Using Ghost Mannequins To Display Clothing

In visual merchandising, the promotion of the products is an important factor of the close-to-customer strategy that every store owner should apply for ensuring his brand awareness and for enhancing sales.

When deciding to promote your products online, you need to be aware of some things that can help you achieve great results. Moving online doesn’t mean that products should be presented just the way they are, without a bit of preparations, but using some helpful elements and strategies.

Using mannequins to arrange the outfits is a perfect solution, because they allow your products to maintain their shape. The strategy fits best for people who shop online, because they need to now and see how a certain item actually looks like on someone.

The problem arrives from the fact that some may find it better to conceal the mannequin so that the attention should be conducted to the item solely. This is the when we use the so-called “ghost mannequins”.

Creating the Ghost Mannequin Effect

There are two simple ways to create this “ghost mannequin” effect arrangements: either by using one, or simply by creating the effect of it using a raster graphics editor. But before starting anything, there are some things you should consider before doing something:

1. If you decide to create the effect of a ghost mannequin, either if you choose a person to wear that item of clothing or you use a ghost mannequin, make sure you have a high quality camera; otherwise you’ll never get the impact you intended. The higher the quality, the more appeal it’ll have.
2. Make sure that the garment you will be displaying is set up correctly, if it is nice and even and if it’s looking neat, square and tidy.
3. It doesn’t matter what steps you take, it is vital to know that while taking the photos you need to be careful about a certain distance that needs to exist between the item and the backdrop so that the light spreading from the camera won’t create a radiant edge of the garment.

We’ve described the first steps that need to be taken care of before choosing one of the two strategies that can help you display your products on a website or in a catalog. 

Now Let's Focus on the Exact Strategies

Strategy #1

Creating the effect of “ghost-mannequin” without using a mannequin: you simply have to pick up a model to help you.

When preparing models to be photographed, make sure that you choose the right person for that particular item of clothing.

The model must be styled minimally and the photos should be taken from different angles.

When you take the photos, have in mind the fact that the most important is the one you take while positioning the camera right at the level of the chest.

If you capture photos otherwise, this may cause the garment look inaccurate. Another aspect that needs to be taken into account is that you need to show somehow the trade sign.

If you choose a model, the interior of that item is hidden. The best way to deal with this issue is to arrange the piece of clothing or whatever on a piece of white sheet. This gives you the possibility to take a photo of the inner areas of the garment and use it afterwards, when you make the editing.

Strategy #2

Using a “ghost mannequin”: the process is similar in a way, but it requires (only) fewer adjustments that are made using a post-production software.

The “ghost mannequin” simply has the benefit of allowing you to take a photo of the inner side as well; therefore, the adjustments will be easier and fewer.

The two strategies that have been described above meet at the point where a post-processing of the images you’ve obtained is required. Because this happens very often, you have two options: you either outsource this process of editing with professional editors, or you do everything by your own.

This might take some time if you are not familiarized with the program, but it allows you to make any adjustments you want. On the other side, of course, you save some money. Outsourcing might bring you great results and it can also save time.

The benefits of these strategies are real and they will certainly make your products look more attractive. People will always be after professional stuff and the impact you’ll get while displaying outfits this way will assuredly lead to an improvement of your sales and boost your brand awareness.

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