Visual Merchandising: An Eye for Color

Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

You donÔÇÖt ┬áneed to have an eye for color to be able to put together an eye-catching display!

There are a few simple guidelines to follow when dealing with the colors in your displays. Keep reading for a few quick color basics to keep in mind when youÔÇÖre putting together your booth, window display, jewelry displays, or even your packaging colors! The colors you use in your displays will help dictate your customersÔÇÖ moods, and influence them to buy (or not to buy), so itÔÇÖs worth spending some time learning about how to effectively use color in your displays.

1. Have a knowledgeable use of color. ItÔÇÖs important to remember that specific colors are associated with certain industries or holidays. Even if itÔÇÖs springtime and sunny, a combination of green and red is probably going to make your customers think about Christmas, so if thatÔÇÖs not your intention, itÔÇÖs probably not a good idea. An example of an industry that has a color associated with it would be the environmental industry. It is often paired with the color green, which (depending on the shade) can make customers think of things in terms of fresh, natural, and organic. Be aware┬áof choosing colors that match your intent, or at the very least, that do not cause an impression you never intended to create.

Image courtesy of zirconicusso at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

2. ┬áBright and warm colors are attention-grabbers, while cool colors are more soothing and calm. This certainly does not mean you should never use cool colors in your displays; can you imagine only brightly colored displays? It would overwhelm the eye and confuse the customer. Carefully placed splashes of color, however, draw the eye to key areas and products. Displays should also have a good balance of neutral tones to avoid overwhelming customers. ┬áAlso, if youÔÇÖre not looking to excite your customers (you might be going for elegance, subtlety, or calm), cool colors might be what you want to use.

3. Colors affect peopleÔÇÖs emotions. When choosing colors for your displays, think about what emotions you want to bring out in your customers. How do you want your customers to feel so that they are more likely to buy your products?

My Visual Merchandising has an excellent color chart that explains the emotions colors evoke, as well as how and when to use them. This article also explains various color schemes and how they work.

4. How about background colors?┬áThese are just as important as colors utilized in the front of a display! The background color is oftenÔÇöbut not alwaysÔÇöa neutral color (white, black, and beige are very popular, especially for jewelry displays), and should be an unequal blend of both warm and cool colors for the best effect. Although backgrounds should have a dominant color, when creating a booth or window display it can be good idea to have more than one color to avoid a dull background. Your background should push your products forward and not detract attention from them. For example, if you have red jewelry and a red background, your jewelry is likely to get lost in the background instead of standing out.

necklace display
Notice the difference of effect between the black and white display background?

For a jewelry displays, if you have brightly colored jewelry, and you really want it to pop, a black or white display will help the jewelry to stand out.

Notice the picture to the right and how different a white pearl necklace looks on the black and white backgrounds. It creates a different feel on each display!

If we were to place the pearl necklace on a beige display, the look would be different, too! The beige and white would give it a feeling of beauty and elegance since they are colors similar to the pearl necklace, while the black really makes the white pearl stand out and catch your eye since it is a darker color.

For some great examples of color in displays visit us on Pinterest! 

Visual Merchandising: 4 Ways to Attract Customers

How is visual merchandising used to attract customers? Or, before we answer that question, what IS visual merchandising? Visual merchandising means creating an atmosphere in your store through displays, sensory messages, colors and lighting, product placement, floorplan, etc., that will attract customers and keep them interested. ItÔÇÖs about creating an environment that logically flows and is aesthetically pleasing at the same time; itÔÇÖs setting your store up in such a way that it generates more sales. Put differently, visual merchandising is the silent salesperson in your store that shows your customers where products are, how to use them, what to pair with them, and how theyÔÇÖll feel when they use them. It can be as simple and basic as the cleanliness of your store showing customers how much you care about having their business, or dig deeply into how they think and will respond to where product is placed on the shelf.

(Image courtesy of digitalart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

ItÔÇÖs important to give time to visual merchandising because not only has it been proven to increase sales, but also helps you build a customer interest and engagement. The easier it is for people to navigate your store and find what they want (or find things that are interesting), the more likely they are to buy something.

Since visual merchandising is a vast topic, weÔÇÖre going to break it down into a few posts to be able to go more in depth on these topics that are so vital to the retail world. To begin, here are a few key areas to focus on for effective visual merchandising:

1. Sensory messages. How does your store smell? What music do you have playing? WhatÔÇÖs the overall ÔÇ£feelÔÇØ of your store? Most importantly, are all of these things in line with what youÔÇÖre selling? For example, if youÔÇÖre selling elegant, high-end jewelry, chances are youÔÇÖre not going to have Hello Kitty posters on the wall, boisterous pop music playing in the background, or the scent of bubblegum in your store. However, if your product is jewelry for young teenage girls, it might be the sensory feel you need. Be careful to send your customers the right sensory messages!

Color is also a sensory input and can influence moods just like smells and sounds can. (Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

 

2. Show them how your products will look at home. Especially for jewelry or fashion stores, itÔÇÖs important for your customers to be able to see how theyÔÇÖll look in your products or how they will use them at home. Otherwise, why buy them? Use displays that accurately depict how a product is used or worn, keep mirrors handy for seeing items they try on, and make sure lighting is conducive to good viewing.

Have a jewelry store? Display jewelry sets with a combo display so that customers will get a feel for how items will look paired together.

