Visual Merchandising: Bildungsanbieter, Schulen, Informationen

The practice-oriented and professional training creates the conditions for students to qualify as specialists in the field of "visual merchandising" or "visual selling" and product presentation and to meet the requirements of the dynamic retail trade. After all, a good customer experience is the only way to stand out from the competition in retail today. Adaptability and innovation are also required.

Visual merchandisers also take care of advertising material and/or promotional events. In doing so, they ensure compliance with the employer's presentation, product range and quality principles. Market analyses (sales, positioning, competition monitoring) are often also part of the tasks after training as a visual merchandiser. The job may involve a lot of travel. You tend to work in the non-food sector.

Visual merchandising training teaches you the following:

• Basics of visual merchandising
• Staging of facades, shop windows, entrance areas, sales rooms, etc.
• Sales-oriented presentation of goods at the point of sale
• Presentation forms and design rules
• Possible uses of the various furnishings & aids
• Basics of decoration material, organization, possible uses
• Project planning and seasonal planning
• Recognizing trends and new media
• Visualize and present ideas

How do you impress customers at the POS with the right product placement and customer guidance? How do you use building facades, shop windows, entrance areas and how do you design the sales area? Visual merchandisers are able to make optimum use of presentation forms and rules in shop windows and on the sales floor as well as service areas and lighting to appeal to the senses.

Visual merchandisers use their creativity and expertise to create eye-catching product presentations and increase the commercial success of their company. Innovative and unconventional store concepts are becoming increasingly important for customer loyalty. New sales channels, online retail and a saturated market are displacing traditional specialist retailers. This makes it all the more important for retailers to stand out from the competition with distinctive concepts. These are taught in a visual merchandising course.

Visual merchandisers work on site, know the conditions and can respond with individual sales strategies. They creatively design the environment in which goods are offered and sold. Their task is to transform every product into an enticing "eye-catcher" and whet the appetite for something new. The aim is to optimize sales success through concept-oriented design and product presentation. This is visual merchandising explained simply.

To become a visual merchandiser, you will complete a relevant apprenticeship or degree in visual merchandising, gain practical experience in retail, expand your knowledge through continuing education, further training and build up a meaningful portfolio. Jobs as a visual merchandiser can be found in retail stores, boutiques, large department store chains, fashion and furnishing brands as well as online retail companies. Agencies that specialize in store fitting and design also often offer jobs in this field.

Visual merchandising training costs around CHF 3,500. The course lasts six months and is part-time. Classes are often held on Saturdays so that you can continue to work 100% alongside your job.

Studying Visual Merchandising can be worthwhile, as visual merchandisers are a sought-after profession. The need for effective product presentation in stationary retail and on the Internet is driving the demand for specialists in this field. Salaries in this area are also generally significantly higher than in normal retail sales professions.

The entry requirements for Visual Merchandiser training are usually determined individually by the schools, as this is a school-leaving qualification and therefore not a federally regulated training course. These can be

• Completed vocational training - preferably as a dressmaker, florist, store fitter or in the retail trade or in comparable professions
• 2 years of professional experience in retail or marketing an advantage
• good knowledge of German

For continuing education, further training in visual merchandising, you need creativity, an eye for design, an understanding of marketing and customer psychology as well as organizational skills. Technical knowledge of graphic design software is also an advantage. However, a great deal of flexibility is also required for this varied profession.

The visual merchandising course target group are:

• Employees in the retail trade who would like to expand their skills
• Department managers in retail and sales who are aiming for a higher qualification
• Marketing specialists who would like to acquire knowledge in the field of product presentation at the POS
• Women's tailors who would like to expand their knowledge of "visual selling" on the sales floor
• Florists who want to refine their presentation skills
• Shopfitters who would like to learn about the further possibilities of their work

For VM - Visual Merchandising you should have the following personal skills:

• Communication and social skills
• Analytical skills
• Creativity, imagination, talent for improvisation
• Sense for colors and shapes
• Craftsmanship
• Flexibility and willingness to work irregular hours
• Willingness to travel

The tasks in visual merchandising retail are as follows:

• Planning of sales areas on the basis of product range and layout analyses
• Coordination and assistance in setting up and stocking the product carriers
• Timely and high-quality implementation of product range changes
• Development of layout improvement proposals
• Communication of layout decisions to the individual points of sale
• Quantity optimization in cooperation with purchasing and scheduling
• Ensuring the availability of goods in cooperation with purchasing and logistics

Visual merchandisers are able to make optimum use of presentation forms and rules and appeal to the senses. Through the practice-oriented continuing education, further training in visual merchandising, participants become experts in the field of "visual selling" and the presentation of goods in the retail trade. In this way, continuing education, further training in merchandising ultimately leads to better sales success.

Visual merchandisers are responsible for the presentation of goods and their optimal placement at the point of sale as well as for sales promotion, product advertising and maintaining contact with purchasing and sales staff. They are the link between purchasing and sales or between marketing and sales. Training as a visual merchandiser is a prerequisite for this interesting job.