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International Business & Economics Research Journal – October 2013 Volume 12, Number 10
2013 The Clute Institute Copyright by author(s) Creative Commons License CC-BY 1217
Visual Merchandising Displays’ Effect
On Consumers: A Valuable Asset Or An
Unnecessary Burden For Apparel Retailers
Yolandé Hefer, University of South Africa, South Africa
Michael. C. Cant, University of South Africa, South Africa
ABSTRACT
Several consumers think they only purchase products when they go shopping, however time and
time again they purchase the experience of shopping as well. The experience of shopping is highly
influenced by the visual merchandising displays (also known as feature areas where merchandise
is presented) used in store. Much has been said about visual merchandising displays and the effect
it has on consumer behaviour. The way products are displayed and promoted in apparel retail
stores can have a vast impact on consumer responses and how much merchandise the retailer
sells. The main research question explored the effect visual merchandising displays have on
consumer behaviour. Explorative research was deemed to be the most appropriate for this study
and qualitative data was collected. Focus groups were used to collect the first round of data,
where after naïve sketches were used to support the findings. The focus groups and naïve sketches
were analysed by means of thematic analysis. The findings indicated that the visual merchandising
displays guide consumers in the direction of the products they are seeking and that it also guides
their decisions. The participants agreed that their buying behaviour is influenced on a
subconscious level, based on the eminence of the visual merchandising displays, as well as their
personal preferences and gender.
Keywords: Visual Merchandising Displays; Retail Industry; Apparel Retailers; Consumer Behaviour; Subliminal
Influence; Gender
INTRODUCTION
question that apparel retailers often ask is whether the visual merchandising displays used in stores
are beneficial for their customers. Successful visual merchandising displays have an effect on
consumer emotion; consumers sometimes purchase products unconsciously depending on their
current mood. Therefore, consumers might visit a retailer to enjoy a mood-changing experience, something that will
make them feel good. Apparel retailers can therefore take advantage of this human emotion to increase their sales by
merely enhancing the store environment.
Retailers want their stores to attract consumers by assisting them to find the merchandise they desire and to
motivate them to make planned, unplanned and impulse purchases, and to ultimately provide them with enjoyable
shopping experiences (Levi & Weitz, 2009: 509). If the visual merchandising displays do not have this desired effect
on consumers, the question whether it has any value for retailers to spend time and money on these visual displays
arises.
This study proceeds from a consumer response-centred approach to visual merchandising stimuli in an
attempt to holistically consider this area of the retail industry. The study could benefit apparel retailers in South
Africa as the impact visual merchandising displays has on consumer behaviour was uncovered.
A
International Business & Economics Research Journal – October 2013 Volume 12, Number 10
1218 Copyright by author(s) Creative Commons License CC-BY 2013 The Clute Institute
DISCUSSION
Consumer Behaviour
The world consumers live in is rich with ambience. When entering an apparel retail store, consumers act
differently to the sensations and stimuli around them; they either pay attention to it or they ignore it. Each and every
message created by an apparel retailer is done with a specific purpose in mind. However, consumers transpire to
make their own decisions by adapting the message that is created by certain sensations or stimuli (such as visual
merchandising displays) to fit in with their own unique experiences, desires and prejudices (Cant, Brink & Brijball,
2006: 114).
Consumer behaviour can be defined as “... the study of individuals, groups or organisations and the
processes they use to select, secure, use and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and
the impact that these processes have on the consumer and society...” (Cant, Van Heerden & Ngambi, 2010: 51).
Kardes, Cline and Cronley (2011: 8) added to this definition by stating that consumer behaviour also includes the
consumers’ expressive, psychological and social responses that lead, establish or follow these responses as
demonstrated in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Consumer Behaviour
Source: Adapted from Kardes, F. R., Cline, T. W. & Cronley, M. L. (2011).
Consumer Behaviour: Science And Practice. China: South-Western, p. 8
Figure 1 indicates that consumer behaviour consists of consumer activities and consumer responses, that
both influence each other. Therefore, a consumer’s expressive, psychological and social responses will have an
influence on their buying, using and disposing activities, and vice versa.
