Mesmerising displays

In the retail industry, there are numerous ways to uphold a brand and augment its sales. One of these is the use of mannequins in retail stores for the exhibit of merchandise. The word ‘mannequin’ comes from the Dutch word, mannequin, which literally means 'little man'. A mannequin is a jointed model of the human body used by retailers to demonstrate their products, especially to exhibit the arrangement of drapery. Mannequins are articulated dummy mainly used to display creations of artists. Mannequins have been around for thousands of years but their use in store display is recent.

Mannequin displays

The look of a store is very important for the promotion of a brand. Proper display of mannequins is a must for raising footfalls. Mannequins need to be displayed at proper locations in stores to make the display effective. Haphazard display of mannequins in a store brings down the image of the brand for the customer may not feel comfortable in that type of setting. Parameters of mannequin display should be decided according to the size of the store, its designing and the brand. Mannequins should reflect the brand concept well and, for that, mannequins to be used should be decided carefully. The display should also be planned around a theme.  The idea of a theme would further attract buyers and make business operations smooth. Mr Chetan Shah, Managing Director, Pepe Jeans London, India, “Mannequins are the most basic form of window displays, which form an integral part of our visual communication. They help in showcasing the products of the current season with the story line. They add to heighten the brand appeal and introduce the first look for the brand. Pepe Jeans London, being a lifestyle brand, uses mannequins to dress-up the store and tell the story on which the range has been designed.” The consumer passage and buying patterns are greatly influenced by the right type of display of mannequins in a store. The exhibits on mannequins are used to display in show windows and in the store itself. Mr Jattinn Kochhar, Fashion Designer, says, “In today’s world, visual merchandising forms a very essential part of brand building and also, now brands have started copyrighting the kinds of mannequins they use. This is also making them free publicity. New mannequins of metallic finish have come into the market and all the international stores use these. Each of these costs around Rs 40,000.  These reassure the client that he is at the right place and that they have the rite product displayed the right way. So, it tells a lot about the store and the kind of clientele they encourage.” With the use of mannequins, it is easier to sell additional items to the customer as something on display mat attract them and engage them more effectively into buying the product. 

Various looks and models

Mannequins are well-crafted work of talented master craftsmen, sculptors, finishing artists and quality controllers who work as a team adding spirit to the mannequins. They are available in various formats and postures. Mannequins in the form of men, women and children are the ones the majority of retailers use. Further, depending on the trade and need, they may be ‘with head’, headless, just the torso and so on. Various postures for mannequins include seated, reclined, flexible, sitting and standing. Some inflatable mannequins are also available in the market. Mr Nagaraja R, Director, Four Dimensions Group of Companies, says, “Dressed mannequin enhances merchandise presentation and  type of mannequin used gives or creates the required attitude of the brand. It also helps customers to visualise 3D presentation of the merchandise. Store environment could be worked out using the mannequin in different postures.”

Mannequins are now being given a real life look and it may be, at times, difficult to differentiate between a real life model and a mannequin. Mannequins with glass eyes, real hair and facial expressions have come into being. Apart from this, a hairstyle may also be carved in the mannequin itself during the time of manufacture.  In addition to this, skin texturing and pigmentation are also shown in some mannequins. Multiple layers of paint are used to achieve the appearance of human-like skin and the use of prosthetic eyes further enhances the lifelike quality of mannequins. Mr Kochhar, elaborates, “Mannequins play a vital role. Hanging on a hanger, a garment is lifeless. You can’t really see the shape, fall, drape or the beauty of the garment. When you put clothes on a mannequin, it gives almost a lifelike look to it.” Emphasising on this, Mr Anirudha Mukhedkar, Founder, Restore Solutions, says, “ Unfortunately, most of the brands do not extract the full value a mannequin can deliver. Largely, mannequins are treated as clothe horses that just display the merchandise. The fact is that the right mannequin can add enormous appetite appeal to the merchandise and bring the product story alive!  The ability, therefore, of a mannequin to tell a product story is great. But, its power is greater. And, the future is going to demand a greater degree of seriousness from brands as far as mannequins are concerned. Visionary brands will begin to use the full power of mannequins to go beyond merchandising and actually tell brand stories and engage with customers.” The company displays all forms of mannequins comprising diverse characteristics. This is done for all the mannequins displayed in a store do not give the same look. In simple words, it is done so as to break the monotony of a store. A store is made more interesting with different mannequins displaying different expressions and moods. With this variation, they bring vim and vigour to the store.

