The Art and Science of Visual Merchandising:

In the market where buyers are now controlling the demand-supply chain, it has become an exercise for sellers to entice the audience via the art and science of Visual Merchandising and retail designing.

It is the science and psychology of the retail and fashion world. VM involves the techniques to draw shoppers into a store and keep them there. It includes understanding buying habits and affects what you see – and how you see it.

The main issue is to make the merchandise extremely attractive, exciting and enticing, stimulating the buyer’s appetite and finally resulting in the decision to buy.  Effective visual merchandising can directly affect the bottom line of any retailer by: 

1. Maximizing walk-ins
2. Increasing sale conversion
3. Increasing average customer billing amount
4. Insuring higher recall value in the mind of the consumer and hence creating a loyal and ever expanding base of customers

Display merchandise as a piece of art.

Innovative headdresses for mannequins is a form of visual merchandising that is unique, directly off the runway, and artistic.

Reuse the same material in serveral ways - relate objects to your "Who".

In this series books are used in a variety of ways.

Crystal Clear

The Law of Few and Brand Clarity

All Communication to the public needs to be clear, direct and consistent; too much conflicting information creates a "clutter problem."

It's essential for a Brand to be Crystal Clear in its message to the consumer to insure "stickiness" or a word of mouth epidemic.

The heart of brand building is driven by brand identity.

The goal is not only to determine and build upon strong associations but to create a differentiated brand. Differentiation is the key to a strong brand. The earliest indication of a fading brand is usually loss of clarity in message, connection to the consumer, and differentiation in the marketplace.

Heidi Boutique Second Location Opeing 9/17/09

Heidi O'Brien was born in to the clothing industry, eventually running her family's third-generation sportswear manufacturing business, Cascade West Sportswear, for 10 years in Seattle, Washington.  After moving to Troon North area in North Scottsdale in 2004, she began to conceptualize a boutique that would bring the best in Los Angels fashion to her own neighborhood.  I had the great pleasure working with Heidi and the Martz Agency, a marketing and PR firm in Scottsdale, to visualize her brand and develop a prototype store design that opened it's doors in 2005.  

Located in the rolling foothills of Pinnacle Peak, Heidi finds her clientele flocking to the store for its unique blend of cosmopolitan, sleep and run fashions.  With great success with the Troon store, we are proud to announce the opeing of Heidi Boutique's second location in The Mix near the Scottsdale Waterfront on September 17, 2009 with plans to grow futher into the Northwest region and the San Diego area.

The Martz Agency's tag line of, From the Runway to Your Closet. The store design concept for Heidi Boutique was intricately designed to resemble a dream closet. With beautiful travertine stone and cork floors, customized illuminated modular custom designed cabinets and elegant fixtures, the shop has a classic ambiance.  Heidi Boutique carries the latest in women's clothing, lingerie and accessories. The store features exclusive designer lines, such as Theory, Susana Monaco, Trina Turk and William Rast.  

Following are some of the prototype designs for Heidi Boutique.

 

 Finish Material Selections:

Detail photos from Troon location:

 

Custom nesting tables and interior illuminated wall fixtures and glass mosaic fronted cash wrap with edge lit and infill painted glass impact graphic.

Visit Heidi on the web at: www.heidiboutique.com

The Gelato Spot: Dessert Lounge of Italy

Congratulations to Don and Mai Plato, owners of popular Arizona based gelateria, The Gelato Spot, for their recent success in obtaining franchise standing. Don has recently reported receiving 3 or more franchise inquiries a week.

In 2003, I had the pleasure of working with Don and Mai on their Gelato prototype. From our first meeting their plan was to develop a prototype for roll-out. First to open a handful of company owned stores and ultimately to franchise. Our scope of work included: Naming, Logo Design (pictured to above), Interior Branding, Design Development and Construction Documents. Let's take a look back at where this Living Brand started; the drawing board. Following are some of the prototype sketches and interior finishes for The Gelato Spot.

Interior Color Rendering

Interior Finish Material Board

Facade of a company store on Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Company Website: www.gelatospot.com