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10 Retail Resolutions for 2014

Stick to specific goals for a productive year

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New Year’s resolutions are hard to make and even harder to keep. Only 8 percent of the American population is actually successful in achieving them. In my opinion, the themes are too overarching. Find love? Be more organized? Lose weight? Don’t get me wrong, these are great resolutions but each one needs detail and a plan. Here I break down the top 10 retail resolutions that can add a touch of improvement, a new domestic idea and a fresh perspective.

Resolution #1: Prioritize visual merchandising.
This year, hire someone to be in charge of only interior display and window. It could be part-time, once a week or once every two weeks (whatever works with your budget). Recognize that it takes talent to create a compelling display that will build sales. A salesperson does not come with visual training, but will need to be trained. It’s worth it.

Resolution #2: Use art to spark VM creativity.
If the budget doesn’t allow for a visual merchandiser, start with a Pinterest board of visual inspiration and get employees excited about display. Let the employees add to the board and encourage ownership and participation, and a budding visual talent is sure to emerge!

Another option? Look for pro-bono outside creative help. Miss Jacksons in Tulsa, Okla. uses students from the local art school for its window displays, and the city of Austin recently held a competition with public voting for student window displays, where the winner received scholarship money. This allows retailers to get creative help, and students to have a great portfolio piece and real life display experience. A win-win for all involved with little set back for you.

Resolution #3: Keep the store decor as fresh as the product coming in.
If you are a retailer trying to be the “validator” to a customer’s style, then the store should be current and updated. New(er) fixture systems, materials and mannequins maintain you as the fashion expert. Move product frequently to make it appear newer to the customer. Perhaps those items that aren’t selling in that “B” location would sell a lot faster in an “A” location on your floor. Switching up product keeps it new, fresh and exciting.

Resolution #4: Clear up the backwrap area and make it as pristine as possible.
Organize and make sure the hangers have a place to go, boxes, bags, pens, tape, loose papers, etc. This is where coffee spills, tags and fingerprints have their fun. So get creative. Rowe, a boutique in Columbus Ohio, hangs bags on round wooden pegs in an artful arrangement on the back wall; it’s functional and artistic. This is the last area of the store your customer sees and leaves a final impression – so make sure it’s clean and clutter free.

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Resolution #5: Vow to change your windows more frequently.
You don’t have to have new product to freshen up a window. Take something that’s not selling and move it to the front. Try it in the window. Then try it again in a different way. For example, t-shirts and a mannequin in the window could be re-displayed by omitting the mannequin and hanging the t-shirts on a grid on the back wall, creating an artful pattern.

Resolution #6: Let people “spy shot.”
Most of the time, someone is taking pictures to inspire or be inspired, and this lets your store become a social place where people can feel comfortable giving and getting ideas. David Bowie once said, “The only art I will ever study is stuff that I can steal from.” Allow your store to be seen and go viral. Use photos to your advantage with a social media incentive welcoming those with cameras. And if an idea is copied? Remember imitation is truly the best compliment (of course I respect that there are confidentiality issues and special circumstances).

Resolution #7: Have a strategy for the “singletons.”
One can only wardrobe (or style) the leftovers for so long. Nordstrom has a destination bar where the signs for the one-offs say, “Going, going, gone!” and “Get It Before It’s Gone!” Remind customers that this may be their last chance to get these best-sellers.

Resolution #8: Think about the store in terms of the layout of a home.
The kitchen has a function, as does the living room, etc. Create zones in-store for collections of product that will lead customers to “Hot Spots” and help organize the space. General Quarters, a menswear lifestyle store in Los Angeles, took this idea a step further. The owner parks his Ducati Monster inside the store daily to add to the utilitarian vibe of the brand.

Resolution #9: Create ambiance with lighting.
Vow to check that they are all on every day and replace any broken or flickering bulbs. Nothing is more distracting than bad or ill-functioning lighting when trying to shop.

Resolution #10: Add a touch of home by bringing in a pet or plant(s).
I love stores that welcome pets but I melt when a store has a pet. Nothing livens up a space like animals. It could be the store mascot! If this is not possible for your location, live greenery can also domesticate and add interest. HUH. Magazine Store in East London hung potted plants upside-down to add a spin to the norm. Or to really think outside the box, why not buy a cement statue of a gnome, animal, etc. (whatever works best with the lifestyle/brand of your store)? Name the statue, place a sign on it and invite customers to take pictures with it or place it in different areas of the store randomly. It’s all about inviting customers to interact in some way.

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Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2014 and cheers to getting VM off on the right foot!

I’ll drink to that!

Faith Bartrug of FBD Studios (Columbus, Ohio) has more than a decade of experience in transforming national brands. Her background includes brand strategy, environmental design and visual merchandising, and she has been able to practice what she preaches with leading design firms and clients such as Neiman Marcus, JCPenney and Mark Pi’s.

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