Brick-and-Mortar storefronts don’t fear a challenge as they take on the age of digitalization. Seeking a hands on experience, consumers look for ways to combine in-store shopping with the convenience of online shopping.
Take a look at how Kate Spade revolutionized window shopping displays. In their Kate Spade Saturday campaign, they employed digital window shops where customers could shop without ever stepping foot in a store. Talk about fashionable. Follow in the footsteps of brands like Kate Spade with our top five visual merchandising trends of 2018.
1. Dynamic Lighting
Turn on the lights! Lighting has a powerful impact with one fourth of consumers making an unplanned purchase because of it. Dynamic lighting involves the color of the light, the intensity, direction, and even movement that turns shoppers into customers.
To feature a product, place a brighter light on it. Using an incandescent lamp - which is sharper and brighter - can highlight its details and importance. Keep surrounding areas dim to focus attention. Bright lights in general tend to exude a positive vibe that can increase purchases. When using colored lights, match the colors of your packaging or product to a light in the same color family such as a hunter green package with a light green light or a deep red with a pink light. This will avoid unpleasant color clashing. Color also influences our mood. Remember that colors in the blue family will have more of a calming effect where reds tend to excite and stimulate.
2. Interactive Merchandising
On average, people spend 5-8 minutes in the fitting room. But what if you never have to step foot in a dressing room again? The use of virtual reality, coding technology, and motion sensors make shopping more interactive and digital.
Mac Cosmetics recently launched their “Virtual Try-on Mirror” that lets customers try different makeup styles without ever putting a drop of makeup on their skin. Meanwhile, UGG Australia’s touch screen displays allows customers to customize, order, and research products within the store. The lesson here? Get customers involved. Whether it be incorporating tablets for use on displays, in store demos, or digital kiosks, boost your strategy by offering opportunities for shoppers to engage.
3. Neuromarketing
Neuromarketing addresses the psychology behind buying habits and preferences.The field of is still young, but initial research can reveal how cues, like color, visuals, audio frequency, light, and smell influence the buying experience on a neurological level.
Although it may hard to get your hands on some of this groundbreaking research, it can be helpful to analyze the psychology of buying until further developments are made. Getting to know the overall ambience of your store from the type of music to the warmth of lighting can cue shoppers to make a purchase. There are also options such as tracking consumer’s eye movements and psychological tricks like removing the dollar sign from price tags that might be more accessible than the more advanced EEG and fMRI s
4. Augmented Reality
Virtual reality helps consumers conceptualize a product in a way that was impossible before modern tech. Now, they can see products in action before ever making a purchase.
TopShop currently gives virtual reality glasses to shoppers so that they can feel like they are front seat by the runway, seeing the clothes be worn and real time and helping them visualize how they could incorporate the clothes into their own wardrobe. These augmented reality applications provide customers the chance to “try on clothes” or other products in a totally new way! You can get virtual reality glasses that put your shoppers into the right mindset or environment with videos and images that communicate your story and mission.
5. Minimalism
Keep it simple. Distractions are at an all time high, so it can be a refreshing change to clear the sensory clutter fogging our focus. Flashy decorations and displays are good attention grabbers, but they can ultimately distract from the true vision of a product.
Some retailers have manufactured entire spaces to reflect clean lines, sharp edges, and bright spaces. These kinds of setups allow you to showcase your product instead of hiding it. Use clearly defined lines which can be crafted from metal space that refines otherwise soft spaces. Neutral colors also contribute to the minimalist aesthetic and allow your product to pop. While you may not have control of your entire retail space, you can reflect the minimalist spirit in your displays using open space, whites and beiges, and avoiding overcrowding.
All five trends display a certain level of consumer centrism. The tools work to provide shoppers with an environment focused on them. The styles, technology, and techniques prime the shopper while also ramping up energy and excitement with cool features.
