Displaying Your Merchandize: 5 Tips on How To Position Mannequins
We are living at a time when brick-and-mortar retail stores are the primary touchpoints between brands and consumers. Retailers ought to excite shoppers as much as possible since this is the easiest way of keeping them coming through the doors. It all starts with drawing the attention of potential shoppers using eye-catching store fixtures such as mannequins.
Michael Smith from Store Fixtures Direct says that your store’s visual display tells a lot about your brand and the items that you are selling. It also arouses the imagination and curiosity of whoever passes at the storefront. Mannequins can go a long way in helping you attract shoppers to your stores. Once a shopper sees a fully-dressed mannequin, for instance, he/she will imagine wearing the same outfit. This ultimately conjures up emotional feelings and thoughts along the lines of “I should be the one wearing this.”
Most fashion retail stores use mannequins to display their merchandise. Larger brands even have the luxury of purchasing mannequins in different poses to show a specific style of the apparel that they sell. If you run a small brand, you may not have this luxury. Nonetheless, you can still use the available mannequins to serve different purposes. Here are the top five tips for positioning mannequins effectively.
1. Position Mannequins Near the Storefront
The purpose of having mannequins at your store is to catch the eyes of passers-by. You cannot achieve this purpose if the mannequins are positioned inside the store. Indeed, you can place some mannequins inside the store, primarily to sway the purchasing decision of shoppers who think that the apparel on the mannequins would look great on them.
If shoppers take a look at mannequins positioned inside the store, it means that something drew their attention in the first place. This highlights the significance of capitalizing on the storefront. In this regard, ensure that most of your mannequins are prominently displayed closer to the storefront. Anyone passing outside your store will spot them and, ultimately, come through the doors.
2. Display the Physically Good Sides of the Mannequins
Just like humans, mannequins also have positions where they can be best viewed from. When your shoppers look at the mannequins from these positions, they will have a greater impulse to purchase your merchandise. Therefore, you should only consider the most eye-catching angles and views of your mannequins as you position them inside the store and at the storefront.
Likewise, you rotate your mannequins regularly. By repositioning your mannequins, you give your shoppers an element of surprise. Your store will have a fresh outlook every time they come shopping. They will also have the perception that the items that you display on your mannequins sell out fast. This is likely to drive them into purchasing so that they don’t miss out on trends.
If mannequins stay in one place for too long, your merchandise will appear stale in the eyes of shoppers. Your shoppers will look at the merchandise on the dummies as store fixtures. There won’t be an element of surprise every time they enter your store. Ideally, mannequins should get rotated every 1 to 2 months.
3. Avoid Overcrowding Your Mannequins
You should avoid positioning all your mannequins in one part of your store. When you push them together, it won’t be easy for shoppers to sample the attire on each mannequin. How your mannequins are positioned speaks about the layout of your store. If the display is clumsy, your store won’t be any different. Even if the sales floor is organized, shoppers will assume that it’s as awkward as the mannequin arrangement at the storefront.
Therefore, it’s imperative to ensure that your window display appears well-coordinated and organized while remaining spacious. You may handle sales floor mannequins differently, but also need to be prominent displays. Nonetheless, sales floor mannequins shouldn’t be as outstanding as those at the storefront. They are meant to help you display clothing in specific sections of your store rather than drawing passers-by attention.
4. Create a Theme With the Mannequins
Even as you arrange mannequins at different parts of your store, ensure that they pass a message across. You can use them to direct shoppers to various departments, or even to display the latest trends. Groups of floor mannequins ought to get positioned in a way that allows them to interact with each other and speak subtly to your shoppers.
Arrange your mannequins in a way that makes them look like they are interacting. in doing so, you’ll make the larger mannequins less obstructive and more natural. For instance, you can use both female and male mannequins in the women’s section, while the men’s section should only feature male mannequins. Likewise, put together a mannequin family comprising a dad, mom, and children in the kids’ section of your store. That way, it will be easier to communicate with your shoppers.
5. Make Your Mannequins Interesting
Almost every other shop on your street uses mannequins to display its merchandise. Yours will draw the attention of passers-by if the displays are eye-catching. Therefore, ensure that your mannequins look interesting. It would help if you took the unusual step of making the mannequins “mimic” passers-by on the street outside your shop. In doing so, the mannequins will blend in with what’s happening around them. Such eye-catching displays are likely to attract customers into your store to see what’s you’re selling.
Besides, you can make your mannequins more interesting by avoiding mixing those that are on the sales floor with those that are on the windows. Floor mannequins tend to be somewhat uninteresting compared to window mannequins due to the limited contact that they have with shoppers and passers-by. The way you set up your mannequins should reflect the vibe that is associated with the type of clothing on display. For instance, consider using mannequins in wide-leg stands to display a flowing or billowing dress.
Your mannequins speak a lot about the merchandise that you sell. It would be best if you positioned the mannequins strategically and in a manner that keeps your store looking inviting and fresh.
