Visual Merchandiser

**RESPONSIBILITIES**
- Develop an overall brand VM strategy for Signature that is aligned with the Marketing and Business Strategy
- Employ visual merchandising principles to convert window shoppers into prospective customers by driving branding and sales objectives
- Ensure that all VM activities optimise product presentation and signage communication, enhance, and highlight product features and benefits in order to attract, engage, and motivate the customer towards making a purchase
- Provide innovative ideas for the visual merchandising of all new products, signage, décor items, and business concepts to drive customer experience in stores
- Design creative concepts to be used in in-store signage and on social media
- Design, sign off and implement a “model store” for all identified occasions per store profile thereby ensuring uniformity across the business
- Design, obtain approval for, and implement visual merchandising concepts for seasonal product launches, all special occasions, product specials and promotions
- Ensure visual guides are available providing clear instructions on how to build-out visual merchandising areas in stores
- Brief marketing on generic templates adhering to the VM strategy for all new stores, relocations, and revamps
- Align with Operations, Store Development, and the Marketing team to create visual mechanising floor plans/layouts, displays, and fixture layouts for all new stores, relocations, and revamps
- Provide support to teams for all store openings, relocations, and revamps to ensure visual merchandising standards are implemented
- Create “model store” window displays, counters, in-store displays for all new and revamped stores
- Guide, support and obtain insight from National Sales and Operations Manager and Area Managers to ensure visual merchandising standards reflects the brand’s strategy at store level
- Compile monthly signage and merchandising memos and ensure they are communicated timeously to all stores, inclusive of visual instructions for the correct display of signage, visual merchandising aids and products
- Attend meetings for example, Cycle Meetings, and share visual merchandising standards with sales and operations teams.
- Analyse data, for example, sales reports and CRM information, and provide advice on opportunities to utilise effective visuals to grow sales volumes
- Manage allocated budget and ensure visual merchandising equipment and signage is stored according to required standards
- Provide the Learning and Development team with required up dated training material
- Conduct visual merchandising training, for all identified employees as per identified needs
- Research and remain updated with industry visual merchandising trends, lifestyle and design trends and find ways to adapt trends to fit the Signature retail model

**EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE**:

- Grade 12 or equivalent qualification
- Degree/Diploma in Graphic Design, exhibition design, visual communication, merchandising, spatial design, retail management, marketing or a business-related field is required
- Experience working and aligning with a marketing strategy is a requirement
- Minimum 2 years’ experience creating window displays, interior displays, and signage is a requirement
- Minimum 2 years’ experience as a visual merchandise or visual manager is a requirement

**REQUIREMENTS**:

- Experience with Adobe Creative Suite programmes, such as Photoshop, In-Design and Illustrator is required, and Sketch
- up an advantage
- Proficient in MS Office
- Portfolio of evidence
- Proven knowledge and understanding of innovative visual merchandising trends and best practices
- Commitment to the customer (internal and external), the brand, organisation, and sustainability.
- Commitment to high performance, delivery focused, and goal driven.
- Flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances and requirements.
- Identifies opportunities to improve the business.
- Anticipates and resolves issues or obstacles that impede timely completion of tasks.
- Attention to detail.
- Plays a leading and supporting role in implementing initiatives at team level.
- A keen eye for design
- Critical thinker and problem-solving skills
- Good interpersonal and time management skills
- Effective verbal and written communication skills
- Creative flair and ability to translate concepts into practical solutions