Visual Merchandiser: Skills, Duties and Job Description
Samiksha Chougule
Department of Textiles (Fashion Technology)
DKTE’S Textile & Engineering Institute, Ichalkaranji, India
Intern at Textile Learner
Email: samikshachougule231216@gmail.com
Who Is a Visual Merchandiser?
A Visual Merchandiser is a professional that designs and maintains store displays in order to make things more visually appealing to customers. They also keep an eye on current trends to ensure that products remain relevant to customers. 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.
Fig: Visual merchandiser
Duties and Responsibilities of a Visual Merchandiser: Daily planning and construction of displays that optimize effect is the responsibility of a visual merchandiser. While retaining tight relationships at higher levels of retail, they move equipment, design signage, set up lighting, and work with suppliers. They also engage in price negotiations and marketing strategy discussions.
Create an innovative visual merchandising strategy and define, design, and implement it.
Create visually stimulating displays that draw customers throughout the whole store.
Establish a clear picture of the outcome and identify the main messages.
Create, edit, and present design concepts with the help of the assistant merchandisers.
Behave in a way that is consistent with the organization’s target market, culture, and products.
Keep costs under control and stay on budget.
Oversee manufacturing and provide workers instructions on setting up displays.
Displays should be altered to match holiday or seasonal themes and to advertise new product launches.
Communicate with vendors and find components
Do some lifestyle, demographic, and fashion trend research.
Requirements or Skills Required to Become a Visual Merchandiser: Given its recent and dynamic history, visual merchandising is typically studied in specialized institutions and creative academies, which are able to foresee the future of a field that is turning storefront windows into soundstages for installations and performances.
A successful visual merchandiser possesses the ideal combination of product expertise, style, marketing know-how, and design sensibility. They must be knowledgeable about the store’s merchandise as well as current fashions in order to design displays that are appealing to clients. They are imaginative but never lose sight of their goal of showcasing the store’s goods.
Solid background in visual merchandising, including space utilization, interior displays, signs, and window displays
A working knowledge of Photoshop, Illustrator, or another graphic design program
Understanding of the best techniques and current trends in visual merchandising
Mastery of Microsoft Office
Imaginative and original thinking
Ability to evaluate survey and sales merchandising reports
Visual Merchandiser Salary and Job Description: Starting pay for experienced or management positions can range from £20,000 to £27,000, with senior levels starting at about £30,000. Directors and overseas employees can make between £45,000 and £60,000 a year.
Some field or regional positions may come with perks including a company automobile, gasoline reimbursement, and a mobile phone. Many roles are full time, but part-time hours may be available.
Over the course of a week, the average number of hours worked is 35 to 40. As work must typically be completed before businesses open for business, early morning beginnings or late night finishes are frequent. A thorough store remodel may necessitate working late or over the weekend.
What to Expect? Most big retailers have visual merchandising teams situated at their head office that work on visual concepts for retail shops, catalogues, and/or websites in addition to in-store or field visual merchandising teams. To share their design thoughts with the in-store visual merchandising teams and to make sure the concepts mesh with the physical environment of the store, head office visual merchandising designers may travel to stores in the field.
Freelance visual merchandisers frequently consult with or work on a contract basis for smaller or independent stores to develop displays or teach workers. Additionally, there can be openings in specialized visual merchandising installation and prop-making businesses, to whom big businesses sometimes outsource tasks.
Strong levels of physical endurance and manual dexterity are advantageous because the job frequently entails heavy lifting, ladder climbing, and the use of power tools.
To maintain brand consistency, there may be opportunities for foreign travel with global chains.
Career Prospects of Visual Merchandiser: Visual merchandisers who began out working on the shop floor and gathered expertise might be able to advance to a manager or team leader role.
Those aiming for higher-level positions might need to be proficient in drawing, with CAD knowledge being preferred. It’s crucial to be able to express concepts and deliver complicated information in a way that’s understandable. Additionally necessary are the ability to lead initiatives from conception to completion within constrained time frames as well as planning and organizational skills.
Promotion to the creative and visual merchandising departments at the corporate headquarters may be an option. From employer to employer, head office career structures will differ, but senior, director, or international jobs may be included.
Conclusion:
For retail establishments, visual merchandisers are in charge of designing and producing eye-catching visual displays. They employ their abilities in visual design and space usage to improve the aesthetic appeal of window displays, walkways, counters, and in-store displays because they are creative and imaginative thinkers. The position was created in the 19th century, but it has only recently expanded and become crucial in the fashion industry.
Founder & Editor of Textile Learner. He is a Textile Consultant, Blogger & Entrepreneur. He is working as a textile consultant in several local and international companies. He is also a contributor of Wikipedia.
