How to make your window displays more effective

With their ability to increase foot traffic as well as sales, eye-catching window displays are vital to your marketing strategy. Just as they can boost your profits when they’re designed well, uninspired or sloppy street-facing displays may turn potential customers away.

Check out these tips for making the most of your store’s window space in the coming months.

Brainstorming themes
There are obvious themes that coincide with seasons and holidays, but sometimes you need to think outside the box to craft the best window displays.

One way to do so is by digging deeper into a general idea. Instead of decorating your window to fit a certain holiday, choose an aspect or specific segment of the celebration to focus on. For example, avoid setting a window display that features all of your green merchandise around St. Patrick’s Day and narrow it down to a scene depicting a leprechaun with a pot of gold. Similarly, you can create a Fourth of July display that’s centered around a fireworks show rather than random patriotic props. If you do opt for a seasonal theme that’s based on a color scheme, consider using unique shades of the expected hue. To go back to the Fourth of July, pair deep burgundy with electric blue or a blue-green color. You could also search for random or strange holidays, like a sandal-themed window on National Flip-Flop Day in June.

You can streamline the window display design process if you keep a formal calendar of themes and ideas. This should include the merchandise that will be showcased, props you need and any other details you can gather. It’s best to change up display windows every two weeks, so you can expect about 25 switches each year. While you don’t need to have that many themes planned out in this exact moment, it will help you to have a place to jot down ideas for the year as they come to you.

Setting the stage
Once you’ve established a motif to focus on, you must decide how everything will be arranged in the window.

Take note of how passersby may view your window. Where are your eyes drawn when you’re walking by versus driving by? Does the glass look dirty when the sun hits it or are there dust bunnies on the floor along the bottom of the window?

When you’re gathering items to display in the window, make sure you don’t set a hectic scene. Customers should be able to understand what you’re going for within a few seconds of seeing the window. Additionally, you don’t want the merchandise you’re highlighting to get lost in chaos. Shoppers might assume your store is just as overwhelming, with little space to navigate through aisles and products in disarray, based on your window display aesthetic.

The display fixtures you use should either contribute to the overall idea or blend in with your props. Experiment with interesting store fixtures, like these bulldog forms that are great to stack products on. Browse flea markets and thrift stores for unique pieces of furniture or decor that are inexpensive yet make your store window design more dynamic.

Be sure to strike a balance when you’re considering the size, color, placement and shape of each item. You don’t want a display that’s too heavily focused on one side or only features products on the floor. Set props and merchandise at varying levels so your window displays don’t look flat.

Tracking your success
If you’re bolstering your window display efforts to see that potential increase in foot traffic and sales, you should have some method of measuring the effectiveness of your designs. For retailers that are focused on getting people in the door, there are trackers that can be installed in the store’s entryway and surveillance cameras to document the numbers. Businesses that want to see a jump in revenue from refreshed window displays can keep track of how the merchandise you display is selling with point-of-sale data. Finally, ask your customers for feedback on your recent designs, whether it’s when they’re making purchases at the register or using your social media platforms.