Recycling of waste material in Visual Merchandising

Recycling of waste material in Visual Merchandising

Pradeep John Kerketta, Associate Faculty, FDDI

 

Visual merchandising is the presentation of a store area and its merchandise in such a way that it will attract the attention of potential customers who can buy their merchandise products. It involves decorating the store keeping the interior presentation the same as what is promised on the outside.

It enables in converting a walk by shopper into a walk-in customer. Visual merchandising requires a combination of skills including creativity, artistic knowledge and understanding of store design. Colors are a big attraction point in converting potential shoppers into customers.

Visual merchandising refers to anything that can be seen by the customer inside and outside of a big Retail Store (Shoppers Stop Ltd (SSL), Future Retail Ltd, Aditya Birla Retail Ltd, etc.) or a small Store, including 3-D displays, decorations, Dressing mannequin’s,  signs for smooth traffic flow and layout (floor planning) of store space. The overall purpose of visual merchandising is to get customers to come into the store and spend their money.

“To earn money you have to spend money” is not a good idea. There’s no harm in being clever with budgets and creating inspiring displays by Recycling items and reusing props, mannequins and fittings.  

So Visual Merchandising team suggested upcycle (reuse discarded objects or material in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original) many of the original fittings as a great way to improve the visual impact of interior design, merchandising and displays whilst keeping renovation costs to a minimum – a key consideration for almost every small, independent retailer.

Sometimes recycling is simply putting something in the right bin – but there can be an art to it as well. Many designers have found creative ways to upcycle used materials into new design objects that rival the original purposes of their constituent parts. We tried to do similar for ‘A Jaffe’s’ first store [outside New York]. Shuttle cocks, toothpicks, bottle cleaners, all used to create a magical theme for this romantic diamond ring destination. There were other magical and yet functional display elements like floating water hyacinth and twisted tree with wooden water drops for ring display.

'Whilst recycling and, more recently, up-cycling are seen to be a current trend, in reality a good VM scheme has always had a keen eye for turning something unloved into the proverbial silk purse, with visual merchandisers often conscious that there may be something that could be salvaged, refurbished and worked into a new window scheme, continues Carl Smallshaw, senior business development manager at Visual Thinking and former store design project manager for George, 'Reclaimed crates used as shelving, old sewing tables deployed as focal points, charming vintage props – recycling and up-cycling VM equipment is not only on trend, but also an imaginative way to create a more immersive, experiential retail experience that encourages shoppers to lift their heads above their mobile devices, and rediscover the delights of in store.'

Smallshaw says resourcefulness is often second nature but it's imperative that teams are aware of product life cycles, developing material trends, environmental targets and their own company's green agenda.

Another great example is the latest store concept by Wickes. A total of 95 per cent of the store, including timber used for display elements, such as primary display fixturing, focal points and browsing and tools tables, is made from and using materials and products shoppers can buy in store. As well as being resourceful, it delivers a retail environment that is truly authentic and connected with the brand.

'Being ethical is still a way a brand can achieve differentiation and a unique selling point,' believes Jonathan Baker, course director at London College of Fashion and VM consultant. ‘Visual merchandising design can have a unique role in providing solutions which could address the global problem. While I'm not suggesting that a brand simply design a green theme, eco window or create props from old tires and recycled paper, it is worth looking further in-depth at these areas. Visual merchandising is only one small albeit crucial cog in the retail and design world but it does nonetheless need a sustainability philosophy to be a part of this, which is currently only being explored in a limited way.' 

Recycling, reworking and up-cycling is challenging but done properly can mean cost savings, a more inventive scheme and a sense of satisfaction that goes beyond the achieved look and feel. Striking the right balance between the available budget and the ultimate 'closed loop recycling' utopia is a journey – the decisions along the way must be made collaboratively by a strong team working together.

 

References:

http://retaildesignblog.net/tag/recycled-materials/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_merchandising

http://www.payalrhodes.com/tag/visual-merchandising/

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/visual-merchandising

http://www.retail-focus.co.uk/features/1461-reuse-recycle-resourceful-vm

https://thewindowlane.wordpress.com/tag/recycling-visual-merchandising/

http://www.retail-focus.co.uk/features/1315-sustainable-design-back-to-nature

https://engineering.dartmouth.edu/~d30345d/courses/engs171/DfRecycling