Operating a retail business has never been more challenging. As consumer expectations evolve, it becomes harder to convert and retain customers. What’s more, brand loyalty can be fleeting, especially as enticements and options increase. That’s why many retailers are searching for new ways to stand out from competitors and engage audiences.
Technology plays a leading role in this, dazzling customers with vibrant digital signage and kiosks, enhancing convenience and self-service, and collecting data to sharpen marketing. Visual merchandising is yet another way retailers are upping their game to connect with customers. Here’s how.
What is visual merchandising?
The goal of visual merchandising is to display products in ways that enhance their appeal and encourage sales. Traditional marketing relies on promotions and ads, but visual merchandising aims to create an immersive shopping experience that affects people both consciously and subconsciously by:
- Enhancing in-store experiences and displays with light and color to draw more people to them
- Creating an inviting atmosphere that draws in customers and makes them want to stay, explore and shop
- Influencing customers’ behaviors as they shop, for example, by directing them to specials, promotions and new products
When the in-person shopping experience improves, so, too, do customers’ perceptions of the products and brands, adding freshness where things have become stale.
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Boost revenue with visual merchandising displays
The ultimate goal of visual merchandising displays is to boost your store’s revenue in the following ways:
- Customer experience: Making stores more visually appealing and easier to navigate enhances the customer experience, influencing sales. SuperOffice reports that 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience. Attractive displays and well-organized product arrangements create a better experience and encourage repeat visits.
- Efficiency: Eye-catching displays and revised store layouts streamline the shopping process and help customers find what they’re looking for. Furthermore, they increase impulse buys, which is good considering one 2022 poll showed that 73% of respondents said most of their purchases were spontaneous. Visual merchandising can convert those impulses into profit.
- Employee morale: When employees’ jobs are easier and more pleasant, they provide better customer service and inspire more sales. When product displays are aesthetic, strategic and easy to maintain, this improves job satisfaction and performance.
- Waste reduction: Good visual merchandising reduces the waste of resources and money. With digital displays and kiosks, for example, you minimize the cost and effort of creating entirely new displays with posters and paper material, not to mention the printers and ink they require. This promotes sustainability while saving money.
- Communication: Visual merchandising displays function as silent salespeople, communicating key product and promotional messages without speech. Clear, informative displays educate customers on product features, benefits and pricing, helping them make more informed buying decisions.
Content management drives powerful visuals
Digital displays are a key element of visual merchandising, but they need a solid content management system (CMS) to achieve the goal of an engaging in-store experience. That’s what Samsung VXT CMS does, providing the tools and systems to take your visual merchandising strategy to the next level — and keep it there.
Samsung VXT helps you manage and update your digital display content in real time, which keeps signage current and relevant. The flexibility also lets you respond quickly to market trends, seasonal changes and promotional opportunities. That you can do it all from a single interface, in-store or remote, makes it both easy and efficient. It also ensures your digital displays are showcasing the images, videos and graphics that capture customers’ attention and convey messages much more expressively than a static display.
Move the needle with visual merchandising and VXT
Implementing digital signage with a CMS like Samsung VXT improves digital merchandising in numerous ways:
- Targeted promotions: You can use digital displays to highlight special offers, new arrivals and best-selling products. With VXT, you can schedule that content to appear at precise times, ensuring that your promotions reach the right audiences at the right moment. Use the new Content Journey Map to see a list of the screens that have published the content and where it is being shared.
- Interactive displays: Design interactive displays that enable customers to browse product catalogs, read reviews and view more information. This creates a more well-rounded shopping experience and encourages customers to consider more products.
- Data-driven insights: Samsung VXT analytics capabilities allow you to track your content’s performance. Armed with detailed information about customer interactions and engagement, you can refine your strategy, iterate and make smarter, more data-driven decisions.
Create a more immersive shopping experience
Visual merchandising, enhanced by digital displays and a full-force CMS like Samsung VXT, addresses many of the challenges that retailers face today. By creating a more immersive shopping experience, improving efficiency, boosting employee satisfaction, reducing waste and promoting better communication, visual merchandising is here to transform your retail environment.
Ready to elevate your visual merchandising display strategy? See how Samsung displays and VXT can move the retail needle. Visit Samsung VXT today and learn more about the future of visual merchandising. Also, discover how one company successfully bridged online and in-person commerce with Samsung displays and VXT software in this free case study.
