Impact of Visual Merchandising on University of New Hampshire Students

Visual merchandising is a marketing tool used by retail outlets in order to make their products attractive and engaging. It has the ability to sway consumers into buying a product, making visual merchandising a useful tool in today’s competitive market. This study examines the impact visual merchandising has on the students of the University of New Hampshire (UNH). To determine this, we researched both the students and their local retailers. Retailers in Durham, New Hampshire were interviewed to determine how important visual merchandising is to their business. The consensus was that visual merchandising is an important segment of their business; it is one of the most effective ways to market to students. To gain an understanding of students’ views, a survey was distributed to undergraduates to measure their shopping habits and perceptions of visual merchandising. It was found that students generally have a positive perception of visual merchandising. Overall, students find visual merchandising useful and valuable when shopping. Through the statements made by retailers and the data provided by students, it has been determined that students are largely impacted by visual merchandising at UNH

Effectively offending to sell: consumer response to shocking visual merchandising presentations

2011 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.In recent years, the use of shocking message appeals has become increasingly commonplace in the fashion industry, particularly in the context of print advertising. Sex and violence are two of the specific types of message appeals that are often employed in the creation of shocking advertising or promotions. Despite the increased use of this type of message appeal across all forms of promotion, research into the efficacy of this message appeal has focused primarily on print advertising. Limited research exists on the subject of visual merchandising, in general, and even less exists on store window presentations, in particular, despite the importance of this form of promotion for retailers. For these reasons this study focused on consumers' reactions to the use of shocking message appeals in visual merchandising presentations, specifically store window displays. The purpose of this study was to examine consumers' responses to the use of shocking message appeals in visual merchandising, specifically store window presentations, to promote the sale of apparel. An integrated theoretical framework that draws from the information processing model (McGuire, 1978), the elaboration likelihood model (Petty and Cacioppo, 1983), and the theory of reasoned action (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980; Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975) informed the development of this study. Together, these models provided a basis for the study of how consumers process information obtained from viewing store window displays, as well as how attitudes toward a retailer may be influenced by window displays and how those attitudes may, in turn, influence consumers' patronage intentions toward a retailer. An intercept survey was employed to collect data for this study. The sample consisted of 246 students from Colorado State University; 111 male participants, and 135 female participants. T-tests, one-way analysis of variance, multivariate analysis of variance, and regressions were conducted to analyze the data. Results indicated that gender, clothing involvement, and perception of shock impacted consumers' responses to the use of shocking message appeals in store window presentations, including consumers' elaborative (information) processing and attitudes. Findings revealed that upon viewing the window presentation, women engaged in more information processing than did men, and that men perceived the window presentations to be less shocking than did women. Findings also revealed that participants' perceptions of the level of shock present in the window displays as well as their level of clothing involvement impacted their elaborative processing. Perceptions of the level of shock present in the window displays also impacted attitudes toward the window display and toward the retail store. Further, attitude toward window presentation, attitude toward retail store, and elaborative processing predicted store patronage intentions. The findings from this study provide multiple implications related to the use of shocking message appeals in store window displays for apparel retailers that target young adults. These findings suggest retailers need to be cautious when employing shocking message appeals in their store window display so as to avoid negative repercussions. However, these findings also suggest a slight level of shock can have a positive impact on store patronage intentions, and in turn, for the retailer

