Vitrines e Visual Merchandising: a percepção do usuário nos espaços públicos de Pelotas.

Abstract

Research in Applied Social Sciences uses themes of Visual Merchandising as tools for dressing store windows in such a way that they become attractive for users of public commercial spaces. There is a lack of references in the literature providing a link between streets and their store windows, using Visual Merchandising as an ally to attract users to these spaces. In this investigation it was attempted to understand, from a user’s perception standpoint, the relationship between public commercial spaces and the store windows that compose those spaces. Several variables related to the questions investigated in this research were found in the physical characteristics of the commercial spaces and of the store windows, within the perimeter studied. This case study was conducted in Pelotas, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The commercial area is located in the historical center of the city, reinforcing the importance of this site on the economic growth of Pelotas and as a reference for residents of neighboring cities that take advantage of the resources offered by the commerce of Pelotas. The following techniques and methods for data collection were adopted: a survey of physical characteristics of the city’s commercial area and of the shop windows within the perimeter, customer surveys, and behavioral maps. Results validated the stated hypotheses about the physical characteristics of the commercial space and of the techniques of Visual Merchadising. It is possible to identify that these techniques are efficient for use in commercial public spaces but they also depend, and vary, with external factors, determined by the integration of each place within the greater city grid, in agreement with the spatial syntax theory.