CO-DESIGNING APPAREL MERCHANDISE PRESENTATION USING 3D TECHNOLOGY: EXPLORING A NEW PARADIGM OF EXPERIENTIAL VISUAL MERCHANDISING

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0230926
• Project Start Date: Oct 1, 2012
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2015
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
UNIV OF MINNESOTA
(N/A)
ST PAUL,MN 55108

Performing Department
Design, Housing & Apparel

Non Technical Summary
This proposed research addresses the changing needs and preferences of Minnesota consumers as reflected in the popularity of user participation in design and businesses activities in the apparel marketplace. The adoption of 3D technology in visual merchandising makes user participation an engaging reality. This research: 1) aims to investigate needs and preferences of consumers in Minnesota in merchandise display through a co-design process using experimental 3D virtual store environments; 2) also, aims to contribute innovative merchandise display applications to facilitate the growth of small apparel stores in Minnesota based on an understanding of their current common practices and consumer input; 3) investigates the possibility of a visual merchandising co-design experience as a retail offering. The researcher will first conduct observational and field research in ten to fifteen selected small apparel stores in Minnesota to categorize and understand the current common practices in merchandise display. The researcher will then conduct exploratory research on co-designing merchandise display with few design restrictions. Based on findings from the previous steps, the researcher will develop experimental stimuli that aim to optimize merchandise display applications in small apparel stores. These experimental stimuli take forms of merchandise display modules that reflect unique combinations of important variables. For example, twelve modules can be developed to reflect unique combinations of three variables: product adjacency (brand, color, style coordination), product color flow (pop colors in key locations, pop colors mixed in all locations), music (classic, rock), which resembles a 3x2x2 experimental research design. The research subjects (co-designers) will each populate a contextualized 3D virtual store with pre-selected merchandise, fixtures, and pre-designed modules. The outcomes of the co-design will be recorded and analyzed to identify unique features of innovative merchandise display applications and for an understanding of Minnesota young consumers? preferences within and among the selected merchandise display variables (e.g. product adjacency, color flow, music), as well as between the variables and types of merchandise (i.e. jackets, T-shirts, jeans). Subjects will also fill out an online questionnaire regarding their experiences, preferences and behavioral intentions towards the co-designed aspects of merchandise display. Subjects? co-design experiences will be investigated using open-ended questions, which will be content analyzed for common themes to shed light on the feasibility of retailer adoption of the co-design process. Within-Subjects MANOVA will be used to analyze subjects' preferences for and behavioral intentions towards merchandise display applications with regard to the investigated variables. Findings will be disseminated to consumers, allied apparel retailers in Minnesota, and the retail merchandising profession and industry through sharing, conference presentations, and publications in academic journals.

Animal Health Component

(N/A)

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
604	5199	3090	50%
607	6010	3070	50%

Knowledge Area
607 - Consumer Economics; 604 - Marketing and Distribution Practices;

Subject Of Investigation
6010 - Individuals; 5199 - Clothing and textiles, general;

Field Of Science
3070 - Psychology; 3090 - Sensory science (human senses);

Keywords

co-design, visual merchandising, merchandise display, apparel store,

consumer preference, experiential

Goals / Objectives
1) To understand and categorize current common practices in apparel merchandise display and visual merchandising in small apparel stores in Minnesota. 2) To create consumer-centered merchandise presentation applications for Minnesota small apparel stores based on an understanding of their current common practices and direct consumer input. 3) To investigate needs and preferences of young consumers in Minnesota through a process of co-designing apparel merchandise display applications, as well as to investigate the possibility of a visual merchandising co-design experience as a retail offering.

Project Methods
1. After literature review, the researcher will first conduct observational and field research in ten to fifteen selected small apparel stores in Minnesota to understand and categorize the current best practices in merchandise display. The visual merchandising aspects under observation will be initially developed from literature review and can be expanded during the course of store observation. 2. The researcher will then work with students in visual merchandising classes in the College of Design, who are also representative of young consumers in Minnesota, on a visual merchandising co-design process. The students will utilize Mockshop in a given virtual retail space to freely co-design merchandise display applications. To make the experience real, they will be provided with pre-selected garments and fixtures that are sold and used in real retail settings. Based on their unique preferences and needs, the students will have the creative freedom to design the store layout, interior, signage, lighting, music, product adjacency, color flow, density, assortment, and shoppability, etc. I will take a phenomenological approach (Moustakas, 1994) for data analysis at this stage. 3. Based on the previous findings the researcher will develop experimental stimuli that aim to further investigate the needs and preferences of consumers in Minnesota for optimal merchandise display applications in small apparel stores. These experimental stimuli take the form of merchandise display modules that reflect unique combinations of important variables. For example, twelve modules can be developed to reflect unique combinations of three variables: product adjacency (brand, color, style coordination), product color flow (pop colors in key locations, pop colors mixed in all locations), music (classic, rock), which resembles a 3x2x2 experimental research design. The research subjects (co-designers) will each populate a contextualized 3D virtual store with pre-selected merchandise, fixtures, and pre-designed modules. The outcomes of the co-design will be recorded and analyzed to identify unique features of innovative merchandise display applications and for an understanding of Minnesota consumers' preferences within and among the selected merchandise display variables (e.g. product adjacency, color flow, music), as well as between the variables and types of merchandise (i.e. jackets, T-shirts, jeans). Subjects will also fill out an online questionnaire regarding their preferences and behavioral intentions towards the co-designed aspects of the merchandise display, which will be analyzed using Within-Subjects MANOVA. Subjects' co-design experiences will be investigated using open-ended questions, which will be content analyzed for common themes to shed light on the feasibility of retailer adoption of the co-design process. 4. Disseminate findings to consumers, allied apparel retailers in Minnesota, and the retail merchandising profession and industry by submitting results of this research yearly to academic conferences and journals. 5. Seek funding from both within the University of Minnesota and outside to support this line of research.

