Stories & Resources:
Merchandising - The importance of telling a story
One and a half years ago I was approached by Retail Exchange to design and
deliver a visual merchandising and window display workshop for small
retailers. The aim was to provide small businesses with practical knowledge,
techniques and ideas, which they could implement immediately in their shops.
The results were fantastic; the participants found it extremely beneficial
and were inspired. After the workshop they were much more confident about
the visual aspect of their business.
As a result of the workshops individual retailers asked me to visit their shops on a consultancy basis. It was a real eye opener as most of the stores were not practicing basic housekeeping like cleaning their windows and keeping things tidy let alone merchandising their stock to its best
advantage. I worked with them helping them to create fantastic window displays, in-store merchandising, space planning and placement of fixtures and fittings. In a fashion context what is important is to merchandise the products so that they tell a story, that way you can sell complete outfits and not just single garments.
I realized that retailers often had great ideas and business skills but also needed training and development in many other areas as well. I consulted a small stationers about various aspects of retail merchandising and management and their sales increased by 40% within three months, with many customers thinking that they were a new store. On this project I worked with them to advise them on stock selection, which had a huge impact on sales and attracted many new customers.
I am now part of a dynamic new retail consultancy called The Retail
Therapists who specifically aim their services at smaller businesses who
have limited resources. We have consultants who can provide a wealth of
knowledge in areas such as visual merchandising, window design and
installation, buying and stock selection, marketing communications and
events, business growth, increasing customer base, selling skills and
styling for catalogues and photo shoots. As time goes on we hope to add
additional retail skills and knowledge.
Our aim is to help make small businesses great.
For more information please see listings.
Alex Thomson, The Retail Therapists
Please come and join us. 