An expressive response reveals a consumer’s passions, feelings and their frame of mind. Furthermore,
Figure 1 also refers to psychological responses that consist of a consumer’s thought processes, judgments, attitudes
and values and could include a consumer’s feeling toward a specific apparel retail store. A retailer’s store
environment could also influence the consumer’s purchase decision, which is discussed below.
For example, if a consumer wants to buy a new winter’s coat, both pleasure and indecision may form a part
of his/her expressive response due to the various decisions that have to be made. The consumer will have to decide
on a specific product, store, brand, style and colour, as well as on payment method. As part of the responses in
Figure 1, the consumer could imagine wearing the coat, making a psychological list of characteristics the coat
should have in order to enhance the decision-making process.
The social responses, as depicted in Figure 1, include a consumer’s obvious actions during a purchase
decision. The consumer will start by comparing different stores and brands with one another, paying attention to
different advertisements, trying on different coats, and obtaining opinions from friends or family. If a consumer is
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
CONSUMER
ACTIVITIES
Buying
Using
Disposing
CONSUMER
RESPONSES
Expressive
Psychological
Social
International Business & Economics Research Journal – October 2013 Volume 12, Number 10
2013 The Clute Institute Copyright by author(s) Creative Commons License CC-BY 1219
not completely satisfied with the store environment, he/she might make a psychological choice not to enter the store,
therefore deciding not to purchase the coat from that specific store. All of these actions could have an influence on
the way consumers behave. Apparel retailers have to establish how their visual merchandising displays will be
perceived by the consumers. It is essential to identify what consumers are actually seeing and how they interpret it.
By establishing how visual merchandising displays are perceived by the consumers, it could benefit apparel retailers
to align the internal focus of their visual merchandising displays with the consumers’ expectations.
Visual Merchandising Displays
Visual merchandising display is the presentation of merchandise at its finest. Display is the glamour, the
spark, the stage, the oomph and sparkle that surrounds a store and makes the consumers stop, look, and buy what has
been placed together with care and presented with skill (Mathew, 2008: 48). These displays are also known as
feature areas.
Visual merchandising displays use creative techniques in order to save both the sales person’s and the
shopper’s time by making shopping effortless. The visual merchandising display process is often referred to as the
“silent sales person” by providing the consumers with information through visual mediums, as well as by suggestive
selling - suggestions to add items to a consumer’s original purchase (Bhalla & Anuraag, 2010: 21). This process is
often referred to as the visual merchandising communication process. A great deal of communication between the
retailer and the consumer takes place through the use of visual merchandising displays. The retailer communicates to
the consumer by means of their store, the store’s interior design, layout, atmospherics and merchandising displays,
as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Visual Merchandising Communication Process
Source: Adapted from Bell, J. & Ternus, K (2006). Silent selling. 3rd ed., New York: Fairchild Publications, p. 21
Visual merchandising displays are frequently used to introduce new products or brand extensions to
consumers, as well as to decorate a store. This is a planned and systematic approach to display the stock that is
available in the store. Visual merchandising displays perform different functions in an apparel retail outlet, such as
supporting sales, to support the retail strategies, to communicate with consumers and to assist in communicating the
fashion retailer’s brand image (Levi & Weitz, 2009: 531; Bell & Turnus, 2008: 20-22).
Displaying merchandise in windows was the first sign of visual merchandising displays, thus it was born to
increase sales by first attracting shoppers through the power of window displays and then through in-store visual
mechanising displays. These displays encouraged the consumers to remain in the store, purchase the product, and
have a positive retail experience in order for them to return to the same store.
Retailers realise that the way in which they use visual merchandising displays has the power to create
images of the products in the mind of consumers. Visual merchandising displays are now a significant tool for
retailers in order to attract and entice consumers.
South African Apparel Retail Industry
As the latest statistics indicate, the retail industry in South Africa is one of the largest contributors to the
economy’s total income (Statistics South Africa, 2010: 1). Retail trade sales increased by 3.4% year-on-year in
November 2012 compared to November 2011. Main contributors to the 3.4% increase were apparel retailers in
textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods (Statistics South Africa, 2012: 2).
