Merchandise Display and Visual Merchandising
Purpose and principles
Visual merchandising attracts attention, guides movement and converts interest into sales. Key principles are balance, emphasis or focal point, proportion, rhythm and harmony. Colour contrast and lighting direct the eye. Common layouts are grid for supermarkets, free-flow for specialty stores and racetrack for large stores. A planogram is a diagram showing where products go on a shelf or counter.
Placement rules
Eye level, roughly 120 to 160 cm, is prime space for high-margin or impulse items. Children's products go lower. Fast movers need reach level and ready replenishment. Signage must be accurate and price tags aligned with products. Keep displays clean, safe and accessible; do not overload shelves. Use FIFO or FEFO for perishables so older stock sells first.
Worked example
For a 1.2 m counter, place slow-moving display items on top, high-margin items at eye level, fast movers at reach level and bulk stock below. Align price tags, leave no gaps that suggest the item is unavailable, and rotate perishable display stock using FEFO.
Traps
Blocking aisles, displaying expired stock, mismatching price tags, overdecorating and hiding products behind props lose marks. A attractive display that prevents access is a failure.