Ho Ho Holiday Displays!

 

current search results are sending viewers here to my blog for
 Retail Holiday Display Ideas... 
so I've compiled a list of my posts on those subjects for easy access!

[ click on each title for links ]

My Top Ten Holiday Ornament Tips

The Holiday Season - Redefined  .  Holiday Inspiration

It's a Small, Mall World...

It Takes a Village  .  It Takes a Village (part 2)

O Christmas Tree  .  Tree Trimming Play-by-Play

Vintage Tea Party Theme .  White Christmas Theme

Eye Candy Theme  .  Counting Down the Days

AFTER the Holidays .  Rethinking Leftover Holiday Stock

 Display Basics can be found in my videos on YouTube !

this content originally appeared on my blog in 2019

.

Plan NOW for Holiday Season Success!

I know, it's October... but I'm going there.

Are there boxes of Christmas merchandise stacked and waiting for floor space?

Most of you are saying yes right about now.

Relax - you've done the easy part. But you're not done yet!

Because the hard part is that you need to have a plan ready

for how, where, when, and why those boxes of product will make it to the sales floor.

And you need that plan NOW, my friends.

Before you pull an all-nighter to set it up. Before you leave a list of 'to do's' with the staff.

Before you have the invites for your big holiday decor unveiling event printed.

(You ARE having a big unveiling event, aren't you?) Before your ads hit the media.

Retailers count on the holiday season for a large percentage of their annual income,
and it makes sense to plan for it. 

But far too many businesses just roll the stuff out on carts and start stuffing it into displays. 

Don't sabotage yourselves! 

With a bit of planning, you can reap all of the benefits of a successful Holiday season.

continue reading for my top tips for planning your holiday displays...

Focus Displays on What Comes NEXT

What are you featuring in your windows and front zone displays right now?  

Have you restyled them to reflect the season and provide fresh inspiration -
or are you waiting for new merchandise to arrive?
It's very simple to refresh existing merchandise to look new and appealing to customers. 

It's important to get a fresh start immediately following the holidays! 

Your customers will be coming in with gift cards, gift certs, and money they received,
and they deserve to see fresh new ideas!
Inspiring them to buy what you offer can be as simple as taking what you already have
and combining it in a new way to reflect the season.

The tableware display shown in the photo above features white Vietri pottery,
along with luxe brown linens and whimsical dotted glassware.
A small, select group of merchandise here keeps the look clean and fresh.

Since this was during my stint creating displays for a winery, 

of course a lovely wine is a major presence. 

This look is a perfect mix for this 'bridge' season of late winter to early spring.
Simple, contemporary, classic, and warmth of color & textures draw the customer in.
Huge bare branches reflect the table legs and bring nature inside - 

you could even hang crystals (or leftover snowflake holiday ornaments) from the branches to add movement and sparkle to the display.

Most of the products shown here were in displays in the store during the Holidays:
the white Vietri was paired with red linens and snowflakes.
The brown linens were displayed with brown pottery and pinecones.
Combining them with new elements and a few fresh props creates a fabulous new look,
inspires your customers, AND saves you money. 

Go out on your sales floor and look at the components you already have - 

what possibilities exist to rethink, restyle, and sell them at full price right now?

Use leftover Christmas merch for Valentine's Day? Yep! Look HERE

.

Winter Wonderland Display Inspiration

 

The Vintage Marketplace show in Temecula, CA this past weekend

was an inspiring gathering of vendors selling vintage, antique, and handcrafted goods.
The show is owned and produced by my friend, Rita Reade,

who founded it over 6 years ago with her sister in law, artist Christie Repasy.

When I'm lucky, I get to shop.
When I am REALLY lucky, I get to work with Rita to create visuals for the show!

Click 'Read More' to continue.... 

Deb's 'Top Tips' for Christmas Displays

 I know, you've had your holiday displays up for months now...
but perhaps as items sell-through, (hopefully sell OUT!), 

you need some ideas and inspiration for freshening up the look of your store.
I'm here to help!

Click 'read more' to view 
my favorite Holiday Display tips 

from my Top Five Holiday posts!

Holiday-Specific Displays: Yes or No?

The day before Independence Day, I hit a local thrift store

where the display shown in my photo above was right inside the entrance.

OK, yes, I critiqued it in my head - and honestly,
they passed with flying colors!

This is Goodwill, not Nordstroms,
and so the simplicity is very successful
AND easily changed when customers want to purchase items from the display.

Remember that Goodwill does not stock lines of product - 

everything is basically 'one of a kind' in there - 

so things sell out of displays regularly.

Here's my question for my readers:

Does it PAY to create holiday-specific displays in your store?
Do you reap the benefits of the time invested?

Does it spur sales of products with limited shelf lives
at full price and before a certain date?

Do you see NOTICEABLE sales increases of seasonal merchandise if you feature it in a themed display?

Me? I LOVE themed and holiday-specific displays.

