You’ve probably spent some time working out what to put on the home page of your website, but how much time have you invested in planning what goes into your shopfront display of your bricks and mortar business?
Your shopfront will quite often be the first impression you get to make – so make it a great one! You want to encourage people to enter your premises, and when customers or potential customers walk or drive past, you have just seconds to grab their attention.
If you’re ready to put in a little time and creativity into your window display to maximise your impact, here are some quick tips to help.
1. Go window shopping
Rather than simply lining up products in your front window, work out how to create a scene to engage customers - tell them a story about your brand or business. People relate to stories and by setting a scene, they can imagine how your products would fit into their lives. Look at any large department store window display and you’ll see how the visual merchandising team weave together a range of products and elements. They create a visual story to attract and draw customers in. Make looking into their shopfront an experience to remember.
2. Give it a topical twist
You could plan your display around the seasons, special events on the calendar or even use specific colours for inspiration. You can have a lot of fun with theming and even if your products don’t directly relate to a season or particular celebration you could still use a theme to catch people’s attention and keep your display current. Get creative and look up some not so obvious dates to celebrate and use as a theme for your display.
3. Remember - “eye level is buy level”
One of the best-known principles of displaying merchandise is putting what you want to sell at eye level. Work out where eye level is when looking into your shop window from the outside and display your best or newest products there. Display smaller items in the foreground and larger ones in the background, then build your display using different levels or layers to keep things interesting.
4. Keep it clean
Make sure your shopfront is clean and tidy for maximum street appeal – don’t let the dust gather on an old display. Some other tips to create the right impression include:
- Keep your signage current and well presented.
- Don’t feel the need to display all your latest products – feature a selection so your display doesn’t look cluttered.
- If you or your staff can be seen by people looking into your shopfront, remember to always look friendly and professional so potential customers will want to come through the door.
5. Light it up
The right lighting can make a big difference to your shopfront display. You might need to install overhead lighting or spotlights to make your products stand out and look their best. If your shopfront can be seen after hours, consider lighting it up at night to make the most of your display and get the attention of potential customers you might miss during the day.
6. Keep an element of surprise
Stay current and attract the attention of passers-by by updating your window display. Plan ahead and refresh your display every couple of weeks or at least once a month to keep your existing customers interested and appeal to new ones. Include an element of surprise – such as balloons or different textures – to keep it interesting.
Overall, have fun creating your window to the world. It’s a great chance to share your products and invite people in to find out more.
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