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‘VM today is about catching phone screens, not just eyeballs’

By N Jayalakshmi | January 06, 2025

How does a tech-led VM strategy deliver in a digitally driven world? Pawan Nagarwal, VP of VM & Brand Experience, ace turtle, throws more light on the question in this exclusive interaction with Retail4Growth. 

Ace turtle has been driving a digitally-led VM and store design strategy for brands like Wrangler and Lee. Can you take us through the journey? What’s the key objective?

Today over 90 % of people are glued to their mobile phones, that is the reality of our times. So our job as Visual Merchandiser is to connect with that digital world - draw not just balls, but mobile phone screens - and engage with shoppers, driving them towards purchase.

This is one of the reasons we decided that every mannequin on the sale window would carry a QR code. The idea is to engage shoppers, even before they enter the store, and make sure there is something they can capture on their phone. Inside the stores too, we have replaced physical shelves talkers with electronic shelf labels. These tech enabled touch-points can also be used for cross-selling, which has always been the core focus of visual merchandising (VM) historically.

In terms of aesthetics and the experiential quotient too, there is a greater need today to make VM displays ‘Instagrammable’, to use a cliche. The fact is that we live in a digitally driven world, where every ‘wow’ experience aims towards being captured and made viral on social media and this is the context in which VM operates too.

Another aspect of technology that we have incorporated is the use of AR technology by which static visuals of graffiti on merchandise displays come alive and start playing on social media platforms.

Incorporating these kinds of tech elements means constantly thinking tech and making sure there is a seamless merger of tech, art and consumer experience, even if it means going the extra mile in terms of finding the right tech partner and solution.

What does this entail for Visual Merchandisers? Is there a bigger need for them to think tech and use tools like AI?

In any field, especially, the creative fields, evolution plays a very important role. Creative professionals need to keep evolving. Education, technology and training have to go hand in hand to nurture this evolution. Today when I meet students, I’m impressed by their futuristic thinking and the kind of work they are doing. So the good part of technology is that it is fueling the need to learn and evolve. It is the same with generative AI tools. Generative AI gives a very clear direction to thoughts and aids in visualisation. In that sense, it is very useful. Of course, there have been debates regarding the impact of AI on jobs. I’d says AI is dangerous only if your work is mediocre, or sub-standard. Otherwise when used well, it can be a great too to enhance your work process and outcomes.

How challenging is it to find the right tech partner for the right integration?

It is very difficult. The challenge especially in the Indian scenario is that tech is very often associated with just LED screens or QR codes. But the best example of tech integration is when it’s interactive, seamless and leads to transactions. You can see this in some of the stores abroad. Tech should ease the customer experience and drive impulse purchases. But these technologies have to be available and made visible for retailers before they can adopt and implement them.

What is the need of the hour today? What can help retailers find the right technology solution and address their challenges when it comes to digital displays and front-end tech implementation?

The fact is that LED screens are everywhere today; they will become a blind spot soon. Also, it’s not just about having a good screen, but also about the right content, the licence to install it, etc. So the need of the hour is a complete package that includes not just hardware, but all of these things. And there should be a forum where these technology solutions can be accessible and where game changers for the eco-system can be identified and defined.

What is to be noted here is that physical retail will continue, but it can’t continue in an alienated way. It has to be part of a connected world. And it is about enticing the customer with something wow. This entails retailers, creative professionals/agencies, technology providers, suppliers, all coming together and taking it to the next level of evolution. Essentially tech today is about addressing the question: How to be part of a customer’s digital world from the physical space? And if anyone in the industry can find the right answer to this, then I’d say they are sitting on a goldmine.

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