Ekaterina Dorofeeva

WHY LONG RACKS DON’T WORK

Hi guys!

When we start working with apparel store project, I ask the customer to send me referrals: the direction of the project.

Well, ask Pinterest to help, where we can find a huge number of ideas.

But this is the problem🤔

We can’t copy and paste.

Pinterest gives direction, makes it possible to understand: «What do I want, what do I like?»

So I often get photos of concept stores with long garment racks, where 5 stacks of product for 1 m length of rack.

But my clients try to take the conceptual store and implement into their mass market or middle price segment, where there will be a lot of hangers in the showroom and they won’t be able to reduce the product amount.

As a result, you put the equipment for the conceptual boutique in a mass market, pay for its development, manufacture and assembly. Then you place a lot of product, but the picture of expectation and reality will differ a lot.😭

In the end, the store will look cheap and unattractive.

Especially for you I’ve searched some examples of the racks I’m talking about.

And I remind you that the optimal length of the rack +- 1200 mm. It allows to accommodate 25-40 hangers of dresses and +- 10 positions of the coats.

Using these racks you can perfectly show the capsule clothes in one color, style and seasonal combination.

Good luck with your selection of your store equipment!

And if you have any doubts, I am ready to meet with you at the online consultation and answer your questions♥️

❤️HALF-YEAR PLAN

Hi guys!

New year has started and we have new plans for it!

I’ve prepared the VM-calendar for you, where you find the direction of the collection’s presentation.

Save this for later!💾

What will we do in the next 6 months:

January ❄️

After-party sales decline.

We remove the New Year’s decoration right after the vacations.

We demonstrate winter sale, emphasis on low cost positions.

Plan the layout of «hits of the season» for getting maximum conversion.

February ❤️

Final discounts.

In the middle of the month - we make a new spring collection presentation.

Important date:
February 14 (gifts, underwear, knitwear).

Update the displays for holidays and promotions.

March 🌷

The spring collection has taken over the shops.

Your store windows and displays should already show spring arrivals, light colors, seasonal accessories.

April ☀️

We start to demonstrate the summer collection, including swimsuits (depending on the region).

May-June 🌴

The peak of the summer season: summer apparel, beach collection, outfits for the vacation time.

At the end of June - the first wave of summer sales.

It’s important to planning the layout and promo to attract customers and minimize leftovers.

🚀 Do you want your store works for maximum each season?

I provide the consultations for store’s owners 🤍
DM me.

WHY PINTEREST PICTURES DON'T WORK?
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Hi guys!
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Certainly you faced 2 pictures: expectation and reality.
When the expectation is wow and the reality is 🤢
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I've seen that too. And I've seen it many times.
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Such stories happen when we are impressed by beautiful pictures on Pinterest, trust a designer to render a project, but realising it in life, it's not so wonderful at all.😢
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Let me tell you right away, no project can be realised with 100% coincidence. Something will go wrong. Just because that's life.
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But it's our job to minimise these errors when we are designing stores. 🤗
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Each third client sends me a beautiful rounded cash desk with slats from Pinterest when I ask him to complete the brief.
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In fact we have only realised such a table once so far.
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Yes, it is beautiful in the picture. But the manufacturing costs more than 4000$. If the store holder has limited budget it may be too expensive for him.
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Also, the top of wishes is curved pipes, which are impossible to produce.
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That's why we communicate with the guys from production when we are designing stores.
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That's why I have the 15-years experience designer in my team.
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The best way is when we work together: merchandiser + designer + guys from manufacture.
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Because our task is to ensure the REALITY of the project realisation.
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It may not be that magical picture like on Pinterest, but it will be the real story.
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And this post is not at all about Pinterest being bad 😃
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It's the best site for searching ideas. I spend a lot of hours there, and I'm so glad we have such amazing resource for working!
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But we have to remember that reality is important too.
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I wish you to realise you projects, open new stores and have a lot of ideas♥️
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HOW TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS TO A CHILDREN'S CLOTHING STORE

Guys, hello everyone!

