ANALYSIS OF VISUAL MERCHANDISING & DISPLAY
MARKETING & BUSINESS MANAGEMENT I
ASSIGNMENT:
For this assignment, your team will visit several stores of your choice (I recommend going to a mall) and
analyze the way in which visual merchandising is used to market its products. You will also analyze a variety of
displays. You will identify the type of display as well as analyze the artistic elements used in each display.
Finally, you will evaluate the overall effectiveness of each display, visual merchandising techniques, and make
recommendations for improvements. This assignment will count as TWO PROJECT GRADES and should be
typed and double spaced.
PART I: ANALYSIS OF VISUAL MERCHANDISING:
Select a retail store. Analyze the following visual merchandising elements:
1. The store front (marquee, logo, windows, exterior design, ambiance, landscaping-if applicable)
o Is the store front appealing?
o Does it initiate the selling process?
o Does it create excitement?
o Does it attract prospects?
o What aspects of the store front need improvement?
o How would these improvements help the store’s marketing strategy?
2. The store layout (selling space, storage space, personnel space, customer space)
o Is there enough selling space?
o Is the layout conducive to customer traffic?
o Is the layout designed with customer convenience in mind?
o You may have to ask a manager about the storage and personnel space, explain the assignment
you are doing and see if they will give you any information that you can include in your paper
o What would you do to improve the layout of the store?
o How would these improvements effect the store?
3. The store interior-comment on the effectiveness of the following visual merchandising elements that are
used in a particular display (this may be the front window display, or an interior display):
o Mannequins
o Seating
o Props
o Floor and wall coverings
o Lighting
o Colors
o Store fixtures
o Interior signage
o Graphics
PART II: ANALYSIS OF DISPLAY:
For this part of the project, you may need to visit several different types of stores. You will identify and critique
9 different types of displays.
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Closed displays
Open displays
Architectural displays
Point-of-purchase displays
Store decorations
One item display, showing a single item
Similar-product display, showing one kind of item from several different brands
Related-merchandise display, grouping items that can be used together
Cross-mix merchandise display, featuring mixed merchandise that creates a scene
Part A:
For each display you identify the following:
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Merchandise featured in display
Type of display
Type of setting (realistic, semi realistic, abstract)
Artistic elements used in display (not every display will use every element)
o Line
o Color
o Shape
o Direction
o Texture
o Proportion
o Balance
o Motion
o Lighting
Part B:
Select one of the displays from Part II
 Effectiveness of display
 Overall impression of display
 Recommendations to improve the display
 Why you chose the particular display for this assignment
GRADING:
Your team will be graded on the depth of your analysis along with the quality of the recommendations for
improvement for the displays and the visual merchandising techniques that are used. You will present your
results in a creative format of your choice. Possibilities include a video, written report, visual presentation, 3D
model, etc.
20 pts. –Analysis
20 pts. - Recommendations
20 pts. - Presentation
20 pts. - Creativity
20 pts. – Teamwork