Mannequins
Why Do I Need a Mannequin?
Sure, you could put your outfits on hangers and suspend them from the rafters of your boutique window, but that wouldn't be very attractive. The most important items in your store are your stock. You've carefully selected them to appeal to a certain element of the buying public. You've spent thousands on advertising to draw customers to your store. Yet like any smart retailer you know that part of what a consumer purchases is image. Expressing image through visual merchandising like the use of Mannequins is a vital selling strategy. Throughout your shop and in your windows Mannequins properly positioned and displayed will help your customers relate more intimately to your product and can produce positive sales results. A Mannequin is an effective way to engage your customer in imagining how your clothes can fit for them and their lifestyle.
Picking the Right Mannequin
A bit of thinking is in order before you purchase a Mannequin. You'll need to create a budget, decide how many and what type of Mannequins you will purchase, assess the look you want to create for your shop, and gain some knowledge about your customer base. A quick read of some Visual Merchandising literature will help you determine how to properly display your Mannequins and teach you some fundamentals about lighting and accessorizing your window and interior displays. Here are a few tips on selecting a Mannequin:
- Always keep in mind the type of goods you sell. Evening dresses don't look good on Mannequins made with sportswear in mind.
- Don't go over budget! Retail is a difficult business and spending extra on a Mannequin could cost you that little something you need to push a clearance sale or fix a computer later.
- Are your customers into elegant classics? Shiny metallic automated Mannequins may not have a positive impact on them.
- Remember that durability counts. You'll need Mannequins that can take a few years use and can be easily maintained or restored.
Mannequins not only come in different styles (classic, trendy, sporty etc.), they also come in different forms, materials, and sizes. The best way to learn about your options is to browse through the inventories of a few Mannequin retailers to familiarize yourself with what Mannequins are available and at what prices. Here's a list of some basic forms:
- Blouse Form: usually on a nice base and adjustable for height, the Blouse Form is a headless, limbless female upper torso.
- Torso: generally a male or female torso (hip to shoulders) with accentuated muscles and half limbs or no limbs.
- Articulated Forms: life size Mannequins of women, men, children and teens that can be freely posed.
- Dressmaker Form: the mainstay of seamstresses, the Dressmaker form comes in many sizes that can be adjusted at the bust, hips and thighs.
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