Display DNA: How to Navigate Market Like a Pro
Hello, and welcome to my quarterly column! If you don’t already know me, hi, I am Michelle Sherrier.
I am a freelance consultant for design, display, buying and merchandising. I work for retailers and the wholesale gift industry. I am also the host of “The Retail Whore Podcast.”
A little background: I started in retail at 14, working at the Wet Seal. I spent 10 years at Fred Segal in Santa Monica, California, where I worked my way up from temporary sales help to a store owner. Fred was my mentor, and so much of what I preach is based on my time within those walls. I ended up losing my three stores thanks to the Northridge earthquake. While it was devastating, I truly believe that failure is the best instructor.
After the closure of my stores, I went on to work at Anthropologie in Santa Monica. It was, hands down, the best education I could have ever asked for. Understanding the balance of aesthetics and business, how to create displays that tell stories, the art of cross-merchandising and how to build up a display through architecture.
These are the same practices that I continue to use in my day-to-day merchandising. It is what I teach my retailers about and what I talk about on social media.
As we head into the summer show season, I thought I would share with you how I approach the show as a buyer. I still shop the show for a handful of retailers — and these are my best practices.
1. Pull your reports.
Numbers don’t lie, and heading into a show without a clear understanding of what drove our business is like buying blind. Even if you are in your store every day, your reports will give you key insights. I pull my reports by vendor and by department. I also pull TY/LY numbers so I can see the pattern of spending. I look at which department performed better than others, the key vendors that drove each department, as well as the aging reports. If something has been sitting and if it’s in an underperforming department, I decide if we are moving forward with the product or the entire department. Merchandise is much like a restaurant; you want a lot of turns. If it’s not selling and you have moved it several times, it’s sitting dollars.
2. Walk your floor and stockroom.
See how a concept or a department has held up. Are they picked over? Are they still relevant? Do I need to reinvent them or build more product into them to continue the story? I make notes on what will go on sale and what we will add to our assortments.
I walk through the stockroom to look at what has been packed away and held for the following season or holiday. Often with holiday items, if we have more than six left, I opt to pack up rather than put on sale in hopes of reinventing it the following season. I take photos so I can reference them at the show.
3. Pre-shop catalogs and magazines.
I love pre-shopping the catalogs to get an idea of what’s trending. You can see the trend emerge as you go. Bees, bows, brights or pastels, food-scented candles, etc. I make notes on what I love and tear out pages. I am not shopping for specific items at this point, I am only looking for trends. I scour through magazines for inspiration and pull tears, and start to pair them up with the pages from the catalogs. I also run a list of props, florals and plants that I need for upcoming concepts or holiday rollouts.
4. Make your reservations early.
Don’t wait until the last minute. You want to take advantage of the shows’ blocked-out rooms and discounts. They sell out fast, so it’s better to do it sooner than later.
5. Register early.
Skip the line, print your badge and hit the ground running.
6. Pack a light sweater and comfortable shoes.
The showrooms are freezing, and I have spent way too many shows shivering and limping in very cute, uncomfortable shoes.
7. Bring snacks, Advil and a water bottle.
Seriously, bring snacks. A lot of the showrooms offer lunch if you have an appointment, but if you don’t have one, your option is Cheese Nips and a Diet Coke — and you don’t want to be hangry. I bring string cheese, nuts, bars and Chomps. Many showrooms no longer offer plastic bottled water, but they all have water machines so you can fill up. Advil is a lifesaver for your poor back and feet, and something very challenging to find while in these buildings.
8. Take photos and lots of notes.
If you love a display and you are ordering the line, ask to take a photo. Nothing is better than a retailer wanting to recreate a display they saw at market. (it’s the biggest compliment to us merchandisers). Most showrooms don’t care, but a handful don’t allow photos. It’s best to play it safe and ask. If you are not ordering from that line or showroom and you love the display, the same rule applies.
When looking at displays that I love, along with the products, I am also dissecting the architecture. What is the display built up with, and what are some of the contextual elements? Color, texture and theme are also what I am looking at. I bring a notebook, and I will keep the tears from the magazines and catalogs along with the notes from my walk through of props etc.
9. Make appointments.
You often will get perks like meals, extra discounts and swag bags when you make appointments with your reps. Trust me, you don’t want to show up and not be able to work with your rep or not be able to work with anyone because they are all busy with their appointments. I make three appointments a day and spend the rest of my day roaming free.
10. Go into the showrooms that might not look like “you”.
What’s that saying, “Don’t judge a book by the cover”? This was my biggest lesson at Fred Segal. My then-boss, Michael Campbell, would literally go into every single showroom. I would stand outside, looking all judgy at the products or displays, and he would remind me that the “best” looking showrooms are shopped by everyone, and these showrooms were often passed by because they didn’t look “the part.” These undervalued showrooms are where we often found our “pet rocks” that drove our business in several departments. Trust me — you can thank me later.
Wishing you all a happy show season filled with inspiration!
