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Visual Merchandiser
Visual merchandisers are responsible for designing and creating attractive visual displays for retail outlets. As creative and innovative thinkers, they use their skills in visual design and space utilization to enhance the aesthetic appeal of window displays, walkways, counters, and in-store displays.
We are looking for an innovative visual merchandiser to assist in generating sales through creative retail displays that capture buyers’ attention, with the goal of providing an excellent in-store experience. You will employ visual merchandising principles to convert window shoppers into prospects by driving branding and sales objectives in order to maximize profitability.
To be successful as a visual merchandiser you must ensure our store’s visual appearance is maintained to the highest standard, at all times.
Visual Merchandiser Responsibilities:
- Creating and implementing a visual merchandising strategy for the store.
- Ensuring the strategy is in line with the store’s brand, products, and target market.
- Generating sketches of visual displays that meet the store’s visual design requirements.
- Finalizing designs and creating detailed floor plans for display areas.
- Sourcing the props, creative materials, and accessories for displays.
- Installing and setting up window displays, walkways, counters, and in-store displays, or supervising contractors hired for this purpose.
- Changing displays to promote new product launches or to reflect festive or seasonal themes.
- Ensuring uniformity of displays across multiple store locations.
- Liaising with other retail professionals, including buyers, marketing executives, and retail merchandisers, when necessary.
- Monitoring costs and working within budget.
- Researching lifestyle and design trends that will inform the visual merchandising strategy.
Visual Merchandiser Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in graphic design, visual communications, spatial design, interior design, retail management, or a related field.
- Proven work experience as a visual merchandiser or visual manager.
- Comprehensive portfolio of relevant visual design work.
- Experienced at using Adobe Creative Suite programs, such as Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, or other visual design tools.
- Proficiency in MS Office Suite.
- Working knowledge of current visual merchandising trends and best practices.
- Ability to analyze sales merchandising reports and survey results.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Flexible working hours, including evenings and weekends.
What does a visual merchandiser do?
In the most simple terms, a visual merchandiser is in charge of creating visually appealing design displays in retail stores or outlets. Visual merchandising is all about attracting the customer to the merchandise. They use their design and innovation skills to enable high-quality visual styling that adheres to the guidelines of the brand and its sales objectives. Whether it is increased brand awareness or sales, a visual merchandising specialist works around window displays, walkways and counters to provide an outstanding in-store experience.
You might hire a visual merchandiser to:
- Curate and execute the best visual merchandising strategy for the retail outlet
- Ensure that the strategy complies with the ethos of the company, its products and its customers
- Monitor the designs so that the visual display designs are in tune with the sales and marketing objectives of the brand
- Generate effective visual merchandising which is a balance between creative and functional
- Stay on top of retail merchandising display trends that the others are implementing
What to expect
- As well as in-store or field visual merchandising teams, most major retailers will have visual merchandising teams based at their head office working on visual concepts for retail shops and/or catalogues and websites. Head office visual merchandising designers may visit stores out in the field to convey their design ideas to in-store visual merchandising teams and to ensure the concepts fit with the physical environment of the store.
- Freelance or consultancy work is common, with freelance visual merchandisers working with a client base of smaller or independent retailers to create displays or train staff. There may also be opportunities within specialist visual merchandising installation and prop-making companies, to which large organisations often outsource projects.
- Depending on the employer, the role may be multifunctional, with responsibility for store layout, design, or buying, and sometimes on a lower level, selling.
- Good levels of stamina and manual dexterity are useful as the job can involve lots of lifting and carrying, climbing ladders and the use of power tools.
- There may be opportunities for overseas travel with international chains, to ensure consistency in the brand.
Qualifications
A degree is not essential for this role, but some higher education institutions offer specific courses, including:
- fashion buying and merchandising at the London College of Fashion
- fashion, visual merchandising and branding at the University of Arts London
- fashion styling and visual merchandising at Istituto Marangoni London
Other useful degree subjects include:
- fashion design
- fine art
- interior design
- surface pattern design
- textiles
- 3D design.
Some further education colleges offer relevant courses, including Hugh Baird College which runs a course in visual merchandising and promotional design.
Some major retailers do have graduate schemes for visual merchandising, but these are not very common. Many higher-level visual merchandisers gain experience by working their way up from the shop floor.
Postgraduate qualifications are not essential, but some professional training courses at postgraduate level are available.
Entry with an HND or A-levels is possible with art, fashion or design-based courses being useful. Starting as an assistant on the shop floor is a common way to enter this career.
It may be possible to find an apprenticeship in visual merchandising. Such as those offered by the Fashion Retail Academy.
Membership of the BPMA (British Promotional Merchandise Association) gives you lots of benefits, including connecting you with other merchandising professionals and offering you the opportunity to become a chartered member.
Skills
You will need to have:
- a talent for design, colour and style
- creative flair and imagination
- a strong interest in current and future design trends
- visual/spatial awareness and manual dexterity
- effective communication and negotiation skills
- the ability to work well with different teams
- the capacity to work with constructive criticism
- a driving licence - this may be required for driving to different stores.
Work experience
Gaining work experience in the retail sector can be helpful and especially if it involves creating displays and arranging products.
If you have no visual merchandising experience you may find it easier to step into this role by working as a retail sales assistant role first and getting involved in visual merchandising on the shop floor.
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