Thursday, November 17, 2011

The Worst holiday merchandising from around the globe.

aahhhh.... full swing into the holiday season. Tis' the season to spread the holiday cheer in your storefront and windows. Christmas can make or break a year for a retail which is why so often people think ``MORE IS MORE!!!``when dumping tinsel, bobbles and trees in their windows. So here, my darlings, is the obligatory holiday window post- just.. different. This is my homage to the worst.windows.ever. First up, this little ditty makes me wonder what happened at a shop...
So- I think it is really great when youhave creative and inispired store help working on windows or interior displays, it shows great interest in design and not to mention the work for the company. However... this is what happens when cotton batten goes on sale. When working on holiday windows- think outside the box when wanting to create 'snow'. More often that not "snow" looks junky, and unfocused believe it or not. All I can do is stare at the 3 feet of batten in this window. next
Okay. so - I feel like this window had lots of potential. But something happened along the way. This window looks pretty small, so one must be strategic in product placement. The story is unclear and is pretty cluttered. I am also unsure what the story is telling, other than that polar bear is terrified of the heavy, low swinging Christmas lights.... next
As a professional I can say this; Never mix the holidays with meat. In a window. Ever. next
These two are gems. Why? Because whomever painted these windows had some serious conviction in painting a whole story. However, two main rules apply when using a paint or mural to attract clients, 1) If you are going to paint a window and invest the time- do it right. Hire pro's who either paint murals or merchandisers, as when a mural turns out badly the image of the store is reflected as bad as well. Not a great artist? stick to simple paint scheme and easy drawings.
2) if you sell merchandise - add merchandise in the window, or as part of the display. As an example these windows were painted for a bakery- infuse bread, rolls and other "sellables" as inspiration. Create a garland from painted dinner rolls, french bread to look like stockings etc. If you have the space- use it. next
okay. another fabulous example of when batten goes on sale. Batten can be fabulous! but not so nice when not tucked in, or detailed. The house is the focal point, however there is not much else happening. Drab. too bad though - the possibilities are are amazing. next
I um.. don't have much to say here- other than stop the window brutality. next
We aren't just speaking to small- medium retail. This is a window from Barny's a few years ago. It was a collaboration of Illy coffee and the food network. I say it definitely had a great concept- but the execution was ... ok. While there is a focus to this message- the visual clutter does not work with similar colour palette, let alone metallic. The sheen of the cans are reflecting light and interest causing visual noise- but too much. Think, a group of musicians playing the violin, off key and all together. That's what this display is doing to me right now.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Retail Therapy 101

This whole idea of Displayology steamed from pacing up and down countless streets, gazing in shop windows and seeing what stores sucked me in with their atmosphere and shoppablilty, and those that did not. The ones that didn't I realized that they all had the same fundamental flaw -- UGLY. I don't just mean, oh hey, your store presentation is lacking and your shelves are dusty. But there is a lot of people out there who generally cannot see the real, tangible, financial benefit to having a beautifully merchandised store. Take the images for example, a before and after. before: yuck.o.rama
this was a big project for me- Basically this area was getting such slow reaction from customers. it made ZERO sense. The spot in the store was designated for sale, and it was during a clearance time so there was tons of sale and lots of leaness in regular priced merchandise. The problem most retailers have is presenting sale pieces like they are junk. If you , the store , appears like you dont even want it- why would a client? RETAILSEN$E people!! the colour patterns were choppy, the labels ripped up and just... generally.. sad. with some time, some careful grouping and time. I turned that terrible fixture into.. after: volia!
The trick here was taking of the random sale bits an pieces can be lovely, minimal replenishment requirements from a VM standpoint, and a powerful looker of a fixture! Employing several techniques here, not just colour coordination. the shelf height are positioned in even & odds, and mirroring each other. now this area is a reg. priced & sale section combining margins, and getting rid of the old and shopping the new! The small number of mis-matched items went to the clearance area on the other side. Do not underestimate the power of visual merchandising. The pro's, knows!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Welcome to Displayology Toronto ! So Excited to finally be up and ready to be a part of your display requirements- Displayology Toronto offers retailers, and home owners alike beautiful vignettes with lasting impressions with zero work. We are specialists in Visual Presentation and Styling, one of the first 'merchandising + visual presentation' firms in Canada. Using Displayolgy, retailers have saved thousands hiring independent window display + interior space designers Displayology proud to finally be online, in blog and on twitter. Usually acting as principal/owner @lindziarmstrong + lindziarmstrong.tumblr.com - this blog will morph twitter and my tumblr together. But thats for later In this blog you will find projects I am working on, ideas, concepts, Merchandising do's + dont's on styling and visual presentation. enjoy! Lindzi