Eric Feigenbaum’s career in visual merchandising and store design spans three decades. He is currently the New York editor of VMSD magazine, and was the 2012 recipient of the Markopoulos Award, the highest honor given to an individual in the visual merchandising and store design industry. A pioneer in advocating an eco-friendly approach, he conceived and designed a sustainable materials lab and research center at the LIM College Green Lab in New York City. 

Prior to leading the Visual Merchandising Department there for 15 years, Feigenbaum was the director of visual merchandising for Walker Group/CNI, an architectural consultancy specializing in retail design worldwide. Here, he talks about creating order out of chaos in your retail area.

A store environment, with its many product offerings and visual stimuli, can be overwhelming and intimidating. If the space lacks organization, it will definitely not promote a positive shopping experience.

How can a retailer craft order out of the bedlam? Here are four ways to get started.

1. Create Order. The role of the visual merchandiser is complex. We create and define an environment, project the nuances of the brand, and, of course, present merchandise. The overarching goal, however, is to make shopping as easy as possible.
 
To that end, organize merchandise in an orderly, easy-to-shop fashion. Edit the product assortment with an eye for presenting a focused production rather than an overwhelming epic. As modernist sculptor Constantin Brâncuși put it, “Simplicity is complexity resolved.”
 
2. Turn to the Right. Shopping surveys reveal that 80% of customers turn to the right upon entering a store. This information is indispensable when it comes to developing an orderly layout because you can play upon the lion’s share of customers’ instincts. Position a focal point on the right at the end of either the sale area or customers’ sight line to help draw them into additional areas you define.

As customers see these presentations, they approach and then bounce from one point to the next. Store designers and visual merchandisers use these sequential points of travel religiously.
 
3. Tall, Not Wide. Vertical merchandising is another key component of an orderly retail environment. To intensify visual impact and make dynamic merchandise statements, consider the “airspace” above eye level.

A flat sea of merchandise is unattractive, unappealing, and cluttered, and continuous horizontal displays of merchandise will wear out even the most enthusiastic shopper. Vertical merchandising, on the other hand, moves the eye upward, opening new vistas and merchandise stories. Strategic positioning of highlighted vertical displays and changing product presentations can also help put the spotlight on key items.
 
4. It’s a Show. Retail is naturally the showplace for new ideas, concepts, and products. As such, the store becomes a selling stage, and the merchandise offerings are actors.

Experiential shopping—a retail platform that delivers an experience for today’s demanding customers—differentiates one store from another. So, strive to deliver a distinctive-yet-orderly experience and tell a story that is exclusively yours.

Harry Gordon Selfridge, one of the early merchant princes at the turn of the 20th century, said, “Every day is show day in this establishment.”

Remember, the store is a selling stage. It’s theater…your theater!

“Shopping surveys reveal that 80% of customers turn to the right upon entering a store.” —Eric Feigenbaum

This article was originally published in a sponsored newsletter.