Now that the nation begins to allow retail stores to reopen after nearly 4 months of pandemic-mandated shut downs, brick and mortar locations need to be customer ready. During the stay-at-home orders, many customers have become accustomed to the ease of shopping online. Upon reopening, retailers should expect that a number of people will be visiting malls once again, if only to be able to get out of the house and to have human interaction. It is the job of the visual merchandiser to entice the public back into the brick and mortar stores for their primary shopping experience.
We are the representatives for promoting the brand. Clean, compelling, and composed displays are what VM professionals do to help encourage shopper interest. It is crucial for the retail industry to re-imagine how to bring its customers back and it is our job as visual merchandisers to inspire that interest through our creative presentations. In today’s environment, however, VM professionals must now create the correct balance between making compelling statements about the products they are promoting while still maintaining and encouraging socially distant navigation throughout the store.
They are what visual merchandisers do to inspire customer interest and spending. VM professionals are essential to successful reopening of brick and mortar retail locations because our attention to detail is what makes a brand stand out. Whether it be the product selection, fashion, customer service, or displays retail stores must dial in on what makes their brand attractive to convince customers to come back into stores instead of shopping online.
Madeline Travell is
Visual Merchandising Stylist at Nordstrom.