Mannequins are one of the biggest visual merchandising trends of the year, and many retailers are jumping on the opportunity to use these human-sized models to show off their merchandise. You might already know the basics of dressing a mannequin, and you probably know the right height for your table and window displays. When using mannequins, the rule of thumb is to have the shopper’s eye hit near the chest area of the mannequin. But what happens when a child mannequin comes into play?
Child mannequins come in a variety of sizes, and depending on the age they are supposed to be depicting, they can be as small as two feet or as tall as four feet. Although some child mannequins can stand on their own, there should always be some element of the display that is high enough so an adult shopper’s eye meets the chest. Toddler-size mannequins are too small to effectively model clothing on the floor, and may even pose a tripping hazard to shoppers.
Toddler mannequins are easier to see when they are placed on top of a display table or other store fixture. This will allow a shopper to view the mannequin’s entire outfit, and serves as an eye-catching centerpiece to a table. Larger child mannequins should not sit on tables that are any higher than knee-height to prevent them from towering over shoppers – also not an ideal perspective from which to view an outfit.
The Gap had a savvy solution in their Gap Kids stores. They placed their child mannequins on colorful cubes in various heights to give the models just enough lift without being too tall. You could copy this trick in your store with any flat display fixture.
