Retail window displays are considered one of the most important factors that attract and maintain buyers’ attention, and this happens in just a few seconds. In New York City, 10,000 people pass by a store window every hour. This means nearly 1.7 million people each week!
You don’t have to be a world-famous store or located in bustling Manhattan to benefit from a well-designed store window. According to research by the NPD Group, window displays influence purchasing decisions an average of 24% of the time.
The right window display design can capture shoppers’ attention enough to make them stop, look, and enter your store, where store staff can help them complete the sale. Attractive window displays not only help draw in customers but also allow you to showcase new products, highlight promotions, strengthen your brand image, and differentiate your store from the competition.
Benefits of Window Displays
Window displays help increase foot traffic, enhance brand awareness, highlight products and promotions, and distinguish from the competition.
Research indicates that window displays influence a person’s decision to enter the store, thereby increasing foot traffic. Additionally, they provide a great way to showcase your brand, according to Nicole Haddad, co-owner and designer of the sustainable fashion brand Lobo Mau.
“Window displays are a way to engage the community and neighborhood. They are also a marketing tool for our brand and our aesthetic”, says Haddad. “We painted a mural on the outside of the store that looks like we splashed paint on the building. It’s our way of attracting customers and making them take a closer look so they want to visit the store from the inside”.
Window displays show what’s inside your store. You can use them to attract customers with products they will love and highlight new, limited-edition items or even holiday gifts.
Types of Window Displays
Here are the main types of window displays you may encounter, along with their benefits and challenges.
Open Displays
In an open display, there is nothing separating the window from the rest of the store. These are great for showcasing clothing on mannequins and human forms and displaying your in-store design. However, open window displays reveal a lot, making it challenging to hide furniture accessories like wires.
Closed Displays
Closed window displays contain a wall or backdrop that separates them from the store floor. These displays highlight the showcased products by eliminating distractions from inside the store. However, they prevent natural light from entering the store, so you must compensate for this with adequate lighting on the floor.
Shadow Box Displays
Shadow boxes are small and box-like and are most often used to display small, detailed items such as jewelry, shoes, or makeup. They are usually large enough for two people or at most two people to view the items at the same time.
Corner Displays
As the name suggests, you get a window display when two windows intersect at a corner, creating a large display that resembles a box. Corners are perfect for attracting shoppers coming from any direction and showcasing products from more than one side. However, it can be challenging to arrange the products in these displays, as they must look attractive from multiple viewpoints.
How to Create Window Displays in 8 Steps
Setting up your first retail window display may seem like a daunting task. Fortunately, you don’t need a design background to create an eye-catching store window display. Even if you don’t have the budget to hire a professional visual merchandiser, it’s possible to create your display.
Here,
We will help you overcome your fears so you can master the art of creating unforgettable window displays. We will guide you through the process of assembling your store’s window display, along with some ideas for window displays to get you started.
1. Gather Your Retail Window Display Tools
Before you start thinking about complex ideas for your first store window display, let’s make sure you have the tools necessary to set you up for success. In other words, you don’t want to be halfway through the process and discover that you don’t have a measuring tape or another basic tool.
So, here are some basic components you’ll need to get started:
- Measuring tape
- Scissors
- Stapler
- Double-sided tape
- Hammer and nails
- Utility knife
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Screwdriver and screws
- Pens, pencils, markers, and notepad
- Accessories (any non-merchandise items)
Depending on your store window design, you may need other materials to complete your project. However, these tools will help you get started and will be a great shopping list for your display design.
2. Start with a Themed Story
When it comes to envisioning a store window display, it’s best to start with a pen and paper. Before you begin sketching your window display ideas, start with a story based on a theme. Yes, your window display design should tell at least one underlying story. After all, it’s proven that storytelling can be a strategic tool for businesses.
It’s best to start with a theme, then use your storytelling skills to turn it into something more complex. For instance:
- Instead of “Christmas,” think “The Nutcracker” (here are some Christmas window display ideas if you’re looking for holiday inspiration!)
- Instead of “Halloween,” think “Sleepy Hollow”
- Instead of “Valentine’s Day,” think “Cupid’s Mischief”
- Instead of “Thanksgiving,” think “Thanksgiving Turkey Decor”
3. Create a Focal Point for Your Store Window Display
Once you have a rough sketch, including a theme-based story, take a moment to step outside and look carefully at your window.
This will help you determine where your focal point will be. The focal point is the area you want potential buyers to first look at and focus their attention on. Your display’s focal point should be large enough to grab shoppers’ attention, even from across the street.
Start thinking about how to arrange products around your focal point. Will you arrange products on wires or shelves around the focal point? Or will you stack them in a pyramid? Explore different configurations to see what works best for your window display.
4. Be Bold in Everything
Let’s be honest: community attention shrinks to less than a second, and your shoppers are no exception. You can bet that most people passing by your store will be busy chatting with their friends, texting, or strolling with their dogs. So, you’ll need to do your utmost to ensure you grab their attention. At the very least, you want to create a store window display that they want to take pictures of with their smartphones and share with the world.
So, when creating your store window display, don’t be boring. Be bold with colors, shapes, and accessories. Think outside traditional colors and choose more eye-catching colors like fuchsia and orange or electric blue. Just remember to use your wise judgment and keep it in line with your brand.
Accessories are also a great way to think unconventionally, especially since your local arts store will be stocked with different art materials. Consider using foam board cutouts, creating cardboard accessories, or anything else you think fits your brand and store.
5.
Keep Your Window Displays Simple
With so many window display ideas available for inspiration, it’s easy to push the limits and create a highly complex display. However, having too much clutter is likely to deter passersby and overwhelm them instead of grabbing their attention. Don’t try to do too much or you’ll end up with a crowded, unfocused display.
