By
Steve Parrish on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 |
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As a retail store owner or operator, you know there are a ton of things that contribute the overall appearance of your store and its general appeal to the public. You’ve undoubtedly thought long and hard about the color of the walls, floor plan, and decorations. You’ve stocked your store with specific clothing items that you believe will appeal to your niche market. Don’t overlook the importance of selecting the right mannequins as well.
The type of mannequins you choose for your store can make a significant impact on your bottom line. As you already have a targeted niche market, you already know who you are marketing your clothing to. If individuals in that group enter your store and see mannequins that look nothing like them, they are less likely to think of the clothing that’s being displayed as being appropriate for their particular needs.
At one time, all mannequins basically looked the same. You were hard-pressed to find ones that had different body types or sizes. You also couldn’t find any that were non-white. Today, with just a bit of shopping around, you can find mannequins that are as close to human as possible. They come in any number of sizes and feature different body types, allowing you to target your visual marketing inside your retail store to suit your specific customer base.
If you run a store that is primarily targeted to the African American market, you should consider purchasing mannequins with a “darker-skinned” appearance. And if your store is for larger ladies, be sure to have mannequins that can fill out the clothing you carry. Women don’t want to see clothing hanging on a mannequin that is five times smaller than they are. Not only will the right weight or color of mannequin better display the clothing you carry but it is quite simply more respectful of you to depict it in a realistic manner and on a “woman” or “man” that looks as real as possible to your clientele.
Diversity is important. Even if you don’t operate a store that is entirely geared to a particular part of the population or a specific niche market, you should consider having a variety of mannequins in your store. The days of having all-white mannequins in a store are gone, just like the days of television commercials only depicting white people are over. Broaden your marketing plan and include mannequins that are distinct from one another. It will help you appeal to a larger market and show respect to the entirety of your customer base.
Stores that are geared to teenagers, children, and parents of babies are other locations that can benefit from the ever-changing mannequins available. Displaying clothing for younger people on an adult mannequin is simply not practical, and the better the display, the more likely your items are to sell. Consider having teenage mannequins in at least the part of your store in which clothing for this age group is hung.
Stores that carry baby, toddler and children’s clothing items should have a range of mannequins. Displaying clothing for various ages of children and babies is a good idea as it gives your customers a better look at your merchandise and also allows you to target special items in your inventory. As with adult clothing areas, consider having mannequins in your children’s and babies’ clothing areas that are diverse in size, skin color and hair color. You address your entire customer base by including them in your in-store marketing efforts.
While many store owners and operators find it useful to choose mannequins that are quite lifelike, others find it easier and more appropriate to their particular store’s style to feature simplified and streamlined mannequins that are obviously more decorative than true to life.
These types of abstract mannequins are an especially good choice for trendy clothing stores and those that carry some of the more expensive and ornate clothing designs. Stores with very contemporary designs and those that carry modern clothing styles often look wonderful with abstract mannequins.
If your store’s design and decorative scheme supports these types of mannequins, you may find that they also simplify your concerns regarding marketing to various populations as well. When all of your store mannequins are a metallic shade instead of a particular life-like skin color, you don’t alienate any portion of your potential customer base. Keep in mind though that not all clothing types can be displayed well on abstract mannequins and your inventory will determine which type of mannequin would actually be best in your store.
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