In the highly competitive world of fashion retail, the way you arrange your store can be as important as the merchandise you carry. In addition to your shelf displays, you have walls and walls of clothing for customers to browse. But you want to attract customers to your merchandise without overwhelming them by the wall of products on display. Here are the most effective wall setup ideas for fashion merchandising. 

Walls Offer Unique Sales Opportunities

You could paint a mural on your wall, but you’d be wasting crucial sales territory. Instead, use wall space to deliver a pleasant shopping experience that increases sales. Walls serve as destinations and also as “tour guides,” leading shoppers around your store. You have perimeter walls, and you can add T-shapes or dividers using outriggers or detachable walls.

For fixtures, use:

• Peg, slat or grid
• Shelves
• Garment rods
• Bins
• Shadow boxes
• Mannequins
• Props

All should complement your store’s theme and brand image, without drawing attention away from your merchandise. Using a variety of fixtures makes the best of your space and makes your wall displays more interesting.

The Power of the Power Wall

Shoppers usually turn right once they’ve entered your store. When they look up, they see your Power Wall. First impressions matter, so you want to create maximum impact with your Power Wall. Use it to show off some of your best merchandise — your hottest or most profitable items, seasonal or new apparel. Use the space to tell a story or create a vignette.

But don’t ignore your other walls. Look at them from different angles, and you’ll see which areas stand out most. If you aren’t using those spaces intelligently, you’re losing a sales opportunity.

Common Wall Themes

Effective wall setup for fashion merchandising is based on artistic principles of composition, balance and symmetry to please the eye. Unbalanced displays appear “heavier” on one side, making people uncomfortable. Customers may have trouble taking in your full range of merchandise or finding what they’re looking for.

However, you should consider these rules as guidelines. Understanding the psychology of wall space gives you a good foundation, but the wall setup for fashion merchandising in your store should reflect your space, range of merchandise and brand image. In other words, it’s OK to break the rules to appeal to your customers. One way to do that is by deliberating using an asymmetrical wall arrangement.