Good organisational skills and planning and time management, are a must for a lucrative future in visual merchandising. SUMIT SAURABH tells you more

The fashion industry is expanding throughout the world, several new creative career options are coming into it and that makes Visual Merchandising critically important in the ever-evolving fashion industry, as well as creating a strong brand identity. It is a rapidly emerging sector and there are good career prospects in this field.

Visual Merchandising (VM) is the art of creating visually appealing displays that attract customers to the store and promote sales. The sector encompasses all activities that help increase sales of products in retail stores.

What is VM

It is the art or activity of displaying and promoting the products in such a manner that it appeals to the eyes of the customer. It’s considered an important support for fashion retail operations. It includes window displays, signs, and interior displays. A good combination of colour and theme plays a vital role in visual merchandising. The goal of visual merchandisers is to create a distinctive atmosphere and aesthetic appearance to drive customers’ in-store purchase decisions. They are creative and use their skills to develop interest among the customers by perfectly styling the mannequins and their surroundings. They plan store themes, arrange display fixtures and lighting, set up stores before opening, work with floor plans. Under this, he has to work in areas such as window and interior displays as well as stock placement and staff training.

Qualification

Mut have cleared Clss XII. However, in most institutes, VM is taught under the fashion designing or fashion technology course. Students are trained on various aspects related to visual merchandising such as store display, presentation of products, and attracting customers through the use of various communication tools.

Attributes

It is very important to have the quality of designing and creativity among the students looking for a career in this field. A visual merchandiser must have excellent organizational skills as well as qualities like planning, project management, and time management. Apart from this, they also need to have communication and interpersonal skills, they must have problem-solving ability and computer knowledge. Career experts say that VM should know the psychology of consumers and should also anticipate trends.

Prospects

With the increase in the number of shopping malls, five-star hotels, boutiques, and retail outlets, the demand for VMs have also increased. They can work in fashion boutiques, shopping malls, emporium, architecture firms and design companies. They can also freelance.

Remunetation

A fresher can easily earn `10,000-`15,000 per month. After gaining some experience you can work in a retail outlet of a big brand and get an attractive package. Salary package increases as one gains skill and experience.