Some authors say that Visual Merchandising is as old as trade itself. Some Trademan’s signs have been traced back to the early Roman Empire.
From the middle ages we have a register of a ‘displayman’, a man covered in his products in order to attract public attention and sell them.
As trade grew more competitive, signs grew larger and more elaborate.During the sixteen and seventeen centuries in England , they reached gigantic proportions. In 1762, a commission was established to implement regulations on street advertising.
A famous symbol which dated from this time and is still used today is the barber pole, for example.
And to some degree symbols used in the streets of Europe were taken to United States where the most usual point-of-sale symbol created was the cigar store Indian .
However after the Industrial Revolution the retails business grew and along window displays and the department stores established themselves.
These days shopping has become so vital in society that it is a very strong economic driver, as well as a leisure activity; Visual Merchandising plays a crucial role in this.
And the leisure of looking and desiring is now not only in the streets but on the internet, on personal computers, laptops, mobiles. In the midst of these fast-paced technological shifts, what are the new directions for the Visual Merchandising of the future?