Unit 16 Visual Merchandising
How we should set out the shop and why
Asda and Primark Introduction:
As a part of my position as a trainee manager apprenticeship at a major clothing retailer, I have been
tasked to create a report which looks into visual merchandising and display techniques used in two
retailers; Asda and Primark: George. In this report, I will look into influences which impact the
consumer buying behaviour as well as the legislation and safety considerations of visual
merchandising.
In the below report, I will be investigating different visual merchandising techniques that can be
applied to the retailer that I am conducting the report for. As previously mentioned, I will be
exploring two UK retail giants; Primark and Asda: George. I have chosen these two clothing retail
outlets as they both sell items in the same category but have different customer demographics and
contrast in their visual merchandising techniques. This will help me get a comprehensive overview of
the retail clothing market and the visual merchandising techniques they employ.
Asda is the largest retailer in the UK, boasting a 14.4% market share and has over 630 stores. It is
seen as the UK’s first discounter who offers their customers the best value for money. Asda launched
their subsidiary, George, in 1989. Asda now sell their George range of products in over 580 of their
stores and through their website, George.com. Through them in store and online platforms, George
serves over 2m customers per week. George pride themselves in providing affordable clothing for all
customer demographics.
Primark is a subsidiary of the company ABF (Associated British Foods) Group. The company first
launched in Ireland under the trading name, Penny’s. By the 2000, Primark boasted over 100 Primark
stores across Britain and Ireland and by 2012, Primark had 238 stores branches across the UK,
Ireland and Europe. Primark provide fashionable clothes at good value for the customer. The British
public see the brand as an affordable Highstreet option for buying their clothing. The company relies
on low costs, economies of scale and efficient distribution to maintain its strong market position.
A - Explore how retail outlets apply visual
merchandising and display techniques in line
with legislation and safety considerations
Why Visual Merchandising is Important
Visual merchandising is essentially the practice of displaying stock in a way that will entice customers
to look at the product and eventually, make a purchase. You can see examples of visual
merchandising wherever you go, from window-displays to signage, they are all designed to attract
the customer to make a purchase. However, not all visual merchandising is made the same and as a
result have different levels of success.
, Unit 16 Visual Merchandising
Retailers such as Harrods, in London are known for their excellent displays and impressive festive
themes.
The below picture shows Harrod’s London Christmas Window display, featuring a steam express
train.
Visual merchandising is a vital part of a retailer’s success. It gives the first impressions of the shop to
potential customers. Once the customer is through the door, the chances of a purchase go up
exponentially. If the window display and the visual merchandising are unappealing and are not
effective in grabbing the customers attention then the customer will likely walk straight past and
enter a store that grab their attention more affectively. The Highstreet market is very competitive.
Therefore, there is a definite competition when it comes to affective visual merchandising.
Both Primark and Asda employ visual merchandising and display techniques in different ways. This is
because they have different customer demographics and their stores are set up in different ways.
For example, George is located within Asda, a supermarket whereas Primark are stand-alone stores
usually located on the highstreets of busy towns and cities. Therefore, George’s customer base is
likely to be customers of Asda who come in for groceries and by chance see the George clothing
section of the Asda stores. Primark’s demographic are consumers who are looking for value-based
clothing and have some disposable income.
Investigating the visual merchandising and
display techniques that are used by the two
contrasting businesses and evaluating the
extent to which they contribute to the success
of those businesses
Display Techniques
Product Placement
, Unit 16 Visual Merchandising
Product placement is an essential part of visual merchandising, it dictates when and how a customer
views a product. Primark and Asda are both aware of this and as a result strategically place their
products where they believe they will receive the most sales. It has been proven that the most
effective placement of products is in the: window, entrance of the store, bottom of stairs/escalators,
high traffic aisles and at the end of aisles. This is because these sections receive the most foot traffic
and as a result receive more sales. However, there is an alternative placement that also results in
ahigh number of sales, this is in ‘out of context’ areas. For example, placing socks that are on a
promotion in the coat’s aisle. This method of product placement takes the customer off guard and
results in the customer taking more time to view the item.
Product Segmentation
Product segmentation refers to the grouping of products that have similar characteristics and serve a
similar market. The use of product segmentation makes the store more organised and looking for a
certain product becomes less of a chore for the customer as well as serving the use of giving the
customer more choice.
- The Theme
o The theme of the different product segments could be based on seasons and the
festivals that go with them such as Halloween, New school year, Valentines day etc.
o Or the theme could be based on colour or a new season of fashion such as an
Autumnal clothing range.
- The Season
o The segments that come under this category are based around Spring, Summer,
Autumn, Winter. For example, you wouldn’t display winter coats and hats in the
summer time or swimwear in the winter.
- Promotion and Events
o Another example of segmentation is promotions and events.
These can be half price sales, black Friday sales, etc.
These are great methods to get customers to buy products that will go out
of fashion soon such as winter clothing being sold as part of a sale in
January.
- Category
o Products are also grouped into categories such as:
Outdoor
Casual wear
Underwear
Maternity
Workwear
Product Segmentation In relation to Primark and Asda (George)
Window displays are used to show the customer the kind of products the store offers and also acts
as a method of enticing the customer in if done correctly. The window displays act as the first point
of contact with the store and the customer and give the first impressions to the customer, in many
clothing retailers, they place mannequins in the window wearing products from within the store to
show the customer what kind of look they can create from the products. Window displays can also
employ the use of themes though their colour choice. For example, B&Q who have a strong brand
identity through the use of their signature orange use the colour orange to make their window
