Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2017 - 14

THE PULSE
yourself to notice your surroundings and see
what sticks out.
Take Notes: Take pictures; your phone will do
just fine. Don't ask yourself too many questions or over-analyze what captured your attention. Jot a quick note about the stop and a
phrase about what captured your initial impression. Do not censor your thoughts.
Post-game: Look at your images after you return to the store. Spend some time identifying
what element may have been the most powerful takeaway. Analyze the ways this element
can be utilized in your store. This way, you go
from inspiration to adaptation. Here's how it
works in real time:

WONDER WALL
The author found
inspiration in the
impact and clarity
of this display at the
Pendleton booth at
Outdoor Retailer.

MERCHANDISING

From Inspiration
to Adaption
All great artists learn from what works. Take the time to learn
from the aisles of the trade show, the local mall, and even the
outdoors to create better merchandising displays in your store.
by Robin Enright Salcido
IT HAPPENS TO THE BEST OF US. WE LOOK AT OUR RETAIL MERCHANDISING AND SOMETHING IS

lackluster: A window display falls flat, dull product placement. This is the time to
shake things up and seek inspiration in places other than your shop. Head to your
local shopping mall with your team, go to the woods, cruise the trade shows. Then
follow this plan to turn waht you have seen into effective merchandising displays.
The mall? Absolutely. Malls share so many
similar window-display attributes that you
could be in any major mall anywhere in the
country. But when something does capture
my eye, it's worth paying attention to it.
Nature is also my go-to inspiration: I'll be
spellbound by my surroundings at the beach
or perhaps I'll spot a bee inside a group of
flowers. Those elements make their way back
into the store window as props, or even just as
lighting . The key is to understand what got

14 OUTDOOR RETAILER

/ Summer 2017

your attention and why, and then figure out
how to take these merchandising ideas home
and adapt them to your store.
The following is the three-step method I use
to seek out new inspiration when the creative
pump has run dry.
The Patrol: Head out to the woods for a hike
or take your team to the local mall. Allow time
for everyone to wander alone; in fact, make
that a requirement. The goal is to encourage

INSPIRATION
The eye candy of the high wall of Pendleton
blankets and t-shirts captured my attention
from across the show floor at the Outdoor
Retailer show. I saw many elements that could
be adapted into a retail environment, but I focused on two. Impact: The use of the high wall
made sure the product was visible from one
end of the floor to the other. Clarity: The repeat of the same item made it so, despite differing blanket designs, the colorful and organic
display was inviting instead of crazy making.
ADAPTATION
When you see something that works, ask
yourself : Could you better utilize the height of
your store walls? Do your walls speak to your
customers from across the store? Or are they
littered with small items that lack power and
impact? Once you identify a wall that might
have the power to draw attention from across
the store, execute a change. Choose a consistent product and maximize your full wall presentation, placing the shoppable merchandise
on a table or fixture below. Measure the effectiveness of incorporating this element by noting sales, consumer attention, and inventory
levels over at least two weeks.
-Robin Enright Salcido is the founder of
Merchandising Matters, which provides support to brands, retailers, and their agencies to
help them create an enhanced emotional connection with their target audience.

Photograph by Jacob Bodkin

Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2017

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