Progress 10/01/12 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience during this reporting period for my project included retailprofessionals bothin academia and industry, as well as readers of acamedic journals. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The research participants were trained to use the software package to act as co-designers in their class. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results were disseminated at a world conference on mass customization and personalization, which had attendees from both the academia and the industry. results were also published by an academic journal. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? This project stressed the criticality of user participation in the design of store environments thatcentered on user needs and preferences. Itexplored the transformation of ordinary consumers into co-designers in semi laboratory environments. Consumers expressed their individual functional and aesthetic needs and preferences in their co-design of the virtual stores, which were content analyzed and resulted in a journal publication.Based on a thorough understanding of the current common practices in merchandise display and visual merchandising in small apparel stores in Minnesota consumer-centered merchandise presentation applications were created. During this reporting period we have accomplished goal 2) to get more consumer input regarding the co-design process and extended our goal 3) by creating a second co-design process that included modules of six virtual stores to serve as starting points to aid the creative work of the co-designers. A total of 39 co-designed virtual stores were content analyzed based on a framework that was developed by my research team from previous research. And 37 written reports were also analyzed to reveal participants' co-design experiences and their evaluations of co-design as a retail offering. Results were presented at a world conference on mass customization and personalization.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Wu, J., Thoreson, N., Koo, J. & Kim, A. (2015). Co-design visual displays in virtual stores: An exploration of consumer experience. 2015 World Conference on Mass Customization, Personalization and Co-Creation, Montreal, Canada.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Wu, J., Kim, A. & Koo, J. (2015).Co-design visual merchandising in 3D virtual stores: A facet theory approach. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 43(6),538 - 560.

Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: Students in the Visual Merchandising class, who came from a variety of backgrounds of liberal arts, marketing, appareldesign, and retail merchandising. Educators and researchers in the field of apparel and textiles. Changes/Problems: A minor change was made to add two variables of product display density and lighting but the variable product adjacency was eliminated in the merchandise presentation scenarios. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? This project provided training opportunites for students participating in this project in the use of Mockshop, a virtual retailing software package. The student participants were trained to consciously think from a different angle than retail professionals during the co-designing activity. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? We've published scholarly findings in academic journals and also made public presentations. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? I plan to fully accomplish goal to to seek consumer input about the merchandise presentation applications that we developed using the Mockshop software package.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We have accomplished goal1) To understand and categorize current common practices in apparel merchandise display and visual merchandising in small apparel stores in Minnesota. and partially goal 2) To create consumer-centered merchandise presentation applications for Minnesota small apparel stores based on an understanding of their current common practices and direct consumer input.For goal 2) we have already created consumer-centered merchandise presentation applications, which I plan to seek more consumer input in the next phase of research.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2014 Citation: Wu, J., Kim, A. & Koo, J. (2014, in press). Co-design visual merchandising in 3D virtual stores: A Facet Theory approach. International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Wu, J., Wu, J. & Yoo, N. (2014, May). Communicating store image through atmospherics: An observational study of small fashion boutiques in Minnesota. Fashion and Communication Symposium, St. Paul, MN.

Progress 10/01/12 to 09/30/13

Outputs
Target Audience: Students in the Visual Merchandising class, who came from a variety of backgrounds of liberal arts, marketing, apparel design, and retail merchandising. Changes/Problems: I've changed the order of the three steps of my project as outlined in my original proposal. So, I started with step two and am now going from step two to step one, and then to step three. The reason for the change is that I didn't get any funding support for the first year of my project because my project was filed after the budget had been distributed for the year. Step one requires more personnell help and thus is saved for year two when I have had funding support. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Target professionals have worked with our students in mentoring the co-design process. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results have been shared with Target professionals as well as with educations in the apparel and textiles field. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? We plan to accomplish goal1) To understand and categorize current common practices in apparel merchandise display and visual merchandising in small apparel stores in Minnesota.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We've accomplished goal 3) to investigate needs and preferences of young consumers in Minnesota through a process of co-designing apparel merchandise display applications. We've finished content analysis of these co-designed visual stores and reported findings at an international conference. A journal article has also been developed to be submitted this winter break.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Wu, J., Kim, A.& Koo, J. (2013, Oct.). Co-design visual merchandising in a 3D virtual store with Target: A facet theory approach. The 69th annual conference of the International Textile and Apparel Association, New Orleans, LA.