Visual Merchandising Project:

ABSTRAKT-The Experience

Ankush Batra

Gaurav Mor

Kshitij Jindal

Mahima Suhalka

Pooja Makhija

Sudharma Varadarajan (40)

Overview

This report is with regard to the Store Design, Layout and Visual Merchandising project which was

conducted on the 1st of September 2015. This report contains details regarding the retail store our

team set up in our campus, outside the space bar, and our experience conducting this exercise. We

were assigned this activity as a part of our 4th Trimester Project. Being a part of PGDM –Retail

Management it is essential for each and every student to experience what happens on the shop floor.

This project was in sync with that very feeling and it helped each and every team member build

confidence, selling skills, customer relationship expertise, etc. which is the core of every successful

Retailer.

Theme

Our Theme was- ABSTRAKT which was also the name of our store. Abstract is Art with no defined

meaning. Its purpose is to let the viewer interpret its meaning for him/herself. More often than not,

abstract art is a collection of multiple shapes and colours thrown onto a canvas. Similarly, our store

did not have a defined category of product catering to a particular customer only. It was welcome for

all to experience. Our merchandise was artsy, colourful, cheerful, trendy, tech savvy, which did not fall

under a category as such. Thus our project revolved around this theme.

Merchandise Displayed

List of our merchandise

Sourcing the merchandise (in a particular quantity and why ?)

Fixing the MRP

Communication strategy

The communication strategy adopted by our group varied according to varying potential customers.

We printed and displayed on every notice board on the campus two different posters designed by us

showcasing the products that were going to be on display at our store. This was done to grab the

attention of the various students of all the batches including both full time and part time courses. This

was done to ensure that the product were communicated to all our fellow students. At the same time

we also uploaded one of those posters on the elearn portals login page. Other forms of digital

communication involved whatsapp and online promotion of our sore and the products that we planned

to sell. Apart from this we individually went across all departments personally informing all our faculty

members and mentors on campus about our store and its offerings and in the process inviting them to

come visit our store.

Final Outcome  

Key Learning and takeaway:

1. Be Customer-centric:

Perhaps the biggest lesson for retailers boils down to this: Focus on what the customer wants, and be

flexible enough to cater to their changing desires.

2. Teamwork is Actually Helpful:

When you have a store that has many students, it gives us the skills to actually successfully work as a

team for a greater common goal: getting the customer what they came in the store for.

3. First-hand experience:

Retail is a customer business. You’re trying to take care of the customer—solve something for the

customer and there’s no way to learn that in the classroom or in the corner office

4. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst:

Maybe you sell out in the first 20 minutes your store is open, luckily, a group of 15 customers are

going to walk in and do all their purchases, maybe sales will happen the other way round in the last 20

minutes before your store shuts down. Whatever happens, be ready for it. If things go well, you’re

nothing but excited, If things go poorly, you have to come up with a game plan (which might just

include several racks of “go backs”).

5. Punctuality:

If you say you’re going to open your store at a certain time, be there and then. Otherwise you reflect

poorly in the minds of your customers and co-workers.

6. Patience:

It’s the most versatile trait to have. You can’t rush a customer by being rude. If ever you find yourself

impatient, ask your team if there’s anything you can do about it within that moment. If there’s nothing

you can do to politely speed things along, then take a step back and get comfortable wherever you

are.

7. Leadership and People Skills:

Working with different personalities can be a challenge, perfecting your leadership and relationship

management skills are perhaps two of the most important skills you can acquire in the retail setting.

Juggling varying agendas, dealing with a team member’s bad mood or a customer’s demands and

keeping a team motivated and focused on the task at hand ensures both customer and the team’s

satisfaction remains high.

8. Customer Service:

The customer is always right (even when they aren’t). Embrace this mantra and you’re sure to

succeed in retail. Customer service is imperative to any role and helping a frustrated, time-poor

customer find exactly what they’re looking for is guaranteed to put a smile on their face – and yours.In

the retail world you deal with an influx of customers, each with different requests and questions. This

environment teaches you patience and interpersonal skills, both of which are valuable to your

professional and personal life.

9. Problem-Solving:

Problem-solving skills are a fundamental aspect, ensuring you can overcome problems effectively and

efficiently. Having the skills to evaluate the cause of a problem and the best-fit solution is key to

avoiding a similar situation in the future.Being able to demonstrate your problem-solving skills in the

past is bound to impress people in the future.

10. Time Management:

Re-stocking shelves, processing a customer’s payment, covering lunch breaks, and balancing the till

at the end of the day all vie for our attention in retail. Improving your ability to prioritise and manage

your time effectively makes for less stress.