Development of a Job-Based Visual Merchandising Curriculum Using Analytic Hierarchy Process

The rapid digital transformation of retail environments has expanded the role of Visual Merchandising (VMD) from spatial display to content-driven and digitally mediated experiential design. Despite these changes, existing VMD curricula in higher education remain largely focused on physical presentation and lack systematic alignment with evolving industry job requirements. The purpose of this study is to develop a job-based VMD curriculum grounded in quantitative evidence by identifying core job competencies and determining curricular priorities using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). To achieve this objective, prior research, National Competency Standards (NCS), and international VMD-related curricula were reviewed to establish a competency framework reflecting current industry demands. Based on this framework, an AHP hierarchical model was constructed consisting of four upper-level competency domains: brand strategy and communication, content planning and execution, spatial design and on-site operation, and digital sensory expression. Pairwise comparison surveys were conducted with 43 experts, including VMD industry practitioners and university faculty members. The relative importance weights and consistency ratios were calculated to ensure analytical reliability, and Focus Group Interviews (FGI) were conducted to validate the applicability of the results. The findings indicated that content planning and execution was the most critical competency domain, followed by digital sensory expression and spatial operation-related competencies. Based on the derived weights, a four-year undergraduate VMD curriculum model with credit allocation and course sequencing was proposed. This study provides an evidence-based framework for aligning VMD education with industry needs and offers practical implications for competency-oriented design education in digitally evolving retail environments.