Have you noticed that there are stores where you feel comfortable and want to stay longer?

Are there shops that you don’t want to go into, and if you do, you want to run away faster?

This is an emotional connection that influences the behavior of buyers.

And here's another law: "The more time the buyer spends in the store, the more likely he is to make a purchase."

Visual merchandising relies a lot on emotions, so today I decided to touch on the atmosphere in a children's clothing store.

If you want potential customers (women, in most cases) to come, buy, and return to your store, consider creating your own store concept and mood.

1. Make a bright, different store design.

Fairy-tale heroes, bright posters, balloons - any elements, that evoke positive emotions and
plunge into the atmosphere of childhood.

2. Decorate the window in the same way as the store.

Don't overload it with merchandise, rather add a themed prop that speaks about your store and invites customers to come in.

3. Think of something to do with the little buyer while his mother chooses outfits.

He can draw, play, look at pictures or paint on the wall near the dressing room.

The kid does not interfere with the mother to get acquainted with the assortment of the store, and the mother is doubly glad that the child is busy.

When they next go shopping, which store will they think of first?

Of course, about yours. Because it was comfortable.

4. Hang the goods in sets, offering seasonal items at the entrance, and place accessories at the checkout.

5. Once every 2-3 weeks, re-weigh the goods, change color combinations, change the mannequins.

Let your buyers constantly wait for something new and interesting!

Are you ready to change your store and increase its sales?

Register for the master class "How to increase the check of the store with the help of hanging."

To do this, write me in DM

Good mood and loyal customers!

STORE CAPACITY. CONTINUATION.

Guys , hello everyone!
Today we are dismantling shoe store capacity.

How to calculate?

Remember the main regularity of store filling: the higher the price segment, the more spacious the layout.

Let's take a look at the middle price segment for clarity.

For the calculation, I take a standard trading system shelf 60 cm long and 35 cm deep.

It includes 2-3 pairs of shoes or 4-6 semi-pairs. Usually we assemble a pair from two half-pairs:

one model in different colors,

one model in different materials, one last, but similar models.

It turns out that one pair of shoes takes 20-30 cm, depending on the density of the calculation.

The number of shelves depends on the height

goods: shoes - 20-30 cm, boots - 40-50 cm.

I strongly recommend highlighting

warehouse space for shoe stores

starting from the medium segment and above.

Shoe boxes located on the trading floor visually reduce the cost of the store. Therefore, it is better to store them in a warehouse.

Now about the inexpensive segment and the mass market.

Let's look at two options:

1. Large retail area. All goods in the hall.

We put one pair on the shelf, and next to it - the rest of the sizes in boxes.

Here it is important to calculate the place for the boxes in order to pick up the equipment. The optimal solution is transformable trading systems and tables, where the shelves can be rearranged depending on the required height.

2. A small budget shoe store.

As a rule, the boxes are removed to the warehouse or to the lower shelves of the equipment. A half-pair of each model is exhibited in the hall. The lining is tight.

Up to 10 semi-pairs can be placed on a shelf of 60 cm.

But, friends, let's not forget about the rules of merchandising:

1. There must be space between models.

2. Alternate types of presentation: frontal - sideways.

3. Remove non-seasonal goods from the hall.

4. The last sizes are at the end of the hall, offer a discount on them.

5. Analyze the demand and, based on it, rotate the product.

Something like this

STORE CAPACITY. CONTINUATION.

Guys , hello everyone!
Today we are dismantling shoe store capacity.

How to calculate?

Remember the main regularity of store filling: the higher the price segment, the more spacious the layout.

Let's take a look at the middle price segment for clarity.

For the calculation, I take a standard trading system shelf 60 cm long and 35 cm deep.

It includes 2-3 pairs of shoes or 4-6 semi-pairs. Usually we assemble a pair from two half-pairs:

one model in different colors,

one model in different materials, one last, but similar models.

It turns out that one pair of shoes takes 20-30 cm, depending on the density of the calculation.

