Visual Merchandising 101: Proper Selection for Mannequin Uses

Hi everyone - welcome back! This week's Visual Merchandising 101 post will be about mannequins, specifically proper selection and uses within different types of business models.

Mannequins have had their own trends and changes in appearance over the past few centuries.  Whether it was mannequins with no heads or body parts before the 1900s, or in recent years with mannequins having such detail to identify with all different types of people from color, hair, and body parts/indentations, (D’Innocenzio, 2014), all of these have had an important message to convey in visual merchandising.  Brand identity is a topic I discussed in last week's blog post.  Visual merchandising is effective through the message the brand is wanting to make known to consumers, and mannequins are a way to get these messages across.  Faith Bartrug, a well-known interior designer that specializes in visual merchandising, said it well:  "'The lesson for retailers is that the whole entire mannequin is the focus, not just the clothes,' says Bartrug. 'The next-generation consumers want to see a story, and the mannequin becomes part of the sell.  There’s a new relationship; mannequins are not intimidating and aloof – they’re fun, relatable and real.'" (Kaufman, 2016).

SPECIALTY BOUTIQUE-STYLE STORES

Shiny Black Mannequin in GotStyle Distillery (Campbell, 2017).

When you think of a boutique, you think of high-quality, higher-priced items that fit with a particular clientele. Boutiques offer a more intimate connection with their visitors, allowing them to get an ultimate experience while they shop around - an experience like no other, focused around finding the perfect match from a specific product offering while making you feel beautiful. As an example, I come to think of Dash, the Kardashian sisters' old boutique they used to run in Calabasas, CA. (If you have ever seen their old show on E!, you would know what I am talking about).

In the picture above, I chose a black mannequin to correlate with boutiques. Black mannequins are a specific type of display used to showcase high-end product as they are known for being "very flashy, yet classy and contemporary" (Mannequin Mall, 2016). Black mannequins allow for pops of color from clothing to really be visualized and stand out to shoppers and draw particular attention to details within a display. Some other types of mannequins that give the same esthetic are gold and chrome mannequins - while different colors, they dazzle and prompt the sense of luxury (Mannequin Mall, 2016), which is very fitting for a boutique.

MASS MERCHANT STORES

Mannequin Display Inside a Target (Kadysewski, 2023)

Mass merchants, such as Target or Walmart, like to 'keep up' with their displays and ensure to prioritize items that are trending and within the current season to be showcased. In order to effectively do this, they are a little more subtle with the choice of mannequins used. In the picture displayed you will notice a white, abstract, and flexible mannequin; the choice of mannequin is unique in the fact that not only is it calm and easy to the eye in being a plain color to showcase what is being displayed, but its moving parts of shoulder, elbow, and knee joints allow it to have human-like features that give the consumers a show (Mannequin Mall, 2016). These particular mannequins are able to really enhance a display as they are not straight up and down...it allows product to flow freely and have consumers see the intricate detail and versatile use of clothing.

DEPARTMENT STORES

Mannequin Display Inside an Old Navy (Shlabotnik, 2013)

The department store I chose to highlight is Old Navy - being a well-known department store across the United States, Old Navy is a relatively priced business that fits needs for the typical American household. Their displays are unique in the fact of conveying messages that relate to their shoppers, no matter what the theme or season may be. Old Navy uses mannequins focused on audience style that look like you and me, as they personalize all different types of people - plus size, pregnant, children and teen, and racially diverse mannequins are some to name a few. (Can you spot the human within the display of mannequins? They look so realistic!)

The aspect I love about these types of mannequins the most is how they show the brand's identity on diversity, something that will never change. It is crucial for any consumer to feel valued, and it is also important for them to feel comfortable with themselves. Old Navy is an example of a department store that showcases all different types of people in their displays and allows for anyone to find something that fits their style and love the price of the product.

FINAL THOUGHTS/HOW TO MOVE FORWARD

No matter what type of mannequin a brand may use, from past, present, or future, they all do their job in specific ways to help convey brand identity and relation to specific consumers in the clothing industry.  Simply put, I do not think mannequins will ever go away, no matter what form they are in.

Please continue to share your feedback or ask any questions you may have - I would love to help you succeed! I will leave you with these next steps:

1. With my current product offering, do I have any opportunity to utilize mannequins within my displays?

2. How do my displays currently show my brand identity - not only in the product I sell, but also in the needs of fitting my customer base? Am I being diverse in the product offering I currently have?

3. Make this a team effort - don't do all the work by yourself. How can you effectively coach and train your team to support your use of mannequins? What goals do you want to set to succeed? How can you ensure progress is being tracked and visual merchandising is consistently being worked on?

-Kevin

References

Campbell, R. (2017, April 22). How Mannequins Saved The Store. Life As A Human. https://lifeasahuman.com/2017/business/how-mannequins-saved-the-store/

D’Innocenzio, A. (2014, January 28). A glance at history of Store Mannequins. AP. https://apnews.com/fashion-general-news-beauty-and-fashion-591e3ac52ceb4f8db49ee45ee998976d

Kadysewski, A. (2023, September 12). Universal Thread Mannequins Gather in Glowing Green. Fixtures Close Up. https://www.fixturescloseup.com/2023/09/12/universal-thread-mannequins-gather-in-green/

Kaufman, S. (2016, April 18). Mannequins: For Fun and Profit. VMSD. https://vmsd.com/mannequins-fun-and-profit/

Mannequin Mall. (2016, July 1). The 18 Styles & Types of Mannequins For Your Store. Mannequin Mall. https://mannequinmall.com/blogs/posts/the-18-styles-types-of-mannequins-for-your-store

Shlabotnik, J. (2013). Violet And The Mannequins. flickr. Awesome. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/9568730280