We took a short break from exploring middle of nowhere Iceland to visit a few stores in Reykjavik. Vintage stores, small boutiques and tourist traps are abundant.
One store stood out with the most beautiful and dynamic windows. I wanted showcase the importance of visual merchandising that connects product to the brand message.
Rammagerdin is an Icelandic gift store that sells products from over 400 Icelandic artists and designers. It was recently bought by 66°North. If you don’t make it to Laugavegur, Reyjkavik’s famous shopping street, you can find both stores at the airport.
Here is the window that caught my attention: A stunning and eye-catching array of orange and red socks suspended from the ceiling.
These are made from local wool, which is also displayed at the base in yarns and looms. The wool socks in the windows were also merchandised on a display close by, making the window easily shoppable.
A second window display showcased Icelandic wool sweaters and throws.
Product knowledge cards were allover the store, making it easy for a customer to learn about the items. A card was located on the back of the display showcasing the benefits of the wool, including the size of the throw.
The last window display featured different varieties of Icelandic sea salts.
In the store, a table feature had testers of the sea salts as well as beautiful handmade bowls that could be used to hold and serve the salts. All product that was merchandised on the table complimented one other and could be bought together. The items on the rustic table told a story and its easy to imagine serving an assortment of sea salts in the dishes for sale.
In the middle of the store was a blocked off staircase. This was a great use of visual merchandising with a functional element to showcase a selection of small rugs.
Visual merchandising should connect products for sale to the brand. Rammagerdin does this throughout the store.
The displays were exciting, dynamic and creative. Drawing the curious customer into the store from the street and giving them an opportunity to take home their own piece of Iceland.
