The neglected unity-in-variety principle: A holistic rather than a single-factor approach in conceptualising a visual merchandise display

ABSTRACT While retailers cannot stress enough the fact that, in reality, a variety of store design cues combine to make a merchandise’s visual display (VMD), the product presentation research focuses mostly on investigating the effect of a single retail display cue, at a time, on consumer product evaluations. But, is “unity-in-variety” a neglected principle in the product presentation research? Scholars are increasingly suggesting more systematic study to identify combinations of key store cues that shape a product’s display for more pertinent for the retailing practice exploratory research. In response, the present article reviews the relevant literature and organises the findings to propose a qualitative typology of VMD cues that can capture, holistically, the VMD construct. The proposed typology is then confirmed in two studies. The identified VMD cues are classified into five key VMD element categories (factors) comprising display fixtures, materials, organisation, staging technique and lighting, and all factors load on one higher-order VMD construct.