1 A display window acts like the poster outside a movie house: it gives a tiny preview of the attractions within.
2 A good display calls attention to the business and the merchandise it offers. It distinguishes your shop from the competition.
3 It telegraphs the style and price level customers can expect once they enter the store. It tempts passers-by into entering, or lets the rushed passer-by know that you have something needed in the future.
4 A good window display attracts your desired clientele. Think about the difference between a window display at a consignment store versus a window display of a luxury boutique.
5 A good window display allays the fear of entering an unfamiliar environment by letting the viewer have a glimpse into the shop.
Knowing the importance of a good window display is one thing. How to create a good window display is a whole different matter.
“The Big Book of Window Displays” will teach you how to create windows that wow for your store. And it is written not from an academic point of view or a consultant, but by someone who has actually been in the trenches as a store owner.
Author Katie Holmes is a legendary expert in the resale industry and author the the blog “Too Good To Be Threw.” Even though the book is geared primarily for owners of resale stores, the information can be applied to any retail industry.
Her primary audience tends to have tiny budgets and limited staff to create displays, so she is quite aware of how to advise retailers “to do more with less.” Repurposing and DIY is her motto.
FYI – Katie has this to say (and we wholeheartedly agree) about mannequins in window displays:
“Do not use an outdated or shopworn mannequin. Nothing looks worse than an unstylish, scratched, off-kilter mannequin missing a finger or hand,
sporting a scruffy wig.
If you do have an old mannequin and want to use it, play around: remove her wig, paint her glossy black, remove arms if damaged. Tongue-in-cheek beats tattered and tired any day!”
This blog post has some inexpensive DIY ways to give new life to any distressed mannequins you have in your store. And if your mannequin is beyond hope, you can always purchase a new or used one at Mannequin Madness.