The number of shelves depends on the height

goods: shoes - 20-30 cm, boots - 40-50 cm.

I strongly recommend highlighting

warehouse space for shoe stores

starting from the medium segment and above.

Shoe boxes located on the trading floor visually reduce the cost of the store. Therefore, it is better to store them in a warehouse.

Now about the inexpensive segment and the mass market.

Let's look at two options:

1. Large retail area. All goods in the hall.

We put one pair on the shelf, and next to it - the rest of the sizes in boxes.

Here it is important to calculate the place for the boxes in order to pick up the equipment. The optimal solution is transformable trading systems and tables, where the shelves can be rearranged depending on the required height.

2. A small budget shoe store.

As a rule, the boxes are removed to the warehouse or to the lower shelves of the equipment. A half-pair of each model is exhibited in the hall. The lining is tight.

Up to 10 semi-pairs can be placed on a shelf of 60 cm.

But, friends, let's not forget about the rules of merchandising:

1. There must be space between models.

2. Alternate types of presentation: frontal - sideways.

3. Remove non-seasonal goods from the hall.

4. The last sizes are at the end of the hall, offer a discount on them.

5. Analyze the demand and, based on it, rotate the product.

Something like this

A IMMEDIATELY CAN'T BE DONE?

Friends, hello everyone!

Often I come across shops where the trade equipment is not thought over.

They bought something somewhere, somehow arranged it. As a result, the store is a mess.

But the choice of equipment

considered at the design stage.

What do we remember:

1. Consider the concept of the store theme and design in the same style.

The equipment is adapted to the concept.

2. Calculate the capacity of the store and the planned assortment.

Capacity of each rack, shelf and bracket. How many units of inventory each category will be in the store. So you will not encounter two extremes: how to cram what is not cramable or how to make sure that the store is not empty.

3. Consider all product groups: the main product (for example, clothing), while blouses take up less space than jackets.

Also consider the number of sizes per item.

And don't forget the color palette.

For example, you purchase the same model in five colors. To place it around the hall, you need to allocate five places to demonstrate each color.

Hanging red, yellow with polka dots, green with flowers, black and white on one front is not an option.

4. And do not forget about additional goods.

For example, shoes, bags, accessories, jewelry, socks.
These positions also require their own equipment.

5. If in doubt about the numbers and want to test, then use convertible equipment.

We attach guides to the walls, and on them are different hinge elements:

🔷brackets for front hanging, which sells well.
🔷storage for side hanging, which saves space.
🔷display shelves,
🔷accessories, 🔷stacks of goods.

It is possible to manage the space: brackets and shelves are rearranged to any level.

If there is a lot of goods, we do more side hanging, if there is not enough - more frontal.

Carousel examples.

6. Choose medium-sized outdoor equipment.

Long, massive and heavy racks are awkward and difficult to fill. Several short ones are better than one long.
What can you add from your experience?

RESTRICTED AREA

Guys, hello everyone!

So that in the store your customer it was comfortable to be
commercial space used rational so that buyers can find what they are looking for, it is important to observe zoning rules.

Today I want to talk about the main errors that I encounter work with clothing stores.

1. The equipment is placed along the walls, the middle is empty. But it is the entrance group (1.5-2 meters from the entrance to the store) stops buyer and invites him to go further.

2. Utility room and warehouse is a useless use of retail space. Let's put everything in the room.

I do not definitely recommend. We can remove additional sizes, trade equipment (the same hangers), goods that have not yet arrived or have already left the hall to the warehouse.

And, of course, do not forget about the storage of personal belongings of the staff.

3. Lack of clear trading zones:

🔶seasonal product trend
🔶main collection
🔶basic, main product
🔶 sale
🔶accessories

Zone options depend on the assortment of the store.

The store may have a dedicated area for denim, dress shirts or underwear.

4. There is no age division in the children's clothing store.

This use of retail space creates chaos in the assortment, and the search for the desired product by the buyer becomes noticeably more complicated.

