Visual Merchandising and Display
Visual merchandising is silent selling: the display has to attract attention, communicate price and use, and make the product easy to pick up. This domain tests layout types, design principles and practical display housekeeping.
Layout types
- Grid: parallel aisles, maximum shelf space, efficient for grocery and hypermarkets.
- Racetrack/loop: a defined path past all departments, used in department stores.
- Free-flow: informal clusters, suits boutiques and apparel. Choose the layout from the shopping behaviour, not from appearance alone.
Design principles
Balance, emphasis, rhythm, proportion and colour harmony. The eye-level band is the selling zone; keep the focal point at the entrance to a display or at the end of an aisle. Follow the rule of thirds when placing a focal item. Cross-merchandise complements (shoes beside socks) and use signage to answer the three questions: what is it, how much is it, why buy it now.
Display types
Window display, end-cap, gondola end, dump bin, mannequin, feature wall and point-of-purchase display. Every display needs a visible, correct price tag, front-facing stock, no dust, no empty gaps and planogram compliance.
Worked example
Raise umbrella sales at the start of the monsoon. Reasoning: umbrellas are an impulse, weather-triggered purchase, so put them at the entrance and at the billing counter rather than in the seasonal aisle; cross-merchandise with raincoats and quick-dry footwear; use a single clear sign ('Monsoon essentials - from ₹299'); keep the display fully stocked, because a half-empty dump bin kills the impulse.
Traps that cost marks
Building an attractive display that blocks a gangway or a fire exit; mixing price points until the customer cannot compare; leaving old signage above changed prices; and describing a display without naming its type or location.