Visual Merchandising In a Web Store: What It Is And How To Set It Up?

Imagine, you come to a store and see that all the storefronts are in a mess: expensive goods are together with cheap ones, products are next to household chemicals, there are no price tags or they are mixed up.

Would you like shopping in such a store?

In an online store, the same story: to increase sales, you need to follow the rules of merchandising. We will discover them in our article.

What Is Visual Merchandising?

Several years ago, this word seemed mysterious and incomprehensible. Now, in every store, there are merchandisers: nimble boys and girls lay out the goods in such a way that they want to buy them. Moreover – so that in the first place I would like to buy this particular product and not ten similar ones that lie nearby.

So, visual merchandising, or the art of selling, is a set of measures aimed at promoting certain goods. To do this, merchandisers by all means draw attention to the product. Do not confuse merchandising with advertising: it is used directly in a brick-and-mortar store or an online store. Studies show that 7 out of 10 purchases are made spontaneously: the customers make a choice right on the spot. It often happens that a client comes to a store with a specific goal, wants to buy a specific model of a smartphone, but as a result of competent actions of the merchandiser, the choice changes and the customer takes the model that a seller needs.

Why do we need visual merchandising?

Merchandising an online store resolves several problems:

• Draws attention to the product;
• Provides the most complete information about the product;
• Arouses the buyer’s interest in this particular group of goods;
• Help to sell items that were not sold for a long time (expensive or specific goods);
• Attracts attention to new products;
• Increases the average check;
• Increases overall sales.

Related: How To Design Impactful Ecommerce Website: A Complete Overview

Basic Visual Merchandising Principles

Below we will consider how the basic visual merchandising principles are embodied in a regular store (for example, any supermarket) and a web store. Simply put, to increase sales, you need to work properly with the site: its structure, design, product cards. 

Ready? Then we start.

Selection of the desired product

In an ordinary store: the goods that need to be promoted are usually put on a separate rack and placed in the most visible place. This rack provides free access, wider aisles, brighter lighting. They also make an unusual eye-catching layout, print bright (of a different colour) price tags, write in large letters about discounts.

In a web store: a separate banner is made for the particular product, which is placed on the main page and immediately catches the eye. Or goods that need to be sold are placed on the main page in the category “Hurry up to buy!” or “Bestsellers”. In the catalogue, such products are highlighted in a different colour or font – so that the visitor does not pass by.

There are some tricks used by online store owners and marketers:

• Any niche has its leaders – those that are on everyone’s lips. It is the goods of well-known brands that need to be put in the first place and highlighted with the help of logos and other visual design;
• If you started cooperation with a promising but little-known brand, put it closer to the market leaders. First of all, visitors will look at well-known names, and they can try the novelty out of curiosity.

Display of goods at eye level

In an ordinary store: have you noticed that the most popular goods are laid out at the level of the buyers’ eyes (+/- 20 centimetres), and cheap or, on the contrary, very expensive, are on the shelves higher or lower? Take a closer look: you will find children’s goods at the level of the eyes of a small buyer, those for adults – at the level of an average height of a person.

In a web store: you will have to learn the basics of the usability of an online store and remember which arrangement of the site elements is visually attractive. As shown by numerous surveys, first of all, the gaze falls straight ahead and on the right side of the screen. What a client will first see visiting your website? The home page. So, right after the top menu, we give the most important information: ad units that, upon click, lead to product pages.

What is on the left? Usually, this is a vertical menu – it means that this place is already taken. Well, on the right, you can select the blocks “Bestsellers”, “Last Chance to Buy” and so on.

So, the products and categories that need to be sold are put in the first places in the menu, on the main page and in catalogues. A simple example: you have an online home goods store. In the summer season, put swimwear and outdoor products on the first lines of the menu so that the buyer has time to notice them. And then – the rest of the goods in descending order of importance.

Clear structure

In an ordinary store: in supermarkets a long time ago, all goods were divided into sections: dairy products, bread, meat, fish, vegetables and fruits, household chemicals, and so on. The sellers carefully monitor the order in the hall and return goods left by buyers in the wrong place to their department.

In a web store: a clear, understandable structure is the basis of a good website and the success of an online store. Let’s go back to the beginning of the article and imagine what an online store would look like without a clear structure. A website in a mess is complicated to navigate and puzzles customers, making them leave immideately. 

While building a clear web store’s structure, special tools will help you: categories and subcategories of goods, which are divided by type, purpose, age or brand. Break all types of goods into categories and subcategories, do not allow the same product to appear in different sections (for example, a fur coat can easily be in women’s clothing, outerwear, and fur products). It’s better to have more sub categories to avoid confusion.

The maximum number of categories is three, no more is needed, otherwise, the structure will be too branched. For example, in an online sneaker store, the categories might be: “for women” – “for running” – “brand”. Or “for men” – “for football” – “brand”.

Also, do not forget about filters that will help sort any product according to the wishes of the buyer (filter by price, colour, size, purpose). Please note: you can set filters so that by default, the product you need will be shown in the first position.

Discounts and promotions

In an ordinary store: the surest way to attract the attention of the buyer to the product (no matter what) is to make a discount on it. You may not need this washing powder, rabbit carcass or detective novels right now – but how can you resist if the discount is announced as much as 40 per cent? And the buyer does not know that the detectives have been languishing in the warehouse for two years and will not be sold, and the rabbit has been frozen three times …

In a web store: everything is the same. Absolutely. Discounts are usually made in two cases: when the goods are stale or, on the contrary, have just arrived and needed urgent sale. New summer collections of clothes should be sold while they are “hot”! Next year, half of them will already be out of fashion, and they will take up space in the warehouse. Therefore, use this promotion tool, but make sure that discounts are not at a loss.

Wrapping Up

We have considered the main visual merchandising techniques that have moved from brick-and-mortar stores to ecommerce. As you can see, the basic principles have not changed much. Try to implement them in your online store and see that the percentage of completed transactions will increase. 

You can also ask NEKLO experts if you need help in Magento ecommerce website development. Just contact us through the form on our website – and together we can find a solution for any possible issue.