VM Positions

Overview

This document introduces the Library’s Visual Positions and Visual Merchandising Calendar.

Our VM Calendar and Visual Positions are used to organize and streamline display communication and brand consistency across our organization.

Please contact CHPL’s Visual Merchandiser, Chris Keegan with your questions about the information in this document.

Visual Positions

We organize, prioritize, locate, and describe our displays throughout the branch using visual positions.

• Our Main Visual Positions are focal and centrally placed in the branch. Customers will see these in their first few moments of entering a branch. These materials typically communicate a systemwide event such as Winter Checkout Challenge, National Awareness Months, or Stern Lecture.

• From there, visual positions are broken down by our core customer profiles: Adult, Children, and Teen. These displays will usually be located at the front, adjacent, or within their designated customer zones of the branch. All branches, no matter the size, should have at least one display up at all times for each customer profile. Larger branches may have more displays per customer profile. At times, there may be more displays for one customer profile versus another customer profile. The main principle is that every customer profile is represented and visible at all branches.

• Displays that don’t fall into a category listed above are labeled Miscellaneous. These displays may be supplemental or even a hybrid of a display and/or event. These displays can be located wherever it best fits at the branch.

Visual Positions

Primary Position (A-Location)

Secondary Position (B-Location)*

Tertiary Position (C-Location)*

Additional Position (if applicable)

*Secondary positions might not always be B or C locations, but they will usually be less prominent than the primary.

Visual Positions

Example: Deer Park

For Deer Park’s opening we looked at the entire branch and created a plan for primary visual positions. This also helped us determine the flow for secondary visual positions to also ensure they were equally spread out throughout the branch.

Giving customers “pause points” with displays breaks up continuous rows of shelving or chairs and tables. It also encourages customer discovery

At their branch, Deer Park has a lot of space in the Marketplace for visual positions. Most of the positions were themed toward adults, therefore, the adult area of their branch only has one true primary Adult position (A1).

Multiple visual positions can be within the same zone and have different levels of prominence. For example, V1 is the first display a customer sees when entering. This is an A-location. V2 is adjacent to V1, but it might not be the first display a customer sees. However, due to its proximity it can still be considered an A-location. V3 and V4 would be considered B-locations for their zone.

VM Calendar

The VM Calendar visually represents when we are scheduled to update our visual positions.

This documents ensures transparency and consistency for systemwide displays, and it assists branches when planning their monthly display cadence. It is a live calendar that is continuously updated by the Visual Merchandiser.

The main purpose of the calendar is to create a system for communicating, and organizing visual positions throughout the branch.

• Required systemwide displays are specified on the VM Calendar. Examples include Discover Summer, Winter Checkout Challenge, and National Awareness months. These displays are typically within our V-positions (V1, V2, V3...) because of the size or importance to our organization.

• Branch-specific initiatives are up to branches to plan and execute using provided display templates from Marketing. Suggestions may be included within the calendar as starting points for branches, but are not required.

As always, if you have thoughts or ideas on suggestions for possible displays, please share them with Visual Merchandiser Chris Keegan for possible inclusion in the VM Calendar. (The VM Calendar may evolve stylistically and/or informatively over time.)

VM Calendar

Example: Screenshot of 02/2022 shows two systemwide displays at all branches under V1 and V2. A1, C1, C2, and T1 are all suggestions, but ultimately “Branch Choice”. Remember, all branches should have displays in place at all times for A1, C1, and T1. M1 is an example of an optional systemwide activity/display. This can live wherever works best in the branch.

Next Steps

This document might seem a little overwhelming at first. Keep in mind:

1. Branches should evaluate their current displays. Are these locations ideal? Are they locations that you usually use and change-out? Keep in mind, just because a visual position is in one location, it doesn’t mean it has to ALWAYS stay there. Depending on the space and how things are arranged, you may have multiple “primary” A-locations or secondary B-locations within a zone. Feel free to try new things and play around with what works best for your space and your customers.

2. Branches should categorize and “label” their displays with the above organizational set-up (V1, A1, C1, T1...) This is how we will begin communicating and referencing our displays.

3. Branches should begin a cadence of checking the VM Calendar for updates, especially going into a new month. Communication for something new will always be sent out, but the calendar may update throughout each month depending on content and promotions.

4. Using these steps, feel free to create a board in back offices, or even a weekly/monthly email for the branch, to clearly label displays within the branch. This ensures all staff are aware of what displays are up, where they are located, and the timeline/duration of each one.

Another helpful tip for some displays is to have alternatives for when a display is running low on materials. Maybe Thanksgiving cookbooks in Adult should transition to Christmas cookbooks early, or maybe even something completely different? Having a plan with back-ups will make things easier and more understandable for everyone.