Visual Merchandising Essay

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According to the New Oxford Dictionary of English, 1999, Oxford University Press, Visual merchandising is the activity of promoting the sale of goods, especially by their presentation in retail outlets. This presentation includes a lot of elements, some used in a very direct manner while some used in a subtle way. These elements are arranged such that a visual presentation is created that is able to entice the customer inside the shop. The main aim is to maximize the sales. Earlier, VM was not given much importance in Indian retail scenario. But now a day, companies have dedicated departments and staff that takes complete care of visual merchandising. Any attractive and well done up window is a team effort of the entire department. There are various elements that are required for a proper VM; these are discussed in detail later in the book. VM is often termed as an art as well but, unlike art VM is much more commercially oriented. It is dome according to a particular marketing strategy or a festive season or both. So this way, VM is not an art in absolute terms. It is not a science also because there are no fixed laws and rules that govern the design of visual merchandising. To bring in the desired effects, tempering with elements can be done easily. Every store and company has a theme and a target segment. While some stores cater to lower income group and lay emphasis on low pricing of products, some stores exist exclusively for higher income group. The visual merchandising of both the stores will be entirely different because the message that each store wants to convey is different. Although VM originated from the fashion industry only, these days almost every kind of store is using VM to maximize gains. Visual merchandising starts with the store building itself. The management then decides on the store design to reflect the products the store is

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