How Color Blocking Affects Mood and Store Ambience

-

One of the best things you can do to beat the competition and gain the attention of shoppers is understand merchandising. In today’s content, I am going to guide you through a merchandising technique called color block merchandising and how you can use it in your displays to stand out from your competitors and ultimately give your customers a memorable experience.


What is colour blocking?

Colour blocking is the use of color to support merchandising of products. It is an effective weapon which visual merchandisers can use to improve the way products are displayed.

Here are the basics before you move to implementing colour blocking:

1. Colour wheels

A colour wheel is used to show the relationship between different colours based on three primary colours - red, blue and yellow.

Primary colours create secondary colours when mixed which go on to create tertiary colours when mixed with primary colours, creating a six and twelve colour wheel respectively.

It’s also important to remember colour harmony when choosing colours.


2. Left to right, bottom to top

Colour, just like the weather, is seasonal. For example in winter, people prefer darker colours whereas in summer or spring people prefer lighter colours.

When colour blocking it’s important to consider the season – placing products from left to right from darkest to lightest during winter and the reverse during summer. Most of your customers read from left to right, making this placement feel more natural.

As for bottom to top, seasons do not have an effect allowing for darker items to be placed at the bottom and lighter colours at the top.


3. Colour affects mood

In the competitive retail space, customers won’t necessarily buy from you because you have great products, reasonable prices or meet their needs.

Emotional connections are becoming a requirement too. Luckily, colour not only affects mood but has a direct psychological impact on shopping behavior. Colour sets the tone for a customer’s experience, attracting their attention and inspiring different feelings (i.e. blue/green for calm and warm colours for excitement). Use colours to your advantage and emotionally connect with your customers.


Why you should be colour blocking?

When you walk into a mall, what do you experience? Every store you come across is fighting for your attention. Like most shoppers, odds are you stopped at stores with displays which appealed to you.

These stores are practicing visual merchandising by using attractive storefront displays. Believe it or not, the colour of the display had an impact on your choice to go in-store as well.


Here are some benefits to making sure colour is a key element of visual merchandising:


1. Get customers to browse

Organizing your products by colour in-store has proven effective in encouraging customers to look through more stock - causing them to notice and purchase products which would otherwise be ignored.

Take duvet covers, for example – when organized by colour it can transform from a rather boring product into an attractive display customers can’t resist.

Colour blocked displays also look well organized which gives the impression that your products are fresh and your store is upmarket.


2. Operate with flexibility

A common problem for retailers when placing product in-store is figuring out how to display several different colors together, especially when there is stock left over from a promotion or sale.

In this case, categorizing products in the traditional sense will not work because it creates chaotic displays which can overwhelm customers. There are alternatives, however, and color blocking has proven to be effective in solving this issue.

For example, your store has had a massive holiday sale, and you have 10% of the product you expected to move, still sitting on the shelves – most of which is red and green in color.

By selecting a theme and color blocking past merchandise with new inventory you can effectively maintain an attractive layout, move more merchandise and give customers a great shopping experience.

In the end, store operations are easier to maintain, and you remain flexible, no matter what stock you have.

How to get started with color blocking

Customers expect retailers to be creative with their displays, understand what’s trending, use various themes and create engaging experiences with their merchandise. It may seem overwhelming at first, but follow these steps, and you will be well on your way to color blocking mastery:


1. Choose a theme

The first and most important step of implementing a color blocking strategy is selecting a story or theme. What season is it? Remember colors are seasonal and affect mood. Look at nearby events and holidays to come up with ideas for themes.

For example, if you’re updating your display for Valentine’s Day: reds, pinks, and whites should be your primary colors.


2. Colour flow

Just as traffic flow indicates how customers physically move throughout your store, color flow has a direct impact on why your customers moved throughout the store in a particular way.

Based on your theme and according to the season, colors should be placed from left to right and bottom to top – with darker colors being on the left, getting lighter as you move right and darker colors on the bottom, lighter colors on top.

I'm concluding with this, We live in a world where everything and everyone is competing for the attention of consumers. For decades the only competitor's retailers had to be concerned with was each other, but with the transition into a digital age, their newest and toughest opponent is a 5-inch screen in the hands of almost every consumer.

To win the competition for attention, retailers will have to stand out in some way.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What to Do When Your Boss Asks You to Train Your Replacement

-
Image
You sit at your desk, going about your daily tasks, when you get an unexpected message: “Can you meet me in my office for a quick chat?” It’s from your boss. You head to the office, curious but not overly concerned. However, as soon as you sit down, they drop a bombshell: “We’re bringing in someone new to take over your role, and we’d like you to train them.” You blink, caught off guard. The room suddenly feels smaller, and your mind races with a thousand thoughts: *Why? Am I being replaced? What did I do wrong? Before you let the panic set in, take a deep breath. While this situation is uncomfortable, it's also one that many professionals face at some point in their careers. Here's how to navigate it with grace, professionalism, and strategy. 1. Keep Your Emotions in Check Your first instinct might be to react emotionally, whether that’s anger, shock, or disappointment. This is understandable, but don’t let your emotions drive your response. Losing your cool or las
Read more

I met Tunde when I was 26. He was my first love, the man who made me believe in forever...

