Updated November 14, 2024
Before I tell you about visual merchandising your store, I have a question...
How many times did you hear your mom tell you never to run with scissors or to be careful, or you’ll hurt yourself?
We instinctively avoid sharp objects, and that has unknowingly worked against retailers.
Michelle Adams, PepsiCo’s vice president of customer strategy and shopper insights, told the LEADS Conference that the company finds that rounded fixtures and shelving deliver more sales than those with straight edges.
Eighty to 90 percent of shopping happens at an unconscious level—without thinking. It's like driving to work sleepy—somehow, you get there.
That’s often how many people shop, especially for food. That’s why grocery retailers look at so many angles of how and why we buy.
I think they are on to something important in merchandising...
“Our goal is to see things in a way we’ve never seen them before,” Adams stated. “We want to understand the unconscious, emotional drivers of customers.”
“We’ve found a neurological preference toward rounded edges,” Adams told the group.
“Innately, humans avoid sharp edges and objects. It’s a piece of who we are that we never really realized was going on but is going on subconsciously."
“Everything in nature is round. And in human design, it’s upscale neighborhoods with cul de sacs and curvilinear streets. Rounding is a principle."
Look closely in the grocery aisles; you'll see this in various store areas. Upscale boutiques and major chains are also utilizing this principle.
Rounded endcaps invite customers at an unconscious level, so make the most of this knowledge and feature products that help solve a problem, not just a price.
Merchandising is one of the easiest retail skills to learn and is often ignored. Great merchandising acts like a silent sales team, encouraging browsing and purchasing additional items.
Robert Grimmett of Imagine Studio states, "Scalability is achievable with lightweight, bendable materials that can easily be molded into organic, nature-inspired contours."