Exploring the connections between visual merchandising and retail branding: An application of facet theory

Purpose - TThe purpose of this paper is to review the literature on facet theory and present an approach to map the relationship between retail branding (particularly brand recognition) and visual merchandising. Design/methodology/approach - Fact theory has been used in other areas of investigation, particularly for the examination of the built environment within psychology. However, it has received little attention in either the marketing or retailing literature. This is surprising as facet theory also provides a conceptually stable and fully formed approach to: the definition of an area of interest; the statement of the proposed relationships between areas of interest; the development of a research instrument that is fully cognisant of the possible relationships; and also utilizes a form of analysis that explores the actual presence of the hypothesized relationships (smallest space analysis - SSA). Findings - The application of facet theory and SSA were found to be particularly appropriate for an investigation of the relationship between retail branding and visual merchandising. This stems from the clear and consistent approach that is derived by using this method to structure the research. Originality/value - This paper demonstrates facet theory provides a validated and robust approach to investigate a complex but managerially significant area in retailing.