Props are a really fabulous way to bring your merchandise to life and enable you to take your product story to the next level. They also assist customers in knowing how your products for sale should be used.
For example, let’s say you sell a range of beautiful jewellery boxes. A few necklaces and bracelets strategically placed inside the boxes could help inspire your customers’ imagination when they shop in your store.
By definition, a prop is an item that sits in your window or store. It is not for sale but assists in the sale of other products.
Upon entering the store I saw these fantastic Christmas trees hand made from gift tags, they were merchandised in store and across their windows… we love!
Props that are commonly used include:
- Christmas trees
- Fake grass or snow
- Art works such as drawings or paintings
- Sculptures
- Fake or fresh flowers
- Pot plants / ceramic pots
- Tree branches / twigs / bamboo sticks
- Interesting antiques
- Fabric
- Lamps / Chandeliers
- Recycled boxes / crates
- Barrels
- Screen dividers
- Ladders
Some retailer use them and some don’t. Props cost money and take time to source, but when done well, the results are well worth it. This part of visual merchandising can be a lot of fun and you can really start to get creative. When interesting and creative props are used in displays, they can really add value to the existing merchandise in the window. They also communicate to the customer the individuality of your store.
Props can be a great finishing tool for your displays. It is very important to keep in mind that props are simply a tool and not a product for sale. Remember not to go overboard. They are used to complete your window or in store merchandising story.
A prop is defined as a support, a crutch, to sustain your product story. This is exactly how it should reflect in your merchandising.
Where do they go?
We had the challenge of drawing attention to these massive window displays, but impossible to do with such tiny product. Props included fabric, boxes, rose petals, ribbon and glass tear drops)
A great way to see where a prop could possibly go in your store is to step back, once you have set up your product display and take a look to see if there are any holes. Does it look empty? If so, you may wish to complete the merchandising by using some props.
TIP: Always tackle the product side of merchandising first. Then add your props and signage and work on your lighting. Product is what you sell, so it must take first priority. Everything else is an addition, just a finishing touch.
This is an edited extract from Retail Revamp: The No-Nonsense Guide to Visual Merchandising and Display by Carol Bagaric. To order your copy, visit:
www.ausvm.com.au/books/retail-revamp-book
