Store’s Displays Should Reflect Community

That new merchandising display looks great, as do others around the store. But, do all of your campus customers see themselves in those displays when they browse your store?

Your store may not feel all that welcoming to people in many groups. The particular assortment of products or the ways they are merchandised can give the impression that the campus store isn’t for them. Take a second look at your displays and all around the store, advised CAMEX100 presenters Janelle Williams Melendrez and Jeff Bucholtz, co-founders of (R)Evolve Consulting, in the session, Organizing Stores to Build Belonging: Visual Merchandising 2.0.

“You could be missing sales for a whole lot of people if you’d only just do ‘blank,’” noted Bucholtz. Filling in that blank doesn’t require extensive effort or cost, however. Small changes can add up to a big difference.

In addition to selling more items, visual merchandising in the campus store is intended to help promote student success and tell the institution’s story. “What kind of stories are you going to tell, and why not align themes to belonging?” Bucholtz said.

For example, many stores use photographic images of students (real or models) as display elements on the floor or in social media. Do those images collectively represent all the groups that make up your campus community? Not every image needs to depict every group, but somewhere around the store each group should be able to spot something that speaks to their identity.

Williams Melendrez and Bucholtz suggested evaluating displays to see who might feel excluded: people of color (encompassing African American, Black, Native American and First Nation, Latin/a/o/x, Asian American, Desi, Pacific Islander, and others); non-Christian religious groups; LGBTQ+ groups; lower socio-economic groups; people who wear sizes outside the most common ones; and disabled people.

“Think about diversity and representation and social media,” Williams Melendrez suggested. “What message is that sending?”

Adding cultural references to displays can include such things as incorporating the pride rainbow or mentions of Ramadan or Yom Kippur. If your convenience section carries haircare products or makeup, include items for textured hair and darker skin tones. Review the height and width of shelves, racks, and other fixtures to ensure someone in a wheelchair can reach items. Be sure to offer affordable options for students of limited means and consider expanding the range of sizes in apparel.

The presenters offered a list of things to keep in mind, including:

• Physical accessibility of the store and merchandising displays.
• Intentional consideration of the members of the campus community.
• Alignment of merchandise with the needs and interests of the community.
• Using prime space to demonstrate these communities are valued.
• Mannequins reflect members of the community.
• How photos and other images communicate.
• Store atmosphere supports a sense of belonging.
• Awareness of any stereotypes or assumptions about communities.
• Awareness of merchandise assortment excluding customers.