craft. 

“I also agree that criticism is essential to be a successful visual merchandiser,” Vargas adds. “When I first started my career I was not good at last minute changes. I took it very personally. Rule number one for VMs is don't take anything personal. As a VM you are part of making your brand successful and if you are told to change something there’s something you might not be seeing that can impact the business in a positive way. The best part of VM is that nothing is set in stone. You can always make changes to a display. I have my “two week rule” — if after two weeks a display hasn’t impacted the business in a positive way, then it’s time to try something new.”

Lalla admits, “I remember going into visual stockrooms with tears in my eyes when I started because I took it all as a personal attack; it wasn’t.” He also advises anyone who shares a passion for enhancing the customer experience, “Ask questions as much as you can, nothing is as simple as it may seem, and any good leader would understand who wants to learn by the questions they are asking. There are never enough questions.” 

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