What Is A Window Master?

In the early spring of 2009, the Johnny of VM Supervisor, a famous boutique buyer, came to Beijing from Hongkong. The mission was to adjust the readjustment of the shops in Beijing.

The night before leaving Hongkong, he and his friends took a stroll in Tsim Sha Tsui to midnight, because later such opportunities may not be easy to meet again.

A few hours later, in the early morning, when the sun had not yet reached Hongkong Island, Johnny was already on the taxi to the Chek Lap Kok Airport. He did not even have time to listen to the iconic beep of the traffic lights on his home crosswalk.

"It was a few months ago, but I understand that they want me to stay in Beijing because of the lack of an experienced VM.

I visited Beijing when I was little, and I wanted to live here one day, though I would not leave Hongkong, but I finally decided to stay in Beijing.

Johnny found a bungalow in the center of the old city of East Second Ring Road in Beijing.

That year he was just 30 years old.

Visual Merchandising, or VM, is plated into "visual display". At that time, the retail industry in China is still a relatively new concept.

For a long time, the display and display of domestic department stores were completed by similar artists.

In the 08 year or so, the popularity of famous shops in the mainland area and the popularity of chain boutique shops such as Lian Crawford, Joyce, I.T, and so on, retail operations urgently need to go into formalization standards, and VM can no longer maintain the Baby-sitting mode of the mainland of Hongkong, which was originally developed by the Asia Pacific headquarters.

"Before the mainland's shops are small, basically rely on Hongkong or Taiwan, and even foreign teams to do business on the road. Now that there are more stores, we need to have a local team."

Recruitment is not an easy task, especially those who are interested in fashion. When they get together in the past, such as magazine editor, brand market, PR or buyer, it is hard for many HR to find a local VM person.

"A lot of people didn't know what VM was doing at the beginning, so I called my former colleague in Hongkong," she just decided to come. "

Sherry graduated from the Department of dress design of Hong Kong Polytech University, but she boasted of her schoolwork and her desire to be a designer. But her love for fashion prompted her to find a VM assistant after graduation.

"At that time, all the other students were thinking that if they did not design, they would do some work related to fashion editing, and I made VM in a confused way, which is closer to the creative and design work in the brand."

Before going to Beijing, Sherry had been wandering among different brands, and it was the first time to contact boutique stores and department stores.

"There must be some differences. Buyers and department stores are more active, but they have more trivia, such as marketing activities, discount, VIP preview, etc.

Besides, there is only one shop, but because it is a buyer's department store, every aspect needs to do less than the total number of brands. Most brands should follow the guidance of headquarters, mainly to maintain and adjust.

In addition, if there are many shops, business is common. "

Sherry spent 30 years in mainland China and moved to Shanghai. Now she is serving a fashion company in Italy. She has stepped into the middle management level from the Senior VM Commissioner of the year, and often brings her local team to major cities in the country, because there are more than 40 stores waiting for them to work.

"Basically half a month is a business trip, and there is not much time to stay at home.

Surely there are no editors of you, or buyers, PR in such activities and fashion shows.

To put it in a bad way, we are the construction team in the big sign.

Sometimes I have to work all day, in a major or in a window, and I have to spend several days in the night, probably not even having time to eat.

I usually go back to the hotel to have a meal service, and I go to bed after dinner - you see, I have a long belly. "

Some domestic brands also pay more and more attention to the link of VM. In the resume that Johnny and Sherry have checked, many job seekers have served in department stores and domestic clothing brands in the two or three tier cities, which is just like the editors in general publications, and they are eager to find every opportunity to enter star magazines.

"But not the bigger the brand, the better the brand of my former company. But there was some confusion in it. Before I went, the position had already been changed by four or five people, but not long, short two or three months, long is half a year.

I was so miserable at that time that I had been working for ten years, and I could be bullied and cried. "

At that time, Sherry, overtime and night work were the norm. What made her most upset was that the storefront display was not only directly challenged by the boss, but also faced with the advice from headquarters: "it's hard for my boss to say" OK ". Suddenly, the headquarters sent someone to look at it and have to go over it again. Then, the boss in the Asia Pacific region did not like the headquarters plan, saying that they didn't understand the domestic situation, so we had to go back to...

In short, it is very difficult, even feel that the salesperson is very bad attitude towards you, because they do not want to change with you. "

"Suppose you like Dior very much, then you must be more motivated to enter, but there is always a gap between ideal and reality.

