Conway in New York City and Steve & Barry’s in Middletown, NY have something in common. They are both clothing stores where find attractive clothing at incredible prices. TJ Maxx and Fashion Bug… Ross Dress for Less and Marshalls… Macy’s and Lord & Taylor… In many cases these stores are direct competitors, but they carry similar items and are priced within the same range.
The question is how do these stores that are in direct competition with one another remain in business? What is their strategy to carve out a market niche when there are so many other stores striving for the same goal? Extensive time and money is spent in researching specific market targets and identifying trends. One of the things Research and Development Departments are looking for is information such as which group has the most buying power or is growing at the fastest pace. Is it Generation Xers? Is it the Baby Boomers? Is it Generation Y?
At this point the next step is to focus on the best way to lure and appeal to those specific target markets. How merchandise is displayed can be the lifeblood of a business, or the nail in its coffin. It’s challenging but one must be able to think like a consumer. With that particular mind set we can see things from several different viewpoints. Do I want a display that appeals to the youthful, the hip hop genre? Or do I want to have a kind of broad and universal appeal? Can I use ordinary people as models promoting my wares or do I need ‘star power’? Understanding the art of presentation and the importance of color all tie into this.
Certain colors are soothing, take blues for instance. If you are promoting sunglasses for the beach, doesn’t it make sense to have turquoise and white which bring to mind the ocean and white sandy beaches? When displaying the whimsical and fun shutter shades, wouldn’t it be generate interest to have a science fiction theme or perhaps a black background and then suddenly you see the glow in the dark sunglasses? Visual presentation can make more of an impact that any sales pitch you might give. Years and years ago when we watched The Blues Brothers one of the most memorable things were the sunglasses. The Matrix Trilogy didn’t just have star power, they had sex appeal. The leather and vinyl outfits were provocative, and dramatic. There were a lot of black outfits and black looks good on everyone. But again secondary to the big names in acting, were the sunglasses. They were displayed as sleek, hip and something you absolutely had to have. Think about race cars and what kind of sunglasses come to mind? I rest my case.
Sunglasses have a distinct personality and appeal just like we as individuals do. When you purchase sunglasses you want something that reflects your personality… you don’t want to be one of many per se. There are as many different ways to display sunglasses as there are styles and shades. Variety is after all the spice of life. You can’t please everyone all the time, but you can use the power of observation to see what works and what doesn’t when displaying your merchandise. Don’t be afraid to mix things up a bit and experiment. After all without trying something new and unconventional, think of how many scientific and technological breakthroughs we would be without.