Summer is the time people take to the outdoors, and explore the sidewalks of their community. As shoppers will be taking to the storefronts of their main street retailers at the peak of the summer, you want to make sure your window presentations are in tip-top shape. Expect consumers to peak and point inside your windows. Then, witness the leisurely activity of window shopping turn into an activity of selection and purchase. For this reason, brick and mortar retailers are well advised to keep their window displays updated and appealing. As Casey Gaffey-Burkholder, manager of indie retailer Crossroads Boutique and Cattiva, tells the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, “It’s all about creating an inviting visual. You want to create interest for people walking by. Your windows are a reflection of your store.”
Learn from Window Dressing Professionals
Mary Portas, the U.K.’s retail guru and recent High Street headliner, celebrates the traditional art of window dressing, as she was responsible one time for windows and displays at Harrods and Topshop. Portas emphasizes on her website that “window dressing” is about creating desire. She posts, “Retailing is about passion and great products are just products unless you can excite and inspire customers to buy them. We all know the power that a well-designed shop window can hold over us. Through the glass, products come alive in a visual story that compels you to enter the store and part with your hard-earned cash.” Perhaps there is something that can be learned from the U.K.’s love of window dressing, for instance the video below. Think of your window dressing as nothing more than profitable art.
There was a time when show windows were used as a sort of storehouse, more an eyesore than an inviting visual. Today, there are books, guides, and professional window dressers to make the entrance of your store inviting for those customers walking or driving by. Anything from themes to mannequins, to human models is acceptable. Below are some top tips used by professional window dresser to help you get started:
- CLEAN! Remove all dust and dirt, and most importantly, have the window washed
- Use clear fishing wire if hanging any type of prop
- Choose colors that complement your merchandise on display
- If all else fails, work with the seasons, implementing seasonal elements into your design