VISUAL MERCHANDISING FOR THE HOLIDAYS

October 2014 Main Street Matters

by Sarah Blankenship, Former Design Assistant, Texas Main Street Program

The holidays are coming, QUICK—time to break out a sketch pad! Seriously, even if you don’t consider yourself a good artist, it could be a great way to brainstorm new ideas without the heavy lifting of moving items around or buying props prematurely. Make an outline of your storefront windows and laminate it so you can draw different ideas on it with dry erase markers. Multiple photocopies may even suit you better so ideas that don’t hit this year can be saved and could be just the spark for the perfect storefront in the future. Include the storefront measurements to help keep in mind how items will fit in the space.

While the thought of constantly having to come up with a new creative storefront display may be overwhelming, the good news is the holidays have some very easy iconic images that can simply be placed in the right location with the right lighting an you are done. A Christmas or holiday tree is a prime example.

It doesn’t have to be expensive. While you may not have a Christmas tree in storage, what do you have in the store already that can be creatively transformed? The photo below is a great example that uses the stores bags shaped into a tree. Note the store branding with the logo repeated multiple times to passers-by. A star is placed at the top to reinforce the visual connection to the Christmas tree. Visibility remains left on either side of the store, which is a smart choice since no merchandise is displayed on the tree itself. The next photo displays a single item of merchandise on the tree and is equally as successful. The tree, a simple cut-out painted tree, fills the majority of the window, secondary lights are added around the tree, and the guitar is the central item of focus. 

Consider how local art clubs, schools, or crafty friends might be able to help keep the costs down. Displaying student work is always a great way to get family members downtown. Painting parties are popular now; throw an art party, provide the supplies (don’t be afraid to have them paint on items from the recycle bin), and let them do the labor-intensive artistic creativity to display. A little paint on the windows could be enough to make a big impact.

It’s okay to shake up traditional elements and colors. Traditional holiday colors don’t have to be used. The photo above conveys the idea of the holidays with ornaments on a tree and a wreath on the door to say “Welcome Home,” but the business colors are still loud and clear. The bold purple color gets your immediate attention, and less bold in the lower left are the details of services provided at the boutique. The next example (top right), uses some vivid orange and pink colors, and then takes it a step further by utilizing non-traditional placement. The Christmas trees are hung upside down; it may even take the passer-by a second take before realizing they are trees. It is successful because they fill the whole space and create movement rather than being lined up on the floor. The items for sale stand out because they are in neutral colors.

Specific holidays don’t have to be used at all. For example, Christmas can be considered religion specific and is only one day. If you want to stay out of the battle of whether to call it a Christmas tree or holiday tree, stay with a general seasonal theme–leaves for fall, snow for winter. The hair salon to the bottom right uses a general winter theme with the icy cold weather and penguins. Four small hair products are the only merchandise included in a blue color to add to the cool feel. The window displays next to it pick up on a fall theme with warm hues and leaves for decoration. 

Use humor where you can, or an unexpected juxtaposition, like a simple yet eye-catching display using sheets on mannequins for Halloween. The holiday theme is easily identified and the products being sold are very easily noticed against the white sheets. An eyeglass store utilized pumpkins for faces, and an outdoor store shows dogs sledding. 

Remember to lure people into the store. The primary goal is to get people to stop and look; the secondary goal is to sell your service or products.  Merchandising starts at the window display. Below are some ideas of getting people into the store:

• Themed window display contests with riddles (i.e. songs/classic toys) are popular at the holidays but often leave judges and customers having a great time looking from the sidewalk. Include signs on the window that tell customers that ballots and ballot boxes are available inside the store along with a 20 percent coupon. Or, only put half of the riddle in the storefront window.  Put the other half inside the store so customers have to enter to solve the riddle.   

• Have a window display with Santa’s list that extends into the store. Invite folks to come in and add their name to the list with what they want from the store. The longer the list the better to weave people through the store. State that three random people will win their wish.

• Appeal to social media by creating a selfie display inside. Invite customers to take a selfie inside and get a percentage off inside the store.

• Invite folks to submit ahead of time a picture of them enjoying a product from the store via your social media channels. Use these photos as a background for the window display. Advertise that if customers see their picture in the storefront they win a prize. This brings them both to Facebook and into the store.  

• Consider the colder weather, the cold/flu season, and cedar fever. Put a silly but catchy sign in the window that promotes free tissue or cough drops inside: “Browse and Blot” / “Sniffles shouldn’t ruin a Shopping Spree”/”Scratchy throat, we got you-come soothe and shop.”

• Use current trends: Put an Elf on the Shelf silhouette in the window display and invite them inside to find his hiding spot. Prize for who finds him.

• Have customers send in a picture of where they found their elf on the shelf last Christmas—one lucky winner will be used to recreate the picture at an enlarged size, and the rest can be displayed in the background. 

• Use the storefront to display specific targeted people or budgets.  Customers are often looking for a budget amount for certain gifts. Create three grouped displays highlighting gifts under $10, under $20, and under $30. Or it could be different groups for men, women, and children. Inside the store use the same targeted grouping at a larger scale with the same general design.

More Resources for Visual Merchandising

Store design and strategy
• Maximizing Store Impact by Donna Geary
• Retail Details by T.J. Reid
• More Retail Details by T. J. Reid

Merchandising
• 1010 Tested Ideas That Move Merchandise by Riched and E.B. Weiss
• Call of the Mall by Paco Underhill 
• In-Store Signage & Graphics by Larry Ruderman with Athur Ruderman
• Lifestyle Stores by Martin M. Pegler 
• Retail Entertainment by Martin M. Pegler 
• Retail Superstars by George Whalin