 

3. Change displays often. At a minimum, changing display themes every other month (6 main themes per year) is recommended. ┬áIf you can manage it, itÔÇÖs a good idea to switch displays around weekly (or monthly, if weekly is too daunting) so that customers will always be seeing something new when they enter your store. Seeing new products when they enter your store will keep them coming back to see what else you have to offer.

4. Clear focal points. DonÔÇÖt overwhelm or confuse your customers by having a display that doesnÔÇÖt have a clear focal point or any visual balance (especially in window displays!). If they are having to look all over to find the point of a display, they wonÔÇÖt stick around. WeÔÇÖve read that the average customer only views a display for 2-5 seconds. While this may not be true, it does give us an idea of how little time people spend looking at a display. If they canÔÇÖt figure it out what youÔÇÖre trying to convey very quickly, theyÔÇÖll move on to a display that does.

Remember the rule of three. People tend to view things in sets, so if you have a tall display, have a "tall, "taller", and "tallest" element. Risers are perfect for helping to achieve this effect. 

Step Into The Warehouse with Joey!

Have you ever wondered what happens after you place an order with Gems on Display?

Step into the Gems on Display warehouse in this video and learn what happens between the time you place an order online or over the phone and when it gets to you! We take pride in carefully picking, inspecting, and packaging your order. We process all orders within 24-48 hours of being placed (except for holidays and weekends), and then FedEx quickly takes it to your door! (How quickly? Find out here.)

Travel Show Tip | Keeping Jewelry Secure

Traveling with jewelry can be a tricky thing. You probably spend enough time getting your jewelry ready to travel by carefully packing your pieces in jewelry trays and placing them in your carrying case, and you don’t want to spend more time re-arranging everything when you arrive. Guess what? You don’t need to! Rick shares an excellent travel show tip for how to keep your jewelry in place while you travel, so that when you arrive you’re able to pull it out (just as you left it) and start selling!

Holiday Wish List

There are a few items that we have on our wish list this holiday season, and we just couldn’t wait to share them with you. We’ve picked our top 5, but we’d love to hear what is on your wish list!

5. Jewelry Attache Case III. This is perfect for the person in your life who travels with jewelry or does shows! Holds rings, necklaces, two half-sized velvet pads and has a key lock for safe-keeping.

4. Jewelry Attache Case II. A larger version of #5, this jewelry case also has a combination lock and two full-sized velvet pads for displaying!

3. Rotating Metal Earring Stand. This rotating earring stand doesn’t just work as a great store display! It’s the perfect gift for the woman in your life who loves her earrings and wants to keep them organized. It holds up to 96 pairs of earrings, and has some beautiful metal detailing at the top.

2. Combination Stand. This beautiful stand is a great gift for someone who loves to be organized with their jewelry. Holds up to 20 pairs of earrings and 20 necklaces.

1. Wooden Bead Display Organizer. Do you know someone who loves beads? This is the perfect gift! This bead organizer allows them to organize, store, and display their beads in a simple and elegant way.

Stressing about the holidays?

Here’s why you don’t need to!

With the holiday season approaching, we know how crazy things can get and how busy you are making preparations. ThatÔÇÖs why weÔÇÖre working to make things as easy and stress-free as possible for you. How? Keep reading for 3 ways that weÔÇÖre helping you keep it simple and stress-free this season!

1. Need more gift wrapping supplies, merchandise bags, or jewelry boxes? We have a large inventory of products that are in stock and ready to ship. How fast will it get to you? You can reference the map below to see how quickly your order will get to you after it leaves our warehouse. We process every order within 24-48 hours (except for weekends), so your order doesn’t waste much time in getting on the way!

2. Quantity questions? Product queries? Give us a call! WeÔÇÖd love to chat with you about our quantity discounts and which products will work best for what youÔÇÖre doing. WeÔÇÖll take the time you need to decide what you want, and weÔÇÖll never rush you. ItÔÇÖs our job to make sure youÔÇÖre happy and getting what you need to make your business run smoothly.

3. Holidays are a perfect time for company branding. We think youÔÇÖll like our custom printing process, and nowÔÇÖs the time to start stocking up on printed jewelry boxes, earring cards, and merchandise bags so that you wonÔÇÖt run low during the business of the season. WeÔÇÖd love to help make things easier for you by getting a head start on your custom printing! You can learn more by going to our custom printing page!

As always, you can reach us at 1-888-317-2213 or by email at customerservice@gemsondisplay.com.

Take a deep breath! We’ll help you get through the holidays.

Ideas for a Great Display Case

CREATE a showcase display that will capture the interest of your customers while highlighting the unique qualities of your products with these three simple ideas for a great display case. It doesn’t have to be difficult to create a display that you (and your customers) will love.

1. Stick with basic colors, such as white or black. White tends to be the most popular choice for showcase displays because of it’s elegance and simplicity, but black can be a great option for lighter colored jewelry that you want to stand out.

White displays are a popular choice for showcases.

 

2. Choose the appropriate height for displays. Since display cases dictate the height of your displays, you’ll want to choose display items that aren’t too tall. There are many displays that are created especially for display cases, such as showcase trays, or items like this mini necklace bust that still allow you to display necklaces without the height of a typical necklace bust.

necklace bust
This mini necklace bust is perfect for display cases!

 

3. Keep away from clutter! If you try to put too many things into a display case, your customers won’t know where to look or what to buy. An easy way to direct their attention to particular items is to utilize signs as┬ásales aids. A well-placed sign will catch the eye of your customer and pull it to the product you’d like them to focus on.

Direct attention to products with a well-placed sign.