-
Image
I met Tunde when I was 26. He was my first love, the man who made me believe in forever. We spent 11 years together, sharing dreams, laughter, and countless secrets. He disvirgined me, and I believed in our love so deeply that I sacrificed everything for him, even enduring the pain of aborting pregnancies six times because he wasn't ready to be a father. But now, at 37, I face the harsh truth my body can no longer carry a child. Tunde, ever the sweet talker, promised marriage, insisting that I had been the foundation of his success. I supported him through thick and thin, helping him rise in his career. But on the day of our traditional engagement, everything fell apart. His parents revealed in court that another woman was pregnant with his child, and they were already planning a wedding for him and this new woman. I was devastated, but my siblings urged me to continue with the marriage. "You've come too far to turn back now," they said. Torn between their
Read more

"But was it fair? Was his decision just?" Madam Ireti Tells her Story of Regret

-
Image
I sit alone in my small room, the Bible resting on my lap. The verses, once so familiar, seem distant now, as if they belong to another life. I close my eyes and try to find comfort in prayer, but the words catch in my throat. My heart is heavy with the burden of what I’ve done, and I’m unsure if I can ever truly forgive myself. The memory of that day is as sharp as the cane I used. I see Chibuzor’s innocent face, hear his cries, and feel the weight of the cane in my hand. It was meant to teach him a lesson, to correct him, but instead, I took his life. I can’t escape that truth, no matter how hard I try. The trial is over, but my soul is not at peace. Judge Olayinka was kind, I suppose, considering what could have been. He did not send me to prison; instead, he asked that I serve the community and care for the children, the ones I can still help. He also ordered me to support Nneka, to help ease the burden of her loss.  But was it fair? Was his decision just? I wonder if h
Read more

Managing Intimacy in a Single-Room Apartment with Kids: Navigating Privacy in a Busy Urban Lifestyle

-
Image
Living in a bustling urban environment often means adapting to limited space, especially when raising kids in a single-room apartment. Maintaining intimacy with your partner in such close quarters can be challenging, but with a bit of creativity and strategic planning, you can create the privacy you need. Here’s how to manage intimacy in a single-room apartment while navigating the dynamics of urban living. 1. Embrace the Nightlife Urban areas are known for their vibrant nightlife, which can offer you opportunities for privacy. - Late-Night Moments: Once your kids are asleep, the late-night hours can be your time to reconnect with your partner. The quiet of the night can provide the calm and privacy you need to enjoy each other’s company without interruptions. - Work Hours Flexibility: If one of you works late or night shifts, plan your intimate moments during the times when your children are occupied during the day, such as when they’re at school or with a caretaker. 2. L
Read more

"What Should I do? It wasn't My Intention For Her To Die"

-
Image
One afternoon, I realized I had run out of sugar. The thought of stepping out to get some felt like an unnecessary bother, especially since it was such a hot day. As I sat on my porch, I noticed Adebisi, the young girl from next door, playing outside. Her laughter echoed in the air as she skipped along the path, her joy contagious. Without much thought, I called her over and handed her some money. “ Could you help me buy some sugar from the shop down the road, my dear ?” I asked her, my voice gentle. She nodded eagerly, always so willing to help, and dashed off toward the main road. I settled back into my chair, waiting for her to return, but within minutes, I heard the screeching of tires, followed by a heart-stopping thud. My pulse quickened, and dread filled my chest as I rushed to the road, hoping praying it wasn’t what I feared. But there she was, lying still on the pavement, surrounded by a growing crowd. Adebisi, the little girl with so much life, was now lifeless. M
Read more

This is so Interesting, Take A Chair, Sit and Enjoy.

-
Image
It was October 2010 when I joined a very popular school in my area. The school was well-known, and I was excited to be a part of it. I remember the first day vividly, and I might even have a picture of myself from back then. I’ll check my phone album tomorrow morning and drop it in the comments section. The school had a supervisor, a man from the Auchi tribe in Edo State. He was a close friend of the proprietor, who was unfortunately terminally ill at the time (he has since passed away). The supervisor’s two sons, David and his younger brother, Mark, were both on full scholarship, courtesy of the proprietor. The supervisor’s job was mainly to ensure everything at the school was running smoothly. It was the biggest and most popular school in the area back then, with separate locations for the primary and secondary sections. The supervisor’s wife, who everyone affectionately called Mummy David, was a completely different personality from her husband. She was a lovely soul—fun
Read more