Have you ever wondered why you either enter a store or don’t? After all, it is so natural for us to go into one store after another while walking along a shopping mall or a street. If you analyze it, it turns out that you regularly go to 8-10 stores that you once chose for yourself for the most practical reasons – the store is geographically convenient for you, or the clothes fit well on you, or the service there is good, the price acceptable, etc. There are a few such reasons why it is quite difficult to get you into a new store; we are people of habits and most often we do not have an unlimited supply of free time.
Showcases and signs are created for this, they give you a chance to interest potential buyers and tell them about yourself before they enter the store. But you have only a few seconds to stop a potential buyer’s quick glance and prove that it is YOU who will make the best offer, that this is the store of their dreams and they need to go there right now.
Professionals know that there is nothing better than a showcase and a sign to attract a buyer to a store, so they need to be paid special attention.
The rules for storefront designs are basically the same for all stores, but there are differences for jewelry, shoes, interior, etc. showcases.
A few basic rules for window design of various stores are:
1. Do not try to save on allocating space for showcases, this will not increase your sales.
If you place two or more mannequins in a narrow window, you won’t be able to create any interesting composition with them, they will stand like soldiers in the ranks – shoulder to shoulder, and there can be no talk of any directional light on clothes. The lamp will shine on the mannequin exactly on the top of the head and illuminate only the shoulders, and black shadows will float from the nose or wig across the face of the mannequin. Merchandisers call it the mask of death.
There are also practical considerations in order not to make the windows too narrow – due to the fact that there is not enough space, it will be difficult even to put a mannequin in the window, let alone straighten clothes on it or reach out to a mannequin that is standing far away from the entrance to the window.
2. Pull into the window the entire range that is in the store. A potential buyer should see the entire assortment, even if you focus on sales, for example, on dresses, but you also have accessories in your assortment; this all should be presented on a mannequin placed in the display space. At least 5 things should be worn on the mannequin, otherwise, it will look half-naked. The standard number of items on the mannequin is 7-12.
Your task is to offer the buyer not a single thing, but a complete set, of how it will look on them in real life. This is a good incentive for a store visitor to buy several things. Please note that the mannequin should never be barefoot; it always looks very strange, especially if you sell outerwear. If you do not have shoes in stock, just buy any neutral inexpensive black shoes and put on the mannequin.
3. Decorate shop windows at full height and in a 3D version. Showcases will look most interesting if they offer the client not only specific clothes, but also play up the situation, and the context where they can use it. The concept of window design is not only a mannequin and a poster behind it. This is a space in which there are many planes and possibilities for decoration, and all of them should be harmoniously filled. To do this, the showcase should first be prepared in order to subsequently do it quickly and inexpensively. Please note that the mannequins are taller than normal human height. This is done on purpose so that you can provide visual emphasis on clothing, and not on their head. Children’s mannequins are rarely beautiful and look like dolls with broken proportions, so it is better to make every effort and skill so that the buyer is abstracted from their faces, and the entire visual accent transfers to goods.
A common mistake in window dressing is when mannequins and all the decorations appear to be in the lower part of the window space, and just an empty white wall remains above the head of the mannequin. Decorate the showcase along the entire height, so it will be much easier for you to attract the attention of a passing buyer and stand out among your neighbors.
Not necessarily the clothes in the window should be presented only on a mannequin. Ask your designer to think of some additional designs on which clothes can be hung or presented folded or laid out in some beautiful way. If your budget for window design is not high, these can be inexpensive transformable structures – cubes, maybe a wooden step ladder that you can quickly repaint and rearrange, something like a hanging swing with shelves, magnetic boards, or any items that come to your mind and on which you can present your product. These designs can be either attached to the wall of the back of the showcase or stand on the floor or be suspended from the ceiling.
You still have a display glass – this is also a field for decoration with various stickers, and not necessarily only with the inscription SALE. This is the continuation of your showcase, and they can be a continuation of your showcase story, through which you communicate, talk with your buyer, and invite them to your store. Just make sure that the decorations on the glass emphasize the clothes, and the goods on the mannequin, and do not block them.
4. Redesign your windows at least 4 times a year. It is also better to change the showcases for significant holidays – New Year, St. Valentine’s Day, Pride Month, etc., celebrate any holiday that your customers honor.
Any window redesign means an event in the store, which is definitely worth announcing, whether it is the arrival of a new collection or sale, the anniversary, the opening of the store, or the entire distribution network. Create an emotional connection with the customer. An emotional connection is developed for a long time and is difficult, but it is also very difficult to destroy it, and it is an integral part of the concept of brand loyalty, do not forget about it.
5. Showcase lighting
Showcase lighting should be strictly directional and directed to the most significant places, i.e. for goods, posters and contextual decoration. Lighting must be flexible and easily changeable, as the scenery will move and change.
It is better to install the lamps as close as possible to the display glass, this will make it possible to turn the spotlights at the right angle and direct the light to the right place. The deeper the showcase, the more likely you will be able to illuminate exactly what you need. In principle, lamps can be placed around the entire perimeter of the shop window, but at the same time, lamps on the floor can shine under the mannequin’s skirt and this is not very presentable, therefore, when designing the shop window lighting, you need to understand what exactly you want to illuminate later and how the shop window can transform.
Keep an eye on the windows of your neighbors – if the general illumination of your showcase is significantly lower than theirs, you will lose the interest of your potential buyers.
