Books:

Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping*
By Paco Underhill
Price: $15
In this witty, eye-opening report based on years of research in stores and shopping malls, author and research company CEO Paco Underhill and his team of sleuths track the consumer’s every move, to give merchandisers and marketers even more customer control – and, more importantly, more sales.

1001 Ideas To Create Retail Excitement*
By Edgar A. Falk
Price: $20
From window displays to in-store promotions, PR and marketing expert Edgar Falk gives small- to medium-sized retailers smart strategies to become more aggressive and effective in attracting customers, beating competitors, and building sales.

Inspired Retail Space: Attract Customers,
Build Branding, Increase Volume*
By Corinna Dean
Price: $25
Uniform industry retailers can take inspiration from the most successfully designed stores in America – Blockbuster, Eddie Bauer, Bergdorf Goodman, Prada – to discover what really catches a customer’s attention in a store, what makes one display more inviting than another, and what type of layout engages the customer, from lingering through purchase.

Visual Merchandising No. 4*
By the editors of VM + SD Magazine
Price: $39.95
The fourth in a series of annual editions, this photographic compendium by the editors of Visual Merchandising and Store Design Magazine collects ideas from stores around the world – Milan, Tokyo, Paris, New York – to demonstrate the freshest trends in retail store design.

* Available through such online booksellers as www.Amazon.com.
** Available through the National Retail Federation at www.nrf.com/Bookstore

Websites:

www.nrf.com
Based in Washington, D.C., the National Retail Federation is the world’s largest retail trade association, with membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of distribution. This is the ultimate source for news about the retail industry, legislation, conferences and more, and an outstanding specialty bookstore.

www.visualstore.com
Calling itself the “complete retail design and visual merchandising resource,” this website offers store design products, merchandising resources, industry news, reports on winning retail designs in national and international competitions, a designer directory, a bookstore, and much, much more.

retaildesigndiva.blogs.com
Chatty, hip and engaging, you’ll find insider knowledge and interesting articles from a variety of retail magazines here, covering retail technology, store design, visual merchandising, and more. Sample subject: Target’s new Global Bazaar, a store-within-a-store niche featuring internationally inspired arts.

www.retailtrafficmag.com
Even though this website leans a bit heavily toward real estate and mall property coverage, the “Design” and “Retail” links offer an excellent cache of articles relevant to the small retailer, visual merchandising, and in-store design.

Magazines:

VM + SD
(Visual Merchandising and Store Design)
The Vogue Magazine of the store design industry, this monthly magazine showcases the latest store designs and visual presentations, presents merchandising strategies and new products, and reports on industry news and events. Subscribe online at www.stmediagroup.com