All about the profession of visual merchandiser

A visual merchandiser is needed to promote a brand, product or service in a store, catalog or online. He can also work in a museum or gallery, create installations for events. A member of this profession is required to track and predict future trends.

If a visual merchandiser works at the head office, they will most likely collaborate with other departments. The main task will be to create a strategy and promotional events for the year, designed to attract the target user. Today, representatives of this profession can work on a freelance or consulting basis.creating visual concepts for remote customers or providing training to retail teams.

Merchandising happens:

• visual, it is associated with creative and visual impact on a person;
• retail, differs from the visual in that the focus is on the volume, distribution and functional arrangement of goods in the store.

Visual merchandisers plan and design interiors of commercial, industrial, public, retail and residential buildings. They are necessary to create an environment adapted to achieve a specific goal.

The work of a visual merchandiser is interesting. Such a person does a lot for the company, so he must be comprehensively developed. The list of main responsibilities includes:

• support of the necessary contacts to create a room design, including window and shop window displays, signboards;
• conducting research on current and future trends in design and lifestyle, as well as related features of the target market;
• meeting with businessmen, sales managers and retailers to discuss future sales strategies;
• inspection, selection and purchase of materials for decoration, fabrics, accessories and lighting;
• budgeting and negotiations with suppliers of materials;
• working with architects to maximize available space;
• Using computer-aided design (CAD) tools such as AutoCAD, Mockshop, or Adobe Creative Suite to create external design elements and plans;
• branch visits and training teams in visual merchandising techniques and concepts;
• assembly or disassembly of indoor displays;
• benchmarking to better understand new merchandising concepts used by other companies;
• motivating teams to complete the design work within a short timeframe.

Every profession has its pros and cons, and merchandising is no exception. It is worth getting a job because:

• this is a place with a high salary;
• it is a stable job in demand in the modern world;
• there is an opportunity to acquire new knowledge and skills;
• you can create your own portfolio.

Among the disadvantages are irregular working hours, sometimes you have to deal with registration at night. Some of the equipment you have to work with turns out to be heavy.

A good visual merchandiser must have great taste and sense of style.... He is obliged to easily find the correct color balance. This is always a creative and creative employee with a lot of ideas. High motivation plays an important role, as well as increased activity, organization and initiative.

Such a person must there is commercial thinking, he knows how to work in a team and has a high efficiency. If the applicant does not strive to constantly master new skills and learn, then he is not suitable for this position.

Skills:

• ability to find the required personnel on time;
• quick reaction to the need to change something in the room;
• assembly of displays and billboards;
• research into new design trends;
• the ability to negotiate;
• the ability to think three-dimensionally, to understand the result of moving an object on the plan;
• building strong and meaningful relationships with suppliers;
• analysis of customer feedback regarding the visual aids used;
• building up the client base;
• computer literacy.

Despite the fact that from the outside it may seem that Anyone can get the position of a visual merchandiser, in fact, this is a whole science. It is based on 4 disciplines: psychology, design, psychophysics and economics.

Design skills help to properly organize the surrounding space. Psychology will allow you to understand how a person perceives on a subconscious level this or that color, shape. Psychophysics takes into account the buyer's ability to perceive the object. Without the economy there is no way to do with advertising.

Representatives of the described profession are needed not only in large supermarkets. They can be of great use in a small shop as well. When a professional works, the arrangement of goods on the shelves becomes logical and understandable for the buyer. Such simple methods of influence significantly increase the number of sales.

The most amazing thing is that the person himself does not even understand why he pays attention to the very product that appears in his basket. There is no special university that can teach the basics of this profession. The training is taken by the stores themselves and large brands that have already developed a specific strategy. The most capable applicants are sent to a separately created course.

Finding a job by profession is not difficult, just look at any site with ads. Another question is whether you will be the right one, since there are a lot of requirements for such employees. Salaries in the country vary from 15,000 to 45,000 rubles. It all depends on who you have to work for and what the qualifications of the specialist are.

In Moscow, experienced visual merchandisers can get 100 thousand rubles. Career growth is possible in the position. As a rule, beginners start with an assistant who is already experienced in this area.

Then the employee goes to the category "specialist", which carries out its work in the trading floor. The next branch of a career is a merchandiser-coordinator, then a manager and then a top manager. The highest level is the director. If you want to quickly climb the career ladder in Russia, you should work in the same position abroad. Such invaluable experience will definitely be appreciated in a large company.