Angelica Dahlman … on engagement

Do you like a store but cannot put your finger on why? Then Angelica Dahlman may have been there. She works with the unconscious.

What you perceive as a customer, but do not know that you are affected by. I work with the unconscious in people. By organising, exposing and communicating a product on a sales floor, I can create engagement that leads to sales.

Angelica Dahlman is Visual Merchandiser (VM) at Alligo. When you are in a store where the interior feels inviting and the layout is logical. Where you recognise yourself and would like to stay a while longer. Then it is probably someone like Angelica who has been there.

She is one of three of the Nordic Retail Concept team. Together with other relevant departments within Alligo, they set the foundation for how the store concept looks and functions in stores. Angelica’s role includes developing principles and directives for how and why Alligo exposes products in stores. An important piece of the jigsaw puzzle is to spread knowledge about how product exposure influences customer behaviour. She does this, among other things, through training courses for both store staff and leaders within the sales organisation – and for others who in one way or another work with Alligo’s store offering.

Visual merchandising is an important tool for the salesperson, but also makes the customer satisfied with their decision.

“When you guide someone to make a purchase decision that best suits the customer, you have not just made a sale but a customer who comes back.”

She came to Alligo from the global giant Nike three years ago. The task is to create a standard and a common concept for all Swedol and TOOLS stores in the Nordic region. A job for someone who is creative, educational and engaged.

“I see engagement as one of the most important things in my work. The attitude I have is always reflected back to me. If I go in and am engaged, that’s what I get back.“

Visual merchandising may have customers as the main target group and sales as the ultimate goal, but it is also important for the employees.

“It is the employees in our stores who know our local customers’ needs best, and therefore there is enormous potential. When we all work together, we create an understanding of what opportunities we have to design more effective stores. “

“It is incredibly important when we recruit new staff, that we provide everyone with the same conditions and guidelines to work with in the store environment. We have set a foundation that everyone should be able to easily access. Routines and templates that mean that the employees in our stores do not have to reinvent the wheel themselves.”

I see engagement as one of the most important things in my work.