5-Star Retailing

Creating a Merchandising Plan

An easy-to-follow matrix to help you create your own solutions

The Retail Track at this month’s Vision Expo West includes six hours of great education. Eyecare Business is the exclusive media partner for the track. One of the always-highly-rated courses in this category is the visual merchandising conversation among EB’s Steph De Long, Creative Visionary’s Travis Reed, and, this year, David Duralde, Kenmark Optical’s chief creative officer.

We spoke with Duralde about the course “Visual Merchandising Problems & Solutions,” slated for Friday afternoon, Sept. 18. Here, he shares some of his insights into building a visual merchandising plan.

INFO: VISIONEXPOWEST.COM/CONTINUING-EDUCATION/HIGHLIGHTS/

	RESEARCH	UNDERSTAND
KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER	Identify demographics: gender, age, income Understand their personalities	Try to understand the customers’ perspectives What experience would they seek? What product do they want?
GO OUTSIDE	Visit retailers that offer you a good experience Evaluate digital competition Take photos of good displays Have an expert help create the plan	Determine what can be replicated in your space Ask customers and employees for their input
LOOK INSIDE	Observe how your customers interact with your space Scan showroom for existing display opportunities Look at your windows, walls, shelves, countertops, frame walls	Prioritize display areas by visibility Understand each area’s function Create a visual plan: Keep it SIMPLE!
WORK WITH VENDORS	Review offerings: towers, small displays, countercards, etc.	Determine the most effective pieces for your showroom
WORK WITH YOUR SALES REPS	Contact your sales rep for merchandising tips and available items	Invite your sales rep to help merchandise key brands in the store