Final Exam Review Walls Walls as Retailing Selling Tools Walls are the largest selling tool and one of the most important fixtures in any retailer s overall selling strategy Effective use of store walls as selling tools meets several visual merchandising objectives o Capture shoppers attention when entering the store o Draw shoppers farther into the store o Communicate fashion information and encourage multiple purchases Act as way finding tool guiding shoppers to products they have come to see Walls serve as merchandise locators reflecting product categories featured and buy on adjacent selling floors Walls form the retail background they reinforce the store brand image through the strategic choice of interesting textured surfaces paint colors and wall coverings Walls as Destinations Dispersing traffic into selling departments and drawing shoppers toward merchandised walls offers several strategic advantages that will have a positive impact on sales Shoppers will be exposed to and inspect more merchandise more likely to spend time browsing through the store s entire assortment customers return to the main aisles through the departments they have already visited Types of Walls know their functions Perimeter Walls These are the outer walls that define the store s overall shape and support its basic construction They are commonly divided and then merchandised by sections generally ranging in size from 4 20 feet depending on the type of store Interior Walls These walls guide traffic separate merchandising departments and increase the merchandiser s ability to present products These walls can be merchandised on both sides which makes them vital to a store s merchandise presentation They may be built to meet the ceiling or only rise part way T Walls These are a type of interior wall Hung with merchandise that extends from the back or perimeter wall out into the aisle Often serves as background for a mannequin display Usually only 4 6 feet wide and 8 feet tall Back Walls The back wall is a type of interior wall that is the highest merchandised area in the store It is important to keep this area visible from the main isle and front of selling area The back wall is best used for coordinates with top over bottom to create an impact for the classification of the merchandise contained in this area Ideally the back wall should be broken into coordinated color groupings or patterns which can stimulate the shopper s eye Merchandise is colorized from light to dark small to large and left to right Displays can be set up explain or show the merchandise around or on the wall This usually occurs on a shelf above eye level Fixtures for Walls Capacity Fixtures Flat rails and shelves are capacity fixtures Round garment rods and flat metal crossbars are basic fixture components used to show large quantities of goods on hangers on walls For continuity only one style should be used throughout a store Crossbars can also feature product on face outs The end of the face out must be able to secure the garment rod crossbar Slatwall Gridwall Shelving This is a wall system of horizontal backer panels with evenly spaced slots that accept brackets and display accessories with special slatwall fittings This is a wall system of metal wire which accepts brackets and display accessories with special gridwall fittings Glass wood or colored plastic laminate shelving holds folded products like sweaters and jeans or accessories like handbags and hats They are generally 2 to 4 feet in length and are secured to wall standards with sturdy metal shelf brackets Both gridwall and slatwall will accept shelving when used with the proper brackets Many retailers use the top shelf for displays like forms or signs or graphics What are feature fixtures for walls Face outs or waterfalls Conventional Wall Feature Fixtures Waterfalls They are slant arm fixtures that display products They face outward so that the full front of the garment is visible This fixture employs 5 to 12 knobs that space garments evenly The waterfall is best used to feature tops jackets suits or dresses Straight Arms These serve the same purpose as waterfalls but they do not slant Either tops or bottoms work on straight arms These are available with different styles of fittings so that they fit into gridwall and slatwall standards or clip over crossbars Successful Presentation Strategies for Walls Seven successful wall merchandising strategies used by hard line departments 1 Use large graphics and simple displays 2 Present bedding in wall units library style 3 Utilize all shelf space 4 Arrange pegged items so that the tops of each product are in a straight row 5 Position pegged products over shelved products 6 Rank shelves with smaller items on top 7 Strengthen presentations on eye level and top shelf displays by use of art principles like repetition Wall Dividers sections Primary function is separating a long wall into shorter clearly defined These may be permanent like architectural columns or semi permanent like painted walls or textured wall coverings Nonpermanent dividers like outriggers and detachable panels for displaying coordinated outfits may be repositioned as merchandise categories change Outriggers are decorative or functional elements mounted to a wall at right angles in order to separate define and frame categories of merchandise presented on shelves or display fixtures Outriggers can effectively create departments or shops within a store and combined with directional signing make it easy for customers to quickly locate the products they want to see Materials used for dividers and wall surfaces can shape the store s atmospherics and enhance physical image Many times stores that were not initially designed with dividers are retrofitted the act of adding architectural features fixtures or other elements after the original structure is completed with these elements to break up wall space Whenever dividers are installed it is important to select materials that fit both store brand image and merchandise Architectural soffit is a long ledge permanent arch or box reaching down from a store s ceiling to its top shelves or usable wall space can limit merchandising flexibility Soffits are often used to mask non decorative functional lighting fixtures that serve to illuminate merchandise displayed on store walls If the soffit treatment is an arch stretching out over several wall sections in a store the best practice is to treat the entire area under it as