The era of traditionally-crafted physical stores is slowly losing its grip in the business world. Of course, there are still retailers and wholesalers making it big in the brick-and-mortar stores, but any business that wants to soar higher and to the global territories must have an online presence. Even with the online presence, you must present your physical store such that it attracts clients and commands sales. Whatever business you are running, knowing the best dress forms along with Mannequins for presenting your business is mandatory.
Rules on Visual Merchandising and Display of Products
Understand Your Target Customer
The rule no one to proficient visual merchandising and product display is to know your customers. You can only give your clients the best if you know their needs and unique requirements. Don’t just source for the best dress forms before you know what to add to your products to make them appealing to the target audience.
Showcase Your Products
Customers want to know what you have for them before they even get into your store. They can tell what you got via a mannequin or window. So, present your products professionally and accurately in the picture, so you can get more clients buying and recommending your store to their friends.
Invest in the Right Tools of Trade
The last rule of proper product display and visual merchandising is to use the right tools of trade properly. It is quite unfortunate that most traders don’t understand and implement this rule as it should be. These are the two popular clothing display options in professional visual merchandising.
Full Mannequins — Mannequins work miracles when used as display tools. For those who don’t know, mannequins are fabricated versions of human body parts like the legs and arms. They differ in look depending on their core purpose and manufacturer. Some have very realistic looks while others are just artistic. Mannequins are designed specially to mimic the human body details but in a more uniquely stylized design. There are options that tell the story about a product via materiality, gender, shape, and size.
Body and Dress Forms — This is another powerful visual merchandising tool, which is mostly used to drape and craft patterns. Dress forms are uniquely used to streamline the process of creating creative fashion designs. Dress forms are heavier with collapsible shoulders and thicker padding, while body forms are lighter with less padding but made of multiple materials.
What to Use Between Mannequins and Body/Dress Forms?
Mannequins will let others see your clothing line from tip to toe and the shape is generally common for any kind of clothing you display. They address the designer’s target client while body/dress forms address the specific dress form, whether it could be a jacket or jersey form. Moreover, dress forms offer a timelessness and flexibility you will not get with mannequins. And it is based on this reason, experts recommend body/dress forms to designers who are just starting out as it won’t sprout up their costs of operation as mannequins will do.
There are various things to consider when deciding whether to go for mannequins or body/dress forms. However, your business needs and brand aesthetic alongside the consistency of the displays they want to achieve should be the most fundamental considerations. Never try mixing body/dress forms together with mannequins as it will make your display not only look messy but also amateurish. You must always understand your clients’ needs and the kind of reputation you want to create while using any of these visual merchandising tools. You should as well consider your budget while deciding the mannequins or body forms.
Best Places to Find Mannequins and Dress/Body Forms
Currently, you can find the best suppliers for dress forms, mannequins, and body forms right online. Of course, you will discover a range of mannequins which range from avant-garde and artistic designs and super high-end styles. These can be found mostly in online stores, though you can still source some from your local designer wholesalers. Mannequins cost somewhere between $100 and $200 while body forms cost from $50 to around $100. The prices can be a bit higher for the more enhanced and innovative designs, so don’t budget low if you want something unique and creative.
In Conclusion
For those who did not know much about clothing display tools, you have now got an idea of the different fashionable display medium you can use so as to make your storefront, merchandise, and interior display to stand out from the rest of the crowd. There are amazing and inspiring designs and styles of mannequins and body forms, with new ones being made every day, so stay alert to learn about the upcoming fashionable choices. Always know what your customer wants and keep your budget in place when shopping for these visual merchandising products.
