When it comes to taking in and making sense of information, we focus more on visuals than anything else. In fact, educational researchers suggest that about 83% of human learning occurs visually. For marketers, statistics like this can have a big impact on how you decide to present your product to consumers and they place huge importance on using visual merchandising in your marketing efforts.

Within your store is a finite amount of space. It’s up to you to make each and every square metre of space available to you counts and this is exactly where visual merchandising comes into play. Visual merchandising is one of the most effective ways to attract new customers, increase sales and improve the overall aesthetic appeal of both individual products and your store as a whole.

Keep reading for our top tips on how you can boost sales by tapping into the power of visual marketing.

Colours Matter

Whether you are working with props, backdrop colours, LED signs or other elements of your displays, colours matter. Colours have long been associated with moods and feelings and have the power to evoke emotion in your customer. Red is the colour of danger, energy and strength. Green is the colour of nature, symbolising growth and fertility. Blue represents the sky and ocean evoking feelings of trust, loyalty and wisdom.

As you can see, colours are powerful.

Aim to incorporate bold colours into your displays that will catch the consumer’s eye. Always pay attention to what your competition is doing and aim to do something different that offers some contrast to their design and colour choices. This will help you stand out in the eyes of the consumer.

Experiment With Signage

According to Time, the average person has a shorter attention span than a goldfish, a mere 8 seconds! From a marketing perspective, that makes it very challenging to not only gain a person’s interest but hold it long enough to convert them to paying customers.

You can use signage in any number of ways; to tell people where to go, to give information or to promote the products in your store. Be creative with your signage, experiment with different layouts, imagery and colours and see what works. Ensure you make your message clear, easy to understand and allow the customer to easily take action.

Utilise Lighting

Different kinds of lighting will create different moods within your store and, in most case, you will need multiple lighting sources to effectively light the area. Primary lighting provides the overall illumination for your store, while accent lighting highlights specific displays, products or areas of your store.

Drawing the customers attention to your visual displays is a very effective way to highlight particular products, sale items or promotions. It’s important to strike a balance between highlighting and spotlighting. You want customers to be drawn to the product subtly, while still being able to peruse the rest of your store in comfort. Play around with your lighting until you reach a balance you and your customers are comfortable with.

Observe and Adapt

Visual merchandising is a very powerful tool and a great way to present your product or service to potential customers. Play around with lighting, colour and different forms of signage and see where it takes you. Some choices will work great and others might not be so successful.

The key here is to observe, adapt and make changes until you find a method that works for your client base. Watch what other stores in your niche or doing, stay up with current trends and see what you can do to improve your visual merchandising efforts over time. Be bold, be creative and success will follow.