New Technologies Applied to the Fashion Visual Merchandising

In the current 2010s digital scenes, characterized by interactive and instantaneous network communication, as well as the purchase experience at point of sale (POS), fashion companies increasingly include these new digital processes in their visual merchandising. This issue is relevant in fashion and in the academic area, since there are still few researches that connect new technologies applied to visual merchandising and consumer behavior. In addition, the dependent variable in most of these previous studies is only behavioral intention including purchase, repurchase, loyalty, complaints and switching behavior. Mainly, purchase intention is the most popular element studied as a response to exposure to online stimuli. Also, a fair amount of research used the approach/avoidance theory as a behavioristic response to environmental stimuli.The visual merchandising techniques interfere in the buying process, being indispensable for marketers to identify circumstances that arouse from a specific need of consumers, mainly the younger generations, stimulating shopping experiences through these external techniques.

In this study the application of new technologies in visual merchandising, mainly associated to fashion brands, was discussed. It demonstrates that traditional brick-and-mortar store formats need to be modified to interact with the buying expectation of customer, mainly the young people. The consumption habits of this cohort cause the companies to reformulate their marketing strategies and develop new digital strategies. Today companies know the importance of offering tangible and intangible goods to consumers upon purchase, including investments in technology in POS visual merchandising. The technological environment is every day faster and more adapted to the developments in the visual merchandising. Understanding what differentiates the shopping experience is important to brick-and-mortar stores, particularly apparel retailers, when creating a differentiated market position. Experiential retailing is an emerging strategy that attracts consumers through a combination of hedonic and utilitarian values communicated through multisensory retail marketing strategies. Thus, it is concluded that besides visual merchandising technological actions are influencers in the unique shopping experience, these new technologies applied to visual merchandising could help the attraction, capitation, and enchantment of young cohorts.

Article by Welton Fernando Zonatti, et al, from University of São Paulo and Science and Technology of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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