Part 1 of your three-part ultimate guide to in-store merchandising gives you easy tips that will engage and inspire your retail and design customers by showcasing quality, design and personal experience.

House of Nomad: KAZI Basket and Plates Featured in Display

Part 1: Showcasing: A Shopping Experience Worth Leaving the Couch for

Part 2: Window Display: How to Build an Engaging Window Display

Part 3: Store Floor Layout: How to Set (or Re-set) the Floor

The Shopping Experience is Changing

The classic Brick and Mortar stores face new challenges — and opportunities. Online commerce is coming on strong, and this trend will only grow. But many customers yearn to see, feel and experience goods as part of their buying journey. This provides opportunities for many businesses and storefronts to be creative about drawing people in to learn about products and artisans and to see, feel and examine quality.

Customer Experience: How to build Interest

Build around your customer lifestyle. Before you begin creating a beautiful ambiance that invites your customers to explore, you must consider your target customers. To do this, think beyond the customer demographics. Instead, consider their lifestyles to target your customers. The more specific, the better. Companies like Anthropologie are clear in their vision. Anthropologie in particular markets its products towards a “creative-minded woman, who wants to look like herself, not the masses. She has a sense of adventure about what she wears, and although fashion is important to her, she is too busy enjoying life to be governed by the latest trends.” So — Who is YOUR ideal customer? What does your customer believe about themselves? What are their dreams and desires? What do they wish to discover in your store?

Also, consider organizing events or experiences in a safe way. This can include bringing an interior designer in to discuss new directions or tips while customers sip on creative cocktails or beverages and browse the products. It can include putting your products into people’s hands, and telling the story of the item.

It is all about optimizing customer experience. Now more than ever storefronts need to offer exceptional personalized services that one cannot find online.

Implementation Tip: It’s helpful to involve your broader circle of employees, family and ask them to share ideas, or even survey others in the community. They too will have insights for you on who these ideal customers are and they are potentially looking for. Are they retirees with already well decorated homes and too little of space, looking for great gifts for their grandchildren and children? Or are they young millennials looking for decor and storage ideas that will share a story with their guests on the location and process? By involving others in the process, you can spark new ideas and learn more about the needs of your potential customers that will allow you to be clear in your vision and tell a strong story in all elements of your visual merchandising.

Make Your Brand Memorable with in store Merchandising

Gum Tree LA Merchandising Display featuring KAZI goods

Gum Tree LA: Featuring KAZI Basket and Plate

With many shopping options, distinguish your brand through strategic color selections. Consumers pay attention to pieces when there’s repetition in color coordination. We love how Gum Tree uses a subtle mustard yellow in their display as shown above. Begin by choosing three colors for your display: a dominant, secondary, and accent color. The colors can be complimentary. Visual merchandising expert Rosa Elena suggests that the dominant color should be 70% of a display design while the secondary color is 25% and the accent color is 5%. Be sure to make your accent color visible in at least three areas of any given section of the store.

Implementation Tip: At KAZI, we see our stores focus on three main color groups which have become our best selling color stories season after season:

• black and white

• blues

• soft neutrals

Be creative with your merchandising displays. We love how Jess Vargas used a black and neutral color theme to style KAZI products in her shop Adobe, as shown below. Not to mention, the plant is the perfect touch that adds a pop of green for accent color.

Adobe by Jess Vargas: Featuring KAZI Wall Hangings

When you think about stocking with KAZI, think of your core sell through items being of the collections above and then 30-40% of your assortment being secondary colors and statement or seasonal trending colors.

Of course, terracotta, millennial pink and poppy orange all have their moments and sell SUPER well as your customers will find them new and fun and fresh, but 60+% of our sell through assortment with KAZI are likely to be in the three color stories above.

Why Choose KAZI?

KAZI is more than home decor; it has a mission that you can feel proud supporting. We bring you beautiful hand-crafted goods that add life to your space and empower artisans to weave a better story for themselves. Our designers craft innovative, unique pieces that our artisans in Uganda, Rwanda, and Ghana hand-make. In return the artisans receive a life-changing livable wage. Your purchases have the power to quickly change lives, families, and communities.

KAZI is currently one of only five companies to carry the Nest Seal of Ethical Handcraft on our Rwanda and Uganda products. The Seal carries the highest of standards for assessing artisan homeworker production and supply chains, ensuring important issues like fair wages are paid and no children are in the workforce and supply chain. It also ensured the materials and dyes are ethically sourced and disposed of.

The Nest Seal is a symbol of assurance for you in our supply chain and in letting your customers know the items they shop have been ethically handcrafted by KAZI artisans.