ДИЗАЙН МАНЕКЕНІВ У ДИСКУРСІ МУЛЬТИКУЛЬТУРАЛІЗМУ

Mannequin design in the discourse of multiculturalism. Considering the design of mannequins as one of the promising and self-sufficient areas of modern design practice, the authors of the article focus on the influence of such a phenomenon of a globalized society as multiculturalism on this area. Purpose. The purpose of the study is to identify trends in mannequin design that have emerged due to this influence, as well as to establish the circumstances that have caused them. Methodology. To achieve this goal, the methodology is defined, which includes a historical and cultural approach, within which the processes of stylization of mannequins’ appearance – modification of the body and face – are subject to analysis. Through historical, comparative and figurative and stylistic analysis, the article shows how the use of certain mannequin stylizations in the fashion industry was segmented. Results. It is revealed that the design of mannequins has undergone fundamental conceptual changes during its development. They were formed from the detailed copying of anatomically realistic forms of mannequins to the extreme stylization of these forms in mannequins as art objects. From styling mannequins to look like real people to styling models on runways as modified forms of mannequins. It has been established that at the beginning of the XXI century, the trend of stylizing the bodies of mannequins to represent representatives of certain ethnic (national) groups has become actualized, which is due to the concept of multiculturalism. It is shown that modern technologies, in particular, 3D modeling and printing, play a significant role in this. Examples of the development of such mannequins by well-known brands are given. Scientific novelty. The authors consistently prove the role and importance of mannequin design that meets modern social needs in the discourse of the dominant trends of globalization and multiculturalism. In fact, it is the disclosure of this aspect that constitutes the scientific novelty of the study and will soon have real practical application in the design of mannequins, in the stylization of their bodies, due to fashion trends and trends in visual merchandising and visual culture of our time in general.Автори статті розглядають дизайн манекенів як один із перспективних і самодостатніх напрямів сучасної дизайн-практики й акцентують увагу на впливі на цю сферу такого явища глобалізованого суспільства, як мультикультуралізм. Мета. Метою дослідження є виявлення тенденцій, що сформувалися в дизайні манекенів через вказаний вплив, а також установлення тих обставин, які їх зумовили. Методологія. Для реалізації цієї мети визначена методологія, яка включає історично-культурологічний підхід, у межах якого аналізу підлягають процеси стилізації зовнішності манекенів – модифікації тіла й обличчя. Завдяки історично-порівняльному й образно-стилістичному аналізу показано, як відбувалася сегментація застосування тих чи тих стилізацій манекенів в індустрії моди. Результати. Виявлено, що дизайн манекенів зазнав кардинальних концептуальних змін протягом свого розвитку. Вони формувалися від детального копіювання анатомічно-реалістичних форм манекенів до крайньої стилізації цих форм у манекенах як арт-об’єктах. Від стилізації манекенів під реальних людей до стилізації моделей на подіумах під модифіковані й ідеалізовані форми манекенів. Установлено, що на початку ХХІ століття актуалізувалася тенденція щодо стилізації тіл манекенів під представників окремих етнічних (національних) груп, що й зумовлено концептом мультикультуралізму. Показано, що значну роль у цьому відіграють сучасні технології, зокрема 3D-моделювання та друку. Наведено приклади розробок таких манекенів відомими брендами. Автори послідовно доводять роль і значущість дизайну манекенів, який відповідає сучасним суспільним запитам у дискурсі панівних тенденцій глобалізації та мультикультуралізму. Наукова новизна. Власне, саме розкриття вказаного аспекту становить наукову новизну дослідження та у найближчий час матиме реальне практичне застосування в дизайні манекенів, у стилізації їхнього тіла, зумовлених тенденціями моди та трендами візуального мерчандайзингу та візуальної культури сучасності загалом

Consumer Buying behaviour in Fashion Retailing: Empirical Evidencies

Consumer behaviour research is the scientific study of the processes consumers use to select, secure, use and dispose of products and services that satisfy their needs. Firms can satisfy those needs only to the extent that they understand their customers. The main objective of this paper is to study the gender differences in consumer buying behaviour of a Portuguese population when they go shopping to buy apparel products. To attain this objective a survey was developed and administered across Portugal. The findings confirm the differences between women and men especially in terms of What, Where, When, and How they buy.Consumer buying behaviour, Apparel, Gender

The Influence of Visual Merchandising on the Patronage of Fast-Fashion Stores in Indonesia: The Role of Shopping Values and Self-Congruity

This study examined the direct and indirect effects of visual merchandising on store patronage in the context of fast-fashion retailing. Adopting the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) theory , this study aimed to investigate the relationships of visual merchandising, self-congruity, and consumers� perceived shopping value, and their influence on store patronage. While studies about fast-fashion and store patronage behavior have been extensively conducted in various market regions, research in an emerging middle-income country like Indonesia is still scarce. Therefore, this study is among the few attempts to better understand the buying behav- ior of Indonesian consumers regarding fast-fashion brands. A survey was completed with 250 fast-fashion shoppers. PLS-SEM path modeling was utilized to examine the proposed structur- al model. The results revealed that visual merchandising, shopping value and self-congruity had positive and significant effects on store patronage. The study also found that the indirect effects of consumers� perceived shopping values and self-congruity were more substantial than the di- rect ones. Managerial implications and recommendations for further research have been included