SENDER
Retailer
MESSAGE
The store, the interior design, layout, atmospherics,
visual merchandising displays
RECEIVER
Customer
International Business & Economics Research Journal – October 2013 Volume 12, Number 10
1220 Copyright by author(s) Creative Commons License CC-BY 2013 The Clute Institute
It can be inferred from the statistics that the apparel retail industry has a significant impact on the overall
retail industry and that the apparel retail industry is responsible for a significant share of the overall retail industry
growth (Statistics South Africa, 2011: 2). The demands of consumers, and the options presented to them within the
apparel retail industry, are countless. Retailing allows that the individual demands of consumers are met even
though individual expenditures are being compressed by difficult economic conditions. Nevertheless, the South
African retail industry is still growing and is responsible for a large part of South Africa’s economic growth.
The impact that retailing has on the South African economy and on people’s lifestyles is easily overlooked.
It is imperative that the apparel retail industry continues to find innovative ways to develop in order to remain
competitive. Through the years, retailing has evolved and competition has become cut-throat. Due to the high
competition in the apparel retail industry today, every store strives to entice consumers to enter their store by having
the most exciting and visually appealing retail environment. This cultivates an atmosphere where consumers can
shop effortlessly for different colours, fabrics, value and styles of international standards. In order to achieve such
visually appealing retail environments, apparel retailers make use of visual merchandising displays.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The extent to which visual merchandising displays affect consumer behaviour was studied by means of
exploratory research. Exploratory research is used to observe insights into the common nature of a research problem
(Tustin, Ligthelp & Martins, 2005: 84). Due to the fact that detailed explanations, in terms of consumer perceptions,
were needed, qualitative research was used because it discovers the true significance and new insights about the
available data (Zikmund & Babin, 2010: 131).
Non-probability, purposive sampling was used where the samples were grouped in a process that did not
give all the individuals in the population an equal chance of being selected (Tustin et al., 2005: 89). Participants
were selected on the basis of their accessibility and by the purposive personal judgment of the researcher (Zikmund
& Babin, 2010: 432). The inclusion criteria for the purposive sampling for this research study were people who are
located and buy clothing at apparel retail outlets in Tshwane; people who read, speak and understand English;
people who have a cell phone and have access to e-mail; people who are willing and have time to participate in the
study.
The first round of data was collected by means of two focus groups, each with eight participants. Naive
sketches were used as a secondary measure to validate the data received in the focus groups. The naïve sketches
comprised of open-ended questions. In this way, two forms of data were compared with one another to gain the most
data possible from each participant.
The focus groups were based on the use of visual stimulus material. Photographs from one of Tshwane’s
most popular apparel retail stores were presented to the participants in the focus groups. The participants were asked
a question derived from the research aim. The question used to structure the focus groups (the same question was
also used in the naïve sketches) was: “Do the visual merchandising displays of a store effect your decision to make a
purchase?”
Due to the fact that the study was contextual in nature, thematic analysis was used to analyse the gathered
data. Repeated data patterns were identified and sorted into themes and categories (Tesch, 1990: 113). By following
this process, it organises and describes data in detail (Braun & Clarke, 2006: 82).
RESULTS
The outcome (findings) of the question asked in the focus groups is examined in terms of a theme and its
underlying categories, as outlined by Tesch’s model (thematic analysis).
Theme: Participants expressed varied views in terms of the effect that visual merchandising displays has on
their buying decisions based on personal preferences.
International Business & Economics Research Journal – October 2013 Volume 12, Number 10
2013 The Clute Institute Copyright by author(s) Creative Commons License CC-BY 1221
The theme connects with the following objective: To determine the effect visual merchandising displays
have on consumer behaviour. The participants explained that their buying behaviour is influenced to a limited
extent. They continued to say that the visual merchandising displays guide them in the direction of the products they
are seeking and that it guides their product choice. The participants agreed that their buying behaviour is influenced
on a subliminal level based on the quality of the visual merchandising displays and their personal preferences,
including gender.
...there is a distinction between men shoppers and women shoppers because mostly here the men said they don’t
really notice it; however, the women agreed that if it’s in a context of what they want to buy, they will notice it.
However, Participant X said that he would notice it, for instance, if it is in his context.
