Business

Through

Visual Merchandising

Glenn MuskeMike Woods

Byoungho JinHong Yu

A Story

“Once upon a time …………

Issues

Rural merchant facing:

• Static or shrinking market

• Easier access to “the big city”

• New marketing outlets

• The lights, splash and dash offered by the large merchant

Solution

An educational program

Visual Merchandising: Visual Merchandising: The “Silent Salesperson”The “Silent Salesperson”

Hong Yu, Ph.D.

Glenn Muske, Ph.D.

Collaborators

Phillis Cothren

Kristy Spaulding

Michael Woods

Program Overview

• Getting Started: Visual Merchandising Basics• Exterior • Interior Display• Materials for Successful Visual Merchandising• Ideas and Techniques for Getting Customers’

Attention• Other areas of Visual Merchandising• Summary

Visual Merchandising Defined

• Visual merchandising is the actual selling of merchandise through a visual medium.

• “This is who we are and what we stand for”.Pegler, M. M., Visual Merchandising & Display

Retailers: Store Image

Producers: Product Image

Color and Texture

Results

“Show me”

Visual Merchandising Field Experience

• A 1-credit service learning project

• Student teams work with business owners to design, develop and create a visual display– Students taking or have taken VM

• Budget of $50 for each team

• 1-day on-site (3-4 hrs project dev time)

• Local community pays for lunch

Results• 20 stores

• 6 communities

• Waiting list of communities and students

• Comments– “Increased pride in our store”– “Walk-ins increased”– “Brought us visibility”– “Has caused other businesses to improve

their looks”

A Win-Win-Win Situation

• Store Owners– Hands-on demonstration– Increased store traffic

• Students– Experience real-world visual merchandising– Awareness of small businesses

• OSU– Response to a local need (the engaged institution)

– Visibility

Questions????