Advantages

Mannequins have slowly developed from being just a simple prop to displaying the merchandise towards a more realistic form. The way they are put to use has changed over a period of time increasing their importance. Mannequins help a retailer in many ways. Mannequins are the latest trendsetters. As and when, new fashion comes to the market, they are the first ones to showcase it. It is because of them that consumers come to know that new collection of clothing has arrived at a particular store. Some retailers upgrade or dress the mannequins on regular basis besides changing the get up as soon as the new merchandise arrives the store. Mr Nagaraja says, “The type of mannequin used whether black, white with head, without head, flexible, stylised will support the brand identities with its existing image. And the mannequin would help the brand to display the merchandise for different occasions with different styles of clothing.” Mannequins also give appeal to the product while letting customers know how a particular piece of merchandise, once worn, would look like. This helps them make up their mind quicker for procuring a piece of merchandise. Mr Kochhar says, “I remember seeing an advertisement where a mannequin was wearing a beautiful outfit and there was a woman looking at it, saying that the dress was calling out to her. This was so because a beautiful mannequin in perfect shape was wearing it. And, apparently the mannequin was a headless one. So, mannequins give the perfect look and feel to garments and that makes all the diifference.” Mr Shah further says, “Mannequins are integral part of retail brand strategy. They are the most vital element of retail level brand communication. Mannequins provide human touch to products. Hence, they play the role of custodians for brand and product while enhancing the overall store look and feel. Pepe Jeans London uses mannequins in visual merchandising as eye stoppers, which work in two ways for the brand - consumer walking to the store after seeing the VM and recalls the brand because of the creative presentation.” During the festive season, their use is of utmost significance. For example, during Christmas, entire stores are embellished with the theme red, white and green. So, all the mannequins displayed in the show windows and the store with the Christmas collection brightens up the stores. Attractive and eye-catching stores invite more populace to walk in escorting way for additional sales. Subsequently, it can be said that that mannequins are beneficial not only for retailers but also for the clientele.

Different sectors, different styles

Mannequins are being used in almost all the stores. The role of mannequins has evolved over the years and retailers are also realising the importance of the same. Use of mannequins varies from merchandise to merchandise and from sector to sector. Sectors where mannequins play an important role are as follows:

Apparel

The first sector anyone would think of when talking about mannequins is apparels.  Apparels is one sector, which makes extensive use of mannequins to display merchandise. Clothing are used or displayed on mannequins for men, women and children. Mannequins used for display of apparels are postured in many different ways. Hats, gloves and other accessories are also displayed on mannequins along with clothing to complete a look for customers to perceive their own look into it.

Jewellery

Mannequins are also used for display of jewellery products. Mannequins used are for display of neckpieces, earrings, rings, bangles, nose rings, anklets and bracelets. Mannequins used are only those of women. Here, full mannequins may not be used and mannequins with just a head or hands or feet may be used.

Footwear

Mannequins are used to display footwear as well. Mannequins used here may be of men, women or children. Full body mannequins or those of just feet may be used.

Eye wear

Mannequins for presenting eyewear products are also used by some retailers. Mannequins here may be of men, women and children. Chiefly, they are mannequins with just a head.

Maintaining impression

Mannequins in a store look good if maintained properly. If they are broken or are out of place, they mirror a bad reputation of a label. Hence, to keep up the image, maintenance of mannequins is very important. They should be checked regularly for any chipping of the paint or colour, cracks or broken parts, scratching and for any other damage. Whenever required, new mannequins should be replace the old ones. When a store is designed, mannequins must be placed right in place and bring verve to the store.