Always keep your goal in mind: ultimately, you want to draw customers’ attention to your products and help them quickly understand why some items are grouped together with others. This also means keeping your display free of clutter and being able to justify why each component of your display is included.
6. Balance is Key
When creating a display, you’ll have items that are small and large, light and dark colors, lights and shadows, etc. It’s important to maintain a balance of the different elements you’ll use to create a pleasing aesthetic.
Typically, you want to place larger, darker items closer to the bottom, and lighter, more colorful items at the top. This arrangement will prevent your display from looking heavy. Similarly, if you place all the large items on one side and all the small items on the other, you have an unbalanced window display. Imagine balancing items on a scale, which means doing things like balancing a large item on one side with several small items on the other.
Trust your instincts and get a feel for the emotion your display evokes. With a balanced display, you’re more likely to create feelings of happiness, excitement, and joy, whereas an unbalanced display may convey anxiety or instability.
7. Pay Attention to Lighting
When it comes to creating an effective window display, lighting is often an afterthought or something to consider if you have the budget for “extra costs.” However, lighting can be a critical element in attracting people to stop and take notice of your display.
Lighting can create a mood, highlight certain products over others, and provide a dramatic setting for your store’s window display. The strategy in using lighting can be beneficial in helping you place the right focal point and guide viewers’ eyes to where you want them to look.
We do not recommend lighting displays directly from overhead, as this can create harsh, unattractive shadows. Instead, consider lighting the displays from the sides and the front. This technique will help accentuate the three-dimensional quality of the display. Additionally, you can have fun when the light comes from different angles.
8. Take a Final Look at Your Store Window Display
Once you have all the pieces in place as you desire, make sure to take a look at your store window display from every possible angle. Rarely does a person notice a display only when standing directly in front of it. Approach it from different directions and check your focal point, how clear your signage or calls to action are, and whether everything is balanced.
If you are satisfied with the results, congratulations, your store window display is ready to go!
Tips for Window Displays
Now that you’ve laid the groundwork for your display, here are some tips to take it to the next level.
Define Your Target Audience
Your audience will influence the products you choose to showcase, the colors you use in them, and the stories you tell in your windows. Keep the ideal customer in mind when designing your windows.
When you design your windows with a target audience in mind, you’ll attract those people and get them excited to shop with you. If you try to create a display that appeals to everyone, you’re more likely to weaken your design and target no one.
Consider
to vision lines and points of view
It is known that grocery stores display children’s cereals on lower shelves and adult cereals on upper shelves. Why? Because that is where these customers’ eyes land, and therefore, that is where their focus will be.
Consider the sight lines of passersby when building displays that face outward. If you have a children’s clothing store, for example, you might display products that will appeal to kids, such as toys, at a height that is appropriate for children to see, and showcase more practical products at the eye level of parents.
In addition to considering sight lines, it is also important to remember that you are designing a three-dimensional display, not a flat one. Make sure that products and accessories are easily visible and look good from different angles.
Keeping Window Displays Fresh
Change your displays regularly to notify returning customers that it’s time for them to stop by again. “We try to change the windows every two to three weeks to keep them fresh for shoppers who pass by daily,” according to Nicole Haddad, Lobo Mau.
Use Technology
According to McKinsey, technology will help double retail profitability. Interactive technologies like augmented reality, touchscreen displays, and QR codes help give a new meaning to the term “window shopping.” Embrace them to capture the attention of passersby and influence purchase decisions.
Augmented Reality
Augmented Reality (AR) technology enhances real objects and settings by overlaying virtual objects. It allows shoppers to virtually try on products like makeup and jewelry. This technology helps customers make purchasing decisions even when the store is closed.
Touchscreens
When placed in the window, touchscreens help customers learn more about displayed products and products that are not featured in the display. They also easily attract passersby with offers for coupons in exchange for contact information, allowing you to include them in your email marketing efforts.
Touchscreens are ideal for stores that sell high-value products that warrant attention (like electronics, furniture, or cars) as they can be used to share product specifications and details. They are also commonly used in real estate to showcase listings not featured in the main display.
QR Codes
QR codes are barcodes that open a link or share a phone number or SMS when scanned by a smartphone. Follow the example of Rose City Goods by placing them in your window display to link to your e-commerce site, product pages, and more.
QR codes make it easy for passersby to make purchases even when the store is closed. They are also inexpensive and easy to implement through a QR code generator.
12 Ideas and Examples for Inspiring Window Displays
Need some inspiration before you start creating your window display? Here are some eye-catching examples to help spark your creativity.
1. Gucci
Retailers are increasingly using augmented reality (AR) to enhance the shopping experience and expand their brand. For its Hallucination campaign, Gucci extended the technology to its window displays by installing reimagined classic artworks featuring characters in designer clothing. What makes this display unusual is that most of the mannequins face away from the window, as if they are visiting an art gallery.
The scannable QR code on the glass breaks the fourth wall by inviting passersby to download the Gucci app and experience an animated version of the art. “It’s always in your interest as a seller to create an experience. You want to create a moment that will photograph well for an Instagram or Snap story or a video,” according to Joline Mujica, WindowsWear.
For
For Gucci, this approach has been very effective in attracting younger buyers through targeted marketing. “This is really innovation on another level. Now that they have the app, they’ll continue to receive Gucci ads and emails,” says Mujica. What to steal
A window display that brings products to life and captures the attention of passersby encourages immediate interaction with your brand. Inviting buyers to download the app right away promotes in-store sales and future online purchases, allowing these subscribed customers to access
Source: https://www.shopify.com/blog/12706185-a-fool-proof-guide-to-creating-window-displays-that-turn-heads-and-drive-foot-traffic
Leave a Reply