HOW END-END RETAILERS ARE MERCHANDISING
AND MESSAGING
AT THE TOP TIER
Editor: Stephanie K. De Long
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THE COLOR OF MONEY
No, it’s not green. It’s black. And that’s just one of 2016’s luxury merchandising trends.
• COLOR. The Number One color for luxury, “black is a power color, for sure," says Marcie Cooperman, professor of color theory at Parsons The New School for Design. “Black declares itself as important, classic and in control.”
• IMPACT. That’s one reason, reports Demand Media, that “the elevator in Louis Vuitton's Paris store is entirely black and has no signals, lights or sound. The atmosphere stimulates a feeling of losing the senses, so when the doors open, high-end customers are primed to fully appreciate the luxurious products and surroundings.”
• ENVIRONMENT. "Colors in a store format can create different emotions and retailers can use that," Rich Kizer, a St. Charles, Ill.-based retail design consultant, tells Entrepreneur. |
RETAIL THEATER
Luxury Daily likens luxury merchandising to a great play.
Act I is creating the script of how the brand looks internally and the tale it tells. The story can underscore anything from craftsmanship to even subliminal, luxury messaging. At the high-end furnishings showroom Luxury Living, for example, scents are used to support brands like Fendi.
Act II sets the stage. The less product on the floor, the more expensive it seems to the consumer. So does playing on a brand’s heritage. Chanel's Hong Kong boutique, for example, includes a 32-meter strand of pearls hanging through three floors, reminiscent of the pearls that Coco Chanel herself was rarely seen without.
Act III is the physical manifestation of the environment, from fixtures to floor space. One current luxury trend is spaces with moveable fixtures, enabling the environment to be more than just a point of sale and to host events with ease, for example.
The Curtain Call, says Paco Underhill, is what happens after the play. "The proof of the pudding is in winning victories, not beauty contests.”
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SILHOUETTE
SOLUTIONS
“When merchandising luxury eyewear, the presentation needs to draw attention and create a connection conveying a premium statement, apart from other frames in the optical shop. Glorifying a special area for luxury will help distinguish the positioning. Placing a few frames upon brand-specific luxury risers and utilizing items within the packaging—such as the luxury frame case, cleaning cloths, and registration cards—will highlight the collection.”
--Kristen McLaughlin, Silhouette Optical |
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COMING NEXT MONTH
TRENDS: Store Design 2016 |
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