My company is very good now. I didn't think it was a brand I liked before coming in, but I didn't expect to do it for half a year. I felt that I was very handy here and learned many new things.

And store display is the normal work category of VM. If the magazine is made according to the magazine, the window is more like a blockbuster, and the display in the shop is more like a collocation guide. But don't think that the display in the shop is a piece of cake.

From the layout, shelf style, color and so on, there is a logical logic to follow. "It's not just the goods that you feel good about, but the buyers and the marketing departments have their own requirements. Especially when sales are bad, some people may blame VM for their original reasons.

In addition, Guideline needs to be observed, but it can not be copied. "

The mystery of display is not obscure. Similarly, a Sacai jacket is placed in different areas, which may directly affect its fate and customer's wardrobe, as well as sales commission and company income.

The importance of windows is self-evident. Apart from brand image communication, the core task is to turn those Window shopping tourists into Walk-in shopper.

Due to the late start, the VM position of the whole industry is still dominated by a handful of Hongkong, Taiwan or foreigners. A large number of local people may be waiting for a few years as a senior manager. "There are several local VM managers in Shanghai at present. In a few years, competition may be fierce, especially in Shanghai, because most brands are here in base".

Johnny also moved from Beijing to Shanghai last year, not only the decline of fashion media, but also the trend of Beijing's decline in the past two years. Many fashion and retail practitioners have moved to Shanghai, though Beijing's market is still very important.

Most of the posts are in Shanghai, because the company is here! Beijing will recruit people, but they are generally stationed in VM Commissioner, the job will not be too high, is a supportive orange.

Marketing, PR, these jobs are not doing much now, especially in the middle and senior positions of luxury brands. Basically, they don't need to be publicly recruited. They are digested, which is almost the same as your editors.

There are two or three Tina VM customers on the hands of a well-known head hunting consultant. One of them has been running for nearly half a year - "people are not easy to find". Manager has been working for nearly half a year.

Xidan's old Buddha, who has been in business for more than two years, can not reproduce Paris's store scenery because of cost reasons.

Before that, there was only Crawford.

The company's windows can make people feel fashionable and happy.

"Make

The cost is very high. If there is no commercial cooperation, the cost is too high.

Moreover, the quality of suppliers is often uneven and the production capacity is still not up to the outside level.

In addition, Johnny added, "if you want to see VM in a fashion fashion magazine, you will be disappointed." especially in brands, you have to do well in how to put shoes, bags and clothes in good order, beautiful and attract guests, rather than unrestrained.

But VM is still one of the most closely related types of brand and visual creativity. From this level, it is more challenging than Marketing, PR, or buyers. Even though it may not seem like the latter is "fun", at present, the open space in this field is acceptable.

"Few people have done senior management from VM, and many companies have VM under the management of the marketing department or the purchasing department.

I don't know if I still have the strength to spend so much time at night when I was 40 years old, or to move things by myself, but I can't think of that much now.

Over the years, there has been a lot of subversive changes in Johnny's life. Busy work has left him with no leisure to take account of gains or losses - or there are no gains or losses.

"No matter what it used to be, Move On".

What kind of qualification does it need to become a junior VM? "It is best to learn related majors, and design, art and fashion can be done.

This job is very hard, the salary will not be too high at the beginning, but it will not be exploited like you do magazine assistant. If it is a good brand, it must have about six thousand or seven thousand. In Shanghai, it will be higher.

Coordination is very important, because to negotiate with different departments, it is necessary to balance the relationship between shops, stores and suppliers.

Of course, we must understand Fashion, otherwise it will be very painful.

Johnny emphasizes "understanding", not just "interest", because there is little time left for new people to consolidate their hobbies and professional knowledge.

The embodiment of "hard work" is not only intensive business trip, but also physical physical pay: "you can let a salesperson or a supplier help you move models, change your goods, but never move your mouth to do anything."

Even Joanna Crawford has done that location. When he pferred the shop, he didn't still wear high heels to move the model!

Joanna in Johnny is the chief brand officer of LCF in the Asia Pacific region.

The Korean British started from VM, and at the age of more than 30, he was the leader and market leader of Lian Crawford. He did not speak Cantonese but did not influence Hongkong to become a leading figure in the retail industry in Hongkong.

According to the people who worked with her, Joanna Gunn is the famous devil in the industry, but unlike some female bigwigs of the same type, she does not mix too many stupid elements with her vigorous actions.