How to Wear Your Window Well

Windows are important because they reflect the soul of the store. They are the first visual representation of the store as someone is walking by. If especially well done, windows can encourage a potential customer to enter the store, often a spur of the moment decision because of something he/she saw in the window. L. Frank Baum, the creator of the Wizard of Oz, was one of the first to articulate ways to create better windows and displays. Many of his ideas are still applicable almost 100 years later. His signature “illusion windows” utilized a lot of technology of the time including electrical revolving stars, incandescent globes, and fluttering mechanical butterflies. He recognized that movement is a powerful component of a winning window. He understood the powerful impact of technology and movement in creating dynamic window displays.

Sometimes a window will be more art, and sometimes a window will be more science. For example, studies show that the longer someone stops and looks at a window, the more likely they are to enter the store. Fundamentally, window displays can provide two important types of information. This includes information about the brand, and about the merchandise. Think about this. If you struggle to decide what to do with your windows, one question to ask yourself is “What do I want people passing by to feel about my brand?” and “What do I want people passing by to feel about my products?”

Let’s consider visual merchandising. What is visual merchandising? Stop. Think for a moment. What does visual merchandising mean to you? There are many answers but fundamentally, it is the communicator of the brand. Said another way, it is the billboard to your brand. Despite the growth in e-commerce sales, studies suggest that more than 80 percent of apparel retail purchases in the U.S. are still made in brick and mortar stores. However, from this total, 66 percent of these sales are web-influenced. This means a couple of things. Your online and offline messaging should be in sync. Your physical store must be a showplace. It is the first tactile representation of your brand that a customer will experience. Therefore, ask yourself “how does my store stimulate each of the five senses?” If you struggle with your store’s visual merchandising, then ask yourself three questions. Who are you? What do you have to say? How do you say it? A great way to answer these questions is in a room with a white board and people who understand you and your boutique. Brainstorm answers to these questions and write them on the white board. The more you think and reflect on these answers, the more likely you are to be able to communicate your brand in the form of visual merchandising.

Often, a boutique will have long racks of clothing along a wall. If you do as well, consider a vertical presentation at some point along the rack. This is referred to as guiding the eyes. The arena effect is also important. Make sure that as a customer enters your store, he or she can see merchandise and fixtures in front of them at lower heights. As she looks closer to the walls or the back of the store, the fixtures and merchandise are at increasingly higher levels of site. While this seems like an obvious point, you would be amazed at the number of times stores put tall, view-obstructing fixtures closer to the customer.