eir sole focus has been on price to the detriment of everything else. In the trade press, all we seem to read about is the threat of online, cheap imports, and international brands competing for the Aussie dollar. It’s time to put a positive spin on this. We need to start focusing on providing our shoppers with an atmosphere of entertainment, to give them a positive shopping experience. The cookie cutter look that has prevailed for the past 10 years is outdated and boring. Take a minute to think about your own recent shopping experiences, and any stores that really stand out. Are you struggling? Of the stores that you recall, which ones have a distinctive personality. Our customer is now far more discerning, their tolerance for stores that look the same and sell the same things is becoming strained. God knows I’m over it. She is looking for an experience that tantalises her senses. She wants to interact with the product, to feel it, to hold it and imagine herself being involved with it. The internet just cannot compete with a real life physical experience, just as the mass volume merchant who relies on limited overheads cannot deliver an experience that shows quality, novelty or be insightful in its visual interaction with the customer. Only retailers who invest in their product positioning and visual communication are in a position to do that. I believe we face our greatest and most challenging opportunity ever. It’s time to inject an individual personality into your brand and build an infrastructure. Start by understanding or inventing your point of difference. Define your positioning strategy. Then, by using visual merchandising, communicate that difference in an individual, stand out way. VM takes its inspiration from the positioning of the business, the buy and the customer demographic. It’s VM’s job to use visual communication to create a unique experience for the customer and give them the desire to be a part of your vision. VM feeds the public’s need for different experiences. It can make your store a destination, one that people walk past and say, I love that shop. Visual merchandising is the area of retail that will bring your vision and brand alive. It will tell your story in a way the customer can interpret and understand at a glance. Whether your story is old with a long 100 year history, or newly invented for the purpose of creating a more compelling product, the discipline of Visual Merchandising is the tool used to inject the visual triggers that speak directly to your customer and create your point of difference. The time is now to reinvent our retail culture – to leave behind the price wars and refocus on providing an entertaining experience. More than ever before, we need our brand to be entertaining our client base. She needs to feel that entering your store is an experience she looks forward to and enjoys. Our ace in the hole is our ability to inspire her to come back. Our survival depends on it. * Nicholas Arnold is the Principal of Visual Merchandising Solutions, a retail consultancy specialising in visual merchandising, point-of-sale and promotion development, including retail staff training. www.vmsretail.net.