Effective visual merchandising in fashion retailing

This investigation attempts to identify the role of window display in today's arena of fashion retailing and formulate a system of approaches that can be considered useful in designing the image of window display. The literature view provides a review of the aspects of knowledge thought to be related to the subject of window display. The review covers the area of fashion marketing with regard to the history of fashion retailing, fashion marketing promotion mix and store atmospherics. Window display shares similar principles with fashion marketing and promotion mix, but demonstrates uniqueness with regard to its aesthetic and commercial functions. The design tactics of window display need to be adopted to gear to the complexity of the fashion market. Designing store window should not only depend upon the creativity of the designer, marketers and designers need to cooperate to create window displays which can attract attention and encourage consumers' patronage. The 'market in' principles have now penetrated into every aspect of fashion marketing. It becomes essentially important to transform the attributes of consumers' preference into aspects of design in order to make the design outcome effective in influencing consumer behaviour. This investigation shows an initial step in investigating the various aspects of window displays. Five experiments and surveys have been taken to attempt on the approaches which can be used to possibly improve the effectiveness of window display. The emphasis of the experiments and surveys were focused on the perspective in viewing a window display. Finally, the implication of the literature reviews and the research findings, together with the recommendations are valued

How footwear companies can use online CX to WOW customers

Purpose: E-commerce has become an essential and highly competitive channel for e-retailers, who have felt the need to invest in the experience delivered to customers. Therefore, it becomes necessary to unveil the online customer experience so that brands can improve their offerings. In this study, the authors proposed a model that explores customer experience on websites, namely, what concerns the use of the latest technological developments such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality and virtual reality. Design/methodology/approach: The study offers a model to explore and compare the online consumer experience in e-commerce websites, considering eight dimensions that cover recent technological advances. A multiple case study that evaluated companies in the footwear industry was used to assess the model's applicability. The case study methodology considered two distinct segments, the high-price and low-price segments. Findings: The data collected by the websites' examination enabled us to confirm part of the suggested propositions. However, propositions concerning new technologies were not proved. Opportunities for improvement were identified, especially for high-price segment companies, since the results showed that these companies provide a less pleasant consumer experience than those of the opposing segment. Originality/value: This study extends the scope of the online consumer experience by introducing more contemporary dimensions. Additionally, the model allows an evaluation and comparison of the knowledge delivered by several online retailers, using the Portuguese footwear industry as a reference.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Socialization agents influencing Anglo and Hispanic American generation Y females' apparel consumption

"This study investigates the socialization agents influencing apparel consumption for both Anglo and Hispanic American Generation Y females. Researching previous literature, there appeared to be a gap in the literature for consumer socialization influencing Generation Y. With Generation Y quickly becoming an important cohort group for marketers, it was important to determine which socialization agents influence this group more. Preliminary research was done through in-depth interviews, along with a review of the extant literature, to determine the top socialization agents influencing Generation Y. A quantitative survey was then conducted to test the influence of peers and parents on both Anglo and Hispanic American Generation Y females. It was found that there was no significant difference in the levels of socialization agents' influence between Anglo and Hispanic American Generation Y females relative to their apparel consumption. It was also found that there was no significant difference between the levels of influence on apparel consumption exerted by peers and parents."--Abstract from author supplied metadata

Image Analysis to Assess the Impact of Photo Aesthetics on Online Consumer Click-through: An Empirical Study

Determinants of consumer’s shopping behavior are of long-term interest to researchers. Since product photos directly aid consumers’ understanding of products, retailers often put a lot of effort into polishing them. However, there is limited research on the impact of product photos on shopping behavior. This research takes advantage of image-processing techniques to study product photos’ impact. These techniques allow us to investigate a large set of photo characteristics simultaneously in an empirical study. To rule out possible confounding factors, we use a real company dataset from a social shopping Website, which has a simple interface allowing consumers to judge products mainly based on their photos. We employ two-stage nested logit model embedded with differences-in-differences approach and examine product photo characteristics from the aspects of color, composition, complexity, and model face. We found that consumers prefer to click product photos with a warmer color, a larger key object, appropriate complexity