The Eyecatcher

Retailing is the only business whose success is dependent upon customer walk-ins: a business that practically does not go to customers but waits for them to come to its premises. Even in modern e-tailing, there are triggers sent by emails or links uploaded in social websites to instantaneously lead one into browsing for buying.  It has been a hard task for many brick-and-mortar retailers and malls to attract footfalls. Malls depend largely upon their anchors to bring in the right footfalls into the premises. High streets are busy with huge passersby and stores situated there only have to attract those passing by to set their feet into the store.

In the olden days, there were no malls in India, nor were there any large modern stores as we find nowadays. It was only in the high streets of cities and towns that retail stores could be found. To attract footfalls into the premises, retail stores used to sport very attractive show windows where product displays were made prominent. A little more than a score years ago bystanders could be thrilled to see the new lady mannequin in a local apparel store moving its hands constantly to welcome customers with a namaskar! A male mannequin that kept sipping a glass of cola also used to accompany it. Once when we were out on a family trip shopping in the busy J.N. Street in Pondicherry, the male mannequin drinking cola attracted the attention of my then four year old daughter who quipped to her grandfather, “Hi grandpa, see this doll, it drinks exactly like how dad drinks beer!” One can imagine what kind of looks I would have got from my dad! (It was taboo to drink any alcohol in India those days!)  Joke apart, these mannequins were placed right at the entrance in retail stores in high streets and they attracted everyone’s attention and consequently footfalls, too. Innovatively retailers brought those ‘deadly’ mannequins live with motorized movements to attract customer attention!

Some stores had their show windows dressed thematically, updating them with messages that could have their currency significance, much like the Amul hoardings that everyone wanted to wait and watch. The Bata stores organized signature displays of footwear in floral forms that became the standard across all stores. The displays not only had such signature forms but motifs and props, which befitted the season celebrated, accompanied them. Professional window dressers were given guidelines on visual merchandising along with a supply of the required materials and props so that no finer element of the displays across the stores was missed at any cost. The display windows were punctuated with a huge thematic picture, called ‘eyecatcher’ which compelled every passerby to look into the store and reminded customers to enter. The eyecatcher changed with the change of theme every time and it was the cynosure of all eyes. The theme ran around the store in festoons and bunting as well, in a very aesthetic manner.

Modern retailing in India has been missing these age-old tools to pull in footfalls. A few of the new age concessionaires in airports in order to attract the busy passersby, have digital display screens projected; others in high streets have open, see-through windows and yet a few more have open entrances with just piles of table and nested table displays! After a long time I got to see a beautifully done show window in a luxury mall recently – yes, I was truly amazed to see the grandly done windows of the Louis Vuitton store in U B City mall in Bangalore accompanied by the white thematic cut-outs of garments beautifully arrayed to attract every customer passing by! Among the many innovative techniques of inviting customers ‘loudly’ into the retail store, displays and show windows play a permanent and timeless role. The right visual presentation in retail may not only attract the customers but also make them associate themselves with the store striking their instantaneous belongingness!

Innovation in visually appealing to customers to bring them into the store will continue through the ages, but with modern ‘eyecatchers’ though!

- Dr. Gibson G. Vedamani