5.Checkout in the hot zone

I often meet this mistake: the cash desk at the most selling place is the focal point.

The cash desk, of course, is necessary for any store. It must be accessible to the buyer and visible from the entrance. But it is not necessary to allow situations for the cash register to take all the attention.

Let mannequins, displays and hangings do it.

Friends, these are far from all the zoning errors that I encounter in my work.

For more information about store zones, write me to DM.

ANALYTICS AS THE BASIS OF VISUAL MERCHANDISING

Guys, hello everyone!

Visual merchandising is beauty realized in a store.

But beauty is beauty, the main purpose of VM is efficiency.

Any display of goods is based on analytics.

When I work with stores, I request sales data.

Not everyone gives, I will say right away. Some don't know how, some don't know, some don't want to.

In this post I will tell you what data is required for the effective operation of the merchandiser.

1. Hits for the past week
TOP 10 or TOP 20 (depending on store size and sales volume). The most popular models.

What for?

To sell more of them.

2. Outsiders for the last month (or 2 months)
These are hung models that are not for sale and, accordingly, do not put money into circulation. There is no need to accumulate these "dead men", the goods must move.

And now the indicators that will evaluate the overall efficiency of the store, and in particular the VM and service.

3. Conversion

How many people came and how many of them bought.

4.Complexity of purchase

How many units were sold and how many checks were broken.

5. Average bill

The turnover of the store was divided by the number of checks.

Why all this tricky math?
- to measure indicators in different periods of time
- compare these indicators
- identify the effectiveness of the measures taken (for example, the introduction of BM, holding an action or training staff)

IMPORTANT!

We always compare periods of equal time: week to week, January 2022 to January 2023, year to year, etc.

Friends, these are far from all variations of analytics, but this data is quite enough to base merchandising in the store on it.

Do you analyze sales and performance in your store?

RESULTS OF TRANSFER AFTER TRAINING

Hello, guys!

A month ago, I was trained by a team of EVA SECRET stores.

The main product that is presented in stores is underwear.

The purpose of the training: to make reweighting, to present the assortment more commercially attractive.

"Before" was the hanging of bras by. The panties were presented in the checkout area.

Task No. 1 was to increase the complexity of the sale.

Here I always urge you to follow the principle: EVERYTHING THAT IS SOLD IN SETS SHOULD BE SOLD IN THEM.

Therefore, the girls added panties to hang so that the buyer could buy the complete set.

The hanging was monotonous, so our task #2 was to visually break the wall by combining different types of hanging: front, side and shelves.

Not a single ruble was invested in equipment, we used what is in the store.

A torso was added to the wall, creating a focal point.

You can see the results of the work in the carousel to this post.

Do you want to transform your store and increase its sales?
- Send me in DM

WHICH EQUIPMENT TO CHOOSE FOR THE STORE?
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Friends, hello everyone!
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Coming to my courses, consultations and ordering projects, every second business owner asks questions: “What shop equipment to choose? Where to get it? Is there a better way to use it?"
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Let's figure it out.
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Trade equipment can be mobile and stationary.
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Mobile - these are most often ready-made trading systems, the brackets and shelves of which are rearranged.
Here it is important to understand how to install this hinge so that the wall looks harmonious, is roomy and
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✔️Mobile equipment is convenient for economy segment clothing stores, where it is important to ensure high capacity and constantly change the configuration of the walls in order to update the hanging.
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✔️ Shoe stores - especially women's - when high boots in winter and low sneakers in summer. Rearranging the shelves, again we control the capacity.
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✔️Underwear - it is very convenient to rearrange the brackets depending on the length of the products (for example, bust + shorts or bodysuit or robe).
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✔️Accessories - any transformable equipment will help us when working with a small product.
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Stationary equipment is suitable for stores where you do not need to change the configuration of the walls. Plus, such equipment is often designed and manufactured to order and looks more expensive, thereby working for the concept and price segment of the store.
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Here it is important to calculate the dimensions of the racks and clearly understand what product will be presented on them and in what quantity.
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