Anna Balandina: find your golden resource to increase profit

How to raise sales in a children's store and create a magnet store for buyers? How to sell goods at the subconscious level? At the seminar on September 26, Anna Balandina, the founder of VM Guru Agency, an expert in commercial visual merchandising and store design, the author of training VM-programs, will consider these topical issues.

– Anna, increasing profits is the main goal of any entrepreneur. What is the contribution of competent merchandising to this process?

– Today, visual merchandising in the fashion industry is one of the most effective tools that a store can use to attract customers into its space. What can it do? First, it can help rebuild the presentation of a collection and add an emotional component to it; this will immediately give the store an advantage over online sales. Today, many people are worried that the percentage of online purchases is growing; many experts even wonder whether the offline retail dies. No, of course, it is not going anywhere, but the shops need to be rebuilt and become more emotional. This can be achieved with visual merchandising tools. Spectacular entrance area, commercial storefronts, of course, increased traffic and conversion. How much? It all differs. We often conduct training for shopping centre tenants, when 50-80 stores are trained at the same time, and the results are different for everyone, depending on the store's initial level, seasonal concept, its uniqueness, wow-effect, and the product itself, of course.

– What trends are present today in the design of children’s stores?

– As I have already said, it is important to add emotions and find your own unique style, and then the customer will return to you. The design should address both children and parents. Now the eco-trend is actively used, in general it is believed that generation Z, which already dictates its tastes and rules, is very eco-conscious.

Today, a kaleidoscope type of shops is actively used in the children’s segment, the kind of shops where everything is bright and dynamic. There is also a cocoon type of stores with spaces and equipment of a streamlined shape, which is subconsciously associated with comfort. And, of course, there are dream stores, fairy-tale stores, where a unique space is created. For example, in Dubai there is a children's department store designed as a fairy-tale country, in which children feel like fairytale characters.

At the seminar, we will also analyse practical cases. My experience tells me that it is always useful to back up theory with practice; it is easier to learn from true examples. We will analyse two cases of the seminar participants. In order to obtain this opportunity, you need to submit an application and send six photos illustrating your store and your question.

Visual merchandising is the “golden resource” of increasing profits for any fashion brand. It is important to use this tool in your stores and correctly train the staff. We have the knowledge and resources, and we will be happy to share them.