What Does a Visual Supervisor Do?

by Trudy Brunot, studioD Google

In the retail world, "visual" refers to activities that affect the appearance of a store and the employees who perform them. Visual supervisors, or visual merchandising managers, lead a team of one or more associates that creates displays, arranges fixture placement and decorates a store to create a pleasant shopping environment and increase sales. As a visual supervisor, you follow company directives and guidelines but apply your artistic flare to adapt them to your store's layout and product selection.

Setting the Floor

Visual supervisors work with the store manager to plan each department's layout based on adjacency plans provided by the corporate visual office. Adjacencies identify the arrangement of brands and product categories. As seasons change and new merchandise arrives, you move fixtures or entire departments and set up special shops dedicated to a brand or category, such as swimwear.

Driving Sales

Moving merchandise isn't limited to accommodating new items. When sales lag, you may be called upon to pull product from wall shelves and rails to create an aisle presentation. You also rearrange merchandise when inventory drops to make the store appear to be well-stocked. As a visual supervisor, you would direct your team or sales associates on color order, folding techniques and installing any props or mannequins to add interest and attract shopper attention.

Keeping Displays Fresh

Display stories use color elements and items from different departments to plant outfit and decorating ideas in the customer’s mind, helping to increase sales. The tabletop, window and floor displays you create may require painting walls, adjusting lights, making floral arrangements and moving furniture. Your work doesn't end after setting up a display, however. Authors of "Store Design and Visual Merchandising: Creating Space That Encourages Buying" explain that in order to keep the store looking fresh and to draw customer interest, you must change your props regularly.

Supporting Events

Visual supervisors coordinate and execute the setup, decor and signage for trunk shows, sales and fashion events used to draw store traffic. Those working with retail chains may be selected to assist with store opening preparations at other locations. In your capacity as an event-support visual supervisor, you may train sales personnel on corporate visual policies and the proper use of the different kinds of fixtures, hanger and sign holders. You also oversee post-event recovery to get the store ready for opening the next day.

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