Strolling through shopping areas and gazing at window displays is a well-loved activity for most shoppers, especially on weekends and during the holiday season. For years, big brands have used iconic window displays to create memorable retail experiences for their fans. In Montreal, the McCord Museum even housed an exhibition of displays in Ogilvy's department store window every Christmas since 1947!
Traditionally, we used the term window shopping to describe shoppers who gazed through windows without actually buying anything. But in today's age, window displays are used as a marketing tool. Even if shoppers don't walk in at that moment, they carry the brand's impression in their minds, and their recall of the display influences their purchase decision at a later point in time.
Window Displays are the First Impression of Your Brand
Window displays are the first point of contact between a brand and its customers—literally the first impression of a newly launched product line or brand. They spark the shoppers' curiosity and influence their decision to walk into the store or not.
Ideally, window displays should inspire shoppers to explore the product range or brand further. The measure of the effectiveness of the display is the total basket value of the purchase. It's not about selling only the particular product line displayed in the window—once the shoppers are inside the store, it's much easier to sell them other products.
The Art and Science of Visual Merchandising
Retail outlets of all types—from large malls to single-brand showrooms and multi-retail big box stores—all use visual merchandising as a strategic marketing technique to drive in-store traffic. It is a discipline that combines marketing principles, retail merchandising expertise, and creative graphic design for retail.
The five main elements of visual merchandising that influence the purchase decision are window displays, shop floor layout, in-store shelving and products displays, use of color and lighting, and an emerging trend of interactive exhibits.
Window displays must create visual impact; they must be exceptional, differentiating your store from a zillion others.
They must also be easy to change out—seasonality and freshness of promotions is the key to the success of window displays.
A bold central theme attracts passersby and engages them into the brand's narrative.
Store managers and display designers must plan attractive window displays strategically, choose seasonal product lines and themes, and have the right add-on items available in-store to increase basket size.
If you execute visual merchandising strategies meticulously, you have the right items at the right times in-store, you will be able to increase your store's turnover significantly.
How do you plan effective displays for conversion? The Look Company has some awesome ideas and solutions for window displays.
Highlight your brand or products by offsetting the non-lit components of your display with graphic lightboxes.
Instantly transform the look and feel of your windows as often as you want with our fabric wall coverings—from full-wall murals to above-the-shelf runners to pillar wraps and create unique and engaging displays.
Our award-winning dye sublimation printed textiles deliver vivid colors, stunning large-format, flexible wall and ceiling coverings to create immersive window displays.
The type of window display that is best suited depends on its sector, product offering, customer base, location, budget.
Different types of window displays are designed for:
Retailers of cosmetics and luxury items
Fashion: Clothes, accessories and shoes
Home décor and furniture
Grocery and gourmet foods
Electronics and consumer durables
At The Look Company, we collaborate closely with you and your team, designers, architects and engineers to deliver high-quality window display solutions. From concept and design, technical consultation, project management or installation, our team brings your vision to life!
New & Upcoming Trends in Visual Merchandising
Immersive displays are the visual merchandiser's new mantra. Using a story, they create an ambiance that immerses the viewer into an experience of the brand's values. Many retailers are experimenting with immersive displays that involve more than one or two senses, such as touch, smell, sound, or taste. The idea is to bring products to life and make the display memorable.
The Look Company brings you cutting-edge retail signage and graphic display solutions. Talk to us for stunning fabric lightboxes, modular display units that are easy to change out, and captivating window displays that convert passersby into customers!
