Business Students Visual Merchandising Trip

On the 11th of September 2024, our business class visited the location in Arusha Town. We looked at the different techniques that each shop used for visual merchandising. 

We began by exploring the main shops in Aim Mall which were Village Supermarket, where we looked at the product placement in the cereal aisle, juices aisle and the chocolate aisle. Therefore it shows that more expensive products are on the top-tier shelves, the eye-level products for adults are placed on the mid-level of the shelves and the smaller and cheaper products are placed on the bottom-tier of the shelves which means it is appealing for the toddlers to buy. The lighting used is very soft, and Village Supermarket had a mini restaurant where they sell ice-cream, patissiers, beverages and pizza. JustFit is another sports store we visited, however, it was closed, but we saw the different mannequins which had a set of clothes so the customers could purchase the whole outfit instead of just a t-shirt. Another technique of visual merchandising we identified was the sale sign outside the window which said 50% sale on specified items and this was in a red colour which stimulates the sense of urgency. Lastly, we visited Tigo which is a Customer Service Shop. They were very much colour coordinated (signage of yellow and blue) which gives a cooling effect to the customers. They also used display units which are very interactive as you could test out different cell phones of your choice.

Another location we went to visit was the Shanga Foundation which is a small creative shop that is located in Arusha Coffee Lodge by Elewana, this is a foundation where they employ people with disabilities to create unique and high-quality handmade jewellery, glassware and homewares by incorporating recycling materials. As a class, we examined the area by looking at the logo which is made of large pieces of metal and crystals of stones and glass pieces that were used on the floor. The environmental design was very clean and tidy, everyone at the Shanga Foundation was delegated a task. Furthermore, the product placement and segmentation was colour coordinated and very appealing as they used a creative way of using bicycle wheels and making a drinks cart so the products can be shown. The traditional necklace holders / stands were made of cardboard which is very eco-friendly and attracts customers to visit this area. Lastly, at the entrance of the shop, they placed certificates to show safety, integrity and it is in an internationally recognized foundation (as there in Tripadvisor).