In 2008, Walmart announced an ambitious store-remodeling program called Project Impact. It sought to increase sales by (among other things) significantly changing how products were organized and displayed. The project was a spectacular flop – with losses in the billions – and Walmart eventually reversed its methods.
Techniques of visual merchandising (i.e., displaying products to make them more appealing) can make or break brick-and-mortar retailers. Visual merchandising incorporates elements such as traffic flow, lighting, color, signage, product packaging, organization, and assortment. Good visual merchandising can have an outsized impact on sales – which is why retailers regularly change their store layouts and displays, or completely remodel their stores.
