When done right, your window displays are a powerful tool for boosting foot traffic in your store. But it could have the opposite effect if you don’t know what you’re doing. Too often, small business owners design displays that are cluttered, dull, poorly lit, and plain unattractive. Unless your goal is to turn away potential customers, you want to make sure your window display visuals are alluring and eye-catching. Don’t know where to start? Here are a few proven strategies to help you design appealing window displays that sell.
Keep it organized
As much as you would like to showcase all the products in your store to passers-by, it’s important to keep your windows clutter-free and organized. An otherwise crowded display will make your store look cheap and gaudy. When it comes to visual merchandising, less is more. Stick to showcasing only a few of your most valuable items, and make good use of storage solutions like clothes racks, display cases, and bases.
Use props strategically
Props should be used sparingly and strategically. Simply displaying all the props that relate to your chosen theme is not enough to create an appealing display. They should be used with a specific purpose in mind. Ideally, your props should elevate your products, not overshadow them.
Tell a compelling story
When a holiday like Halloween comes around, it might be tempting to cram all your black, purple, and green products on display. This is a lazy and misguided attempt at visual merchandising, and you’ll need to think bigger if you want to create something that’ll make people stop and look. To tell a compelling story with your window display, tie your products in with a central idea. For example, if you’re a hardware store, you could borrow elements from a movie like “Hocus Pocus” to push your brooms to the forefront.
Create depth and dimension
Play around with lighting, background, movement, props, colors, and layers to create a sense of depth and dimension. This will entice passers-by to take a second look at your displays. If you want to take it to the next level, you can even utilize optical illusions or mechanical displays to really catch their eye. The goal is to attract their attention and pique their interest so that they consider entering your store to learn more about you and what you offer.
Position valuable items at eye level
Consider your window display from the perspective of your audience. You have the power to control where they look when they look at your display, so think about where you want to guide their eyes. Of course, you want to draw them towards your most valuable items. To do this, you have to position your key items at eye level so their gaze easily land on it without difficulty.
Always keep an eye out for inspiration
Inspiration can come in the form of a movie, a song, or even a moment shared with another person. You can also find tons of inspiration in magazines and websites like Pinterest and Instagram. Keep an eye out for things that intrigue you and make a mental note of it. If you ever feel that you’ve run out of ideas, these sources of inspiration will most likely inform your next great display.
Your window displays are just as important as what’s inside your store. Make the most out of this area with these proven strategies to help you design appealing window displays that sell.
