Use of Instore Visual Marketing : analyzing the Theory and Practice in Retail Stores in Kajaani

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to study how the theory of visual marketing and presentation can be implemented into retail stores. The main aim was to analyze how three Kajaani-based stores from different fields conduct instore visual marketing and utilize presentations. There is some information on the field in a written, scientific form, but more information would be called for. The aim was to create material that could be beneficial for all those working with the topic and help critically evaluate their own work. The qualitative analysis was conducted by comparing the theory researched and the pictures of the stores. The businesses researched were Intersport, Asko and Suomalainen Kirjakauppa. The stores were selected by choosing the stores the author has worked in in Kajaani and then selecting one more store from a different field to broaden the sampling. In the analysis, the goal was to discover how the businesses conduct in-store visual marketing and how some of their decisions comply with scientific theory of the field. The main finding was that even if the stores are in different fields, the basic means of visual marketing and presentations do not vary so much. There were clearly several key tenets and ideas, the use of colors, orientations, known brands and combinations of products to create ensembles that were repeated in each of the stores, only with a different appearance. The significance of the thesis does not necessarily come from the findings themselves, but the ideas and insights that the analysis generates in the reader.