The following three categories emerged from the theme:
First Category – The Participants Agreed That Their Buying Behaviour Is Influenced To A Limited Extent
The focus groups found that visual merchandising displays aid in the final stages of decision-making
regarding the purchasing of a specific product. However, there are other factors, like price, that also affect the final
decision. When visual merchandising displays are well designed and logical, the participants tended to be attracted
to the section of products that were emphasised in the display. This illustrates that visual merchandising displays
influence buying behaviour. The following quotations were taken from the data to exemplify the findings:
I think it influences me to want it, but I don’t necessarily buy it.
...it draws me towards the section, to that specific section.
If I am happy with the visual merchandising display, that can lead to me buying the specific product.
Second Category – Buying Behaviour Is Influenced On A Subliminal Level Based On The Quality Of The
Visual Merchandising Displays
The participants in the research study agreed that a visual merchandising display that is perceived to be of a
superior quality has the ability to capture the positive buying behaviour of the consumer. However, if the display
does not register as that of a superior quality for the consumer, it may create a negative perception of buying the
product. The following quotation validates this category:
Good visual merchandising displays will create the right atmosphere and context for me to buy, while bad visual
merchandising displays will work against my purchasing the product in question.
Third Category - Buying Behaviour Is Influenced On A Subliminal Level Based On The Personal
Preferences Of The Consumer, Including Gender
Although the visual merchandising displays are useful in promoting certain products, if the displays are
well designed and logical, the participants feel that there are so many other personal preferences to take into account
for the displays to have a lasting effect on every consumer. There are colours, textures, styles, décor, sizes,
budgetary constraints and a host of other personal preferences that will affect the buying behaviour of the consumer
more than the visual merchandising display will. The following quotations were taken from the focus groups to
illustrate this category:
...if I was a shopper, per se, I don’t think I would notice it; it would still be one of those things that I would notice if
it was not there...
...you will notice it subconsciously...
International Business & Economics Research Journal – October 2013 Volume 12, Number 10
1222 Copyright by author(s) Creative Commons License CC-BY 2013 The Clute Institute
The focus groups also found that visual merchandising displays aid in the final stages of decision-making
regarding the purchasing of a specific product. However, there are other factors, like price, that also affect the final
decision.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
The participants’ perceptions of the impact of visual merchandising displays on their buying behaviour
varied, as evidenced by their attention or lack of interest to visual merchandising displays when they first walked
into a store. Consumer behaviour is influenced by a limited extent as visual merchandising displays guide consumers
in the direction of the products as well as in product choice. Consumer behaviour will also be influenced by their
personal preferences and the quality of the displays.
What is noticed by the consumers, in terms of the visual merchandising displays, is mostly subliminal
(below the threshold of consciousness) and it is influenced by personal preferences, contextual aspects, such as
themes; type of store and brand or branding; gender, to some extent; quality of the visual merchandising display and
sensory and cognitive aspects.
It was noted in the focus groups that the consumers’ attention is drawn to certain aspects (such as colour
and breathing space in the store) of visual merchandising displays which creates a space where their shopping
experience can be positive. The participants tended to be attracted to visual merchandising displays that are well
designed and logical. This illustrates that visual merchandising displays influence buying behaviour.
The research study suggests that women are more attentive to the complete retail experience which includes
visual merchandising displays. In comparison, men search for signs in a store as to where to find what they are
looking for. The focus groups also explained that they notice ill-fitting themes in apparel retail stores, in terms of
whether the items displayed are actually available in store or whether it sends the correct message with the
complement of the display.
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Yolandé Hefer is a lecturer in the Department of Marketing and Retail at the University of South Africa (UNISA).
She holds a Consumer Science degree in fashion retailing as well as a Master’s degree in Marketing. She has 10
years experience in the retail sector and has worked in one of South Africa’s major retail stores as a visual
merchandiser. Her research interests include marketing, retail, and merchandising. E-mail: hefery@unisa.ac.za
Michael Cant is the CoD of the Department of Marketing and Retail Management at the University of South Africa
(UNISA). He has published over 40 accredited articles in refereed journals and is the editor and author of more than
30 books in marketing. These books are widely prescribed at universities in South Africa. He has presented papers at
more than 45 international conferences all over the world and is a well respected marketing and retail scholar. He
holds a DCom in Marketing from the University of South Africa. E-mail: cantmc@unisa.ac.za. (Corresponding
author)
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