Balance plays a role in merchandising strategy

By Carlson JPM Store Fixtures

Merchandising your store walls is a balancing act. Balance, a key principle of design, can become your merchandising strategy for a harmonious and eye-pleasing presentation. 

Following the guidelines of Judith Bell in her book, Silent Selling, Best Practices and Effective Strategies of Visual Merchandising, page 43, you can set the walls using either formal or informal balance. 

Using formal balance, “draw an imaginary line down the center of the section to be merchandised, dividing this space into equal-sized sections. Use an identical merchandise treatment on either side.” Example: Half of each section (adjacent to the left and right of the centerline) could mirror each other – graphics at the top, two rows of folded shirts on shelving, and hang a row of pants on hangrail at the bottom. The outer halves of the equal-sized sections would have two rows of folded shirts on shelving at the top, followed by two rows of hanging shirts on faceouts which project out from hangrail. 

Setting the wall using informal balance, you need to merchandise the same amount of space on both sides of the centerline in an asymmetrical arrangement. In the example Ms. Bell uses, you again have graphics adjacent to each other on both sides of the centerline followed by the two rows of folded shirts but beneath the folded shirts the hangrail on the left of the centerline has the hanging pants on the hangrail and on the right of the centerline the pants are facing forward on two faceouts projecting from the hangrail. She continues the informal balance on the outer halves with two rows of folded shirts on shelving at the top, on the left outer side the folded shirts are followed with three rows of caps and lastly a hangrail with two faceouts with front facing shirts. On the right outer side, below the two rows of folded shirts, she placed hangrail with two faceouts with front facing shirts followed by three rows of athletic shoes on shelving that matched the caps’ shelving. 

You could alternate your store between formal and informal balanced sections.

About the author of this article:
Visit Carlson JPM Store Fixtures/Shop Our Store, to find the retail solution perfect for you.