What is the job all about?
We today we have huge Malls in big cities as also smaller ones .Retail stores compete fiercely to make sure Customers visit their store in the Mall So visual merchandising become crucial. Visual merchandising is the profession of developing the floor plans and three-dimensional displays in order to maximize sales. The job basically involves coming up with the entire plan of how a store will be designed and how and where particular goods will be displayed. A visual merchandiser is also involved in designing artistic displays that influence the customer to buy the particular goods.
Can I go for it?
Visual Merchandising is a good career for those who have an artistic flair and are interested in applying it to a real life situation for a living. It involves knowledge of not only design elements, but also customer psychology and advertising tricks. It is an average paying career, but with a huge and increasing scope for employment. It is a good choice for creative people who want short vocational training and a job right away
A Visual Merchandiser typically works for a retail store and decides the layout of the entire establishment, which goods will be displayed prominently and what displays will be used to showcase particular goods. While displaying a good they manipulate factors like lighting, colour, product information, space, etc. to make sure the customer notices and inspects the product at the very least, with the aim that this will increase sales. Nowadays, sensory inputs, digital displays and animatronics are also used in stores.
Is there a future in this field?
The job calls for a person to have knowledge of colours, lighting, shape, etc. and a creative vision of how to design displays to be eye-catching and able to communicate the product’s information to the customer. Visual Merchandisers need excellent organisational skills and basic knowledge of interior designing to be able to strategically place all the goods of their retail store. They should also be able to understand the psychology of the customer, what he/she first looks for in a good and how to convince them to buy the product. They should also have good knowledge of computer aided designing software.
How to be a Visual Merchandiser?
The organisational structure in retail stores is such that a visual merchandiser can start off as an assistant/apprentice to a senior merchandiser and learn the tricks of the trade with basic educational qualifications such as a 10+2 examination certificate. However, in today’s competitive world, it is better to have specialized education. This can be found in the form of various diploma programs offered by different institutes. Also, there are both UG and PG courses available. Degrees such as Associate of Science in Visual Merchandising, BA (Honours) Retail Branding and Visual Merchandising and Bachelor of Business Administration in Visual Merchandising are common in foreign universities and are slowly being offered in Indian Colleges. Visual Merchandising is often taught as one of the subjects in Fashion Design/Technology Courses.
Where do I start?
In Goa
School of Art Panaji Goa
Chowgule College Margao – Diploma Program in Photography
J.D Institute Of Fashion Technology Panjim – Diploma Program in Fashion Photography
Outside Goa
National Institute of Design
JD Institute of Visual Merchandising
National Institute of Fashion Technology
Wigan & Leigh College
National Institute of Fashion Design (NIFD)
Arch Academy of Fashion Art Design
Pearl Academy
Mudra Institute of Communication
Employment Avenues:
Top Retailers (Textiles, watches, Jewellery, Footwear, Readymades, etc.)
Monies:
Most people usually start out by working under an experienced Visual Merchandiser as an assistant before moving on to a full post. The average salary for a visual merchandiser in India is Rs.50,000/-pm.
Please do not be satisfied with just acquiring a Degree/Diploma – try and enhance your CV by doing online learning programs (with a certificate) of programs relevant to your choice of career. Your chances of employment will be much better than just a plain degree/diploma.
Please check this website under other details for places you can learn online. Also try and develop your confidence by doing a public speaking training program with people like Toast Masters International.
For government jobs: please check : http://www.employment-newspaper.com/