Fashion Retail Image Maintenance:

• This chart shows that consumers’ impressions, the designer’s pure point of view, the retailer’s direction and the in-store display of the product are equally important.
• Note that there are two axes on this spherical layout. The consumer’s viewpoint balances to the retailer’s, and the in-store merchandising viewpoint balances to the designer’s.
• Depending upon the consumer’s understanding of the merchandise, the current display of the product may change as well as future designs and retailer’s selections.
• Depending upon the retailer’s sell-off of the merchandise, the current display of the product may change as well as future designs and retailer’s selections.
• The fashion designer considers feedback from consumers and retailers when designing future collections.

Joseph Rosenfeld Image Mentor's focus is to balance the designer’s pure viewpoint with the retailer’s in an effort to provide consumers the clearest, strongest, most powerful display that entices them to buy the merchandise.

© 2008 Joseph Rosenfeld Image Mentor. All rights reserved. No part of this chart may be reproduced by any means be itelectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Joseph Rosenfeld.

 
A Merchandising Case Study

The goal of this case study was to create a stronger, more consumer-friendly presence for this fashion designer’s lifestyle and color concepts. To achieve this goal, the merchandise would have to articulate the wardrobe and fashion needs of a man. This is an extension of his closet; it is structured like a well organized closet should be: items grouped together in outfit combinations, as well as by color and lifestyle. This makes it very easy for a customer to know how to wear whatever catches his eye. Now the customers shopping can appreciate the designer’s true design concepts and buy and wear the fashions shown with confidence and enjoyment.

You can see, below, the images (before and after) and read a description of the work that was done. To see more details in the photographs, please click here and a new page will appear with a close-up of them.

Before #1: This shot shows an attempt at grouping like items, but does not convey the true essence of the selections.

After #1: Now there is meaningful placement of items, organized in such a way that a customer can
be drawn to a color that s/he likes, as well as to styles and attitudes that s/he prefers.

Before #2 (above) & #3 (below): The merchandise on this fixture was relocated to the wall (see After #8)
in order to highlight a modern presentation with more items located on other fixtures.

After #2 (above) and #3 (below): The merchandise on this fixture was grouped together to show outfit
combinations, as well as wardrobe clusters that would make easy sense to a male shopper. Showing
relatable items that fit a color scheme is very eye-catching, as these photos indicate.

Before and After #4 and #5 (below):
Much of the original merchandise here was relocated to the wall (see After #8), though some merchandise remained on this shelved table, highlighting this designer’s popular knitwear items, woven sportshirts, and trousers.

Before #4

After #4

Before #5

After #5

#6 and #7 (below), both Before and After:
The merchandise on this fixture was a hodgepodge of various styles and attitudes. Merchandise that had originally been located on the wall (see before #1) was shifted to this fixture to bring the color ‘front and forward’, as well as to create more outfit combinations and wardrobe capsules.

Before #6

After #6

Before #7

After #7

Before #8: The merchandise in the wall shows a representation of nearly every color offered by this
particular designer for the season. What it did not convey is how to wear each of the items;
and it did nothing to attract shoppers of various lifestyles, as this designer’s apparel is designed to do.

After #8: This shows true wardrobe capsules: dressy woven shirts interspersed with trousers, knitwear, and
a sport coat, suggest how many outfit options are available with this selection of merchandise to a shopper.
There is a simple flow, with long sleeved items hanging together, short sleeved items hanging together,
items of similar color values are grouped together, creating harmony and balance in the presentation.

To see more details in the photographs, please click here and a new page will appear with a close-up of them.