I believe that one display in a store, and in a window,

gathering up all of the related product
and presenting it in a united theme,
can really help customers SEE what you offer,
be INSPIRED to take it home and re-create the look
for their own homes & celebrations.

 

It's easier than having products scattered all over your store,

forcing customers to wander and search everywhere

to see what you offer...

If your customers come in for patriotic napkins, and they find them in the napkin section,

they will grab them, check out, and go home perfectly happy with their napkins.

Yet if those napkins are presented in a small display

along with plates, candles, candle holders, and table runners, 

the customer would most likely purchase MORE items for their party...

meaning your per-transaction total just went up.
(Remember that old sales adage that says 

'It's easier to sell MORE to an existing customer than to GET a new customer?' It's true.)

Not to mention that they go home ECSTATIC that they found more wonderful things!

So give your existing customers the opportunity to buy MORE from you than what they came in for.
Give 'em napkins - and everything ELSE they need for a spectacular party table setting!

This subject has been on my mind for the past week,

because I have seen many PERFECT opportunities 

to present Patriotic, Red-White-and-Blue merchandise in three specific stores that I work in.

I have heard guests (customers) ASK for those products -
because they couldn't see them.
Yet there was no solution of a centralized location for the merchandise, 

no display to draw the guests (customers) attention to them with theme or color,

and no apparent concern that those products with a limited shelf life
existed in the stores and needed to be sold THIS SEASON.

By 'limited shelf life' I mean that there is a short preferred
'window of opportunity' to sell them effectively - 

not that they are perishables.
Fourth of July products sell best the two weeks immediately before the holiday. At full price, that is!

It confounds me that a company that I believe has
the best merchandising in the world

missed the boat on this one. And it's a BIG BOAT!
(like, white triple-deck paddle wheeler riverboat big,
if you get my drift!)

I asked about the lack of such displays in those stores,
and was told "No, we don't really do that here."

Well...... maybe they SHOULD.
It's the busiest time of the year, people are looking for and wanting this product,

and other parts of the locale are promoting the Patriotic color palette, and do themed displays.

People want to join in that celebration...

so why are these retail locations making it so hard for them to do so?

Ultimately, it's negatively impacting the store's bottom line AND the guest (customer) enjoyment.
I'm going to try to get to the bottom of the reasons behind that decision...
because I KNOW that I can implement new displays
 in every store I work in within minutes -
and make them a lot of money.

Vintage display by Seabold Vintage Market . Bainbridge Island, WA.

It's entirely possible to pull together an effective display 

just by quickly uniting items from all over the store by color and theme -

I could accomplish it in less than 30 minutes per store.

 You don't have to invest tons of money, effort, or time

or big props and backdrops and fixtures to get results.

Just take the opportunity to give your customer
what they want in an easy,
"don't have to think about it, just grab it and buy it" way.

Goodwill Industries delighted me
with their very simple and effective Patriotic entry display.

The specific stores I am thinking of need to do the same.
What about yours?

Deb's Top 10 Ornament DisPLAY Ideas

My TOP TEN Ornament DisPLAYtm Tips:
1. Turn a fan trellis (wood or wire) upside down – voila! A Christmas tree!
Hang ornaments in between the supports.
2. Use wire wreath forms horizontally in graduated sizes to create a hanging ‘tree’ shape.
Dangle ornaments and ribbons from both the outside and inside edges – even lights!
3. Fill tall glass vases and wide bowls with unbreakable ornaments (fabric, wood, resin) for a contemporary look.
4. Bring nature in: Big bare branches can sweep down from the ceiling to hold an array of twirling items.
Paint black for Halloween, then flock white for Christmas and winter seasons!
5. Hang wire wreath forms on the wall in a line, then display ornaments of one color on each –
create a rainbow! Great way to top a wall of hooks with ornaments on it.
6. Get Sweet! Pop pastel or bright ornaments into cupcake tins with paper liners, sundae and candy dishes,
and even into real ice cream cones propped up in a juice glass!
Try ice cream tubs, egg cartons, jewelry boxes…think outside the proverbial ornament box.
7. Fill up a real sink – or bathtub! – with white poly batting, then nestle clear, white, and iridescent balls on top like bubbles!
‘Float’ a few above using fishing line. (Great way to highlight bath gift items)
8. Old windows and French doors, sans glass panes,
can be hinged together to form a freestanding screen.
Hang ornaments in each pane with ribbon. This forms a great backdrop for a vignette.
9. Don’t forget to use NON-ornaments on your trees, wreaths, tabletops, and mantel displays:
teacups, plates, purses, books, toys, garden supplies, sachets, art, lamps, etc.
Inspire your customers to use their personality to decorate!
10. Tree toppers are best displayed on mantels or in centerpieces –
slip them into tall glass cylinder vases or slide them over a taper candle in a candlestick for stability.
And on trees, use unique things like chandeliers, angel wings, giant snowflakes, etc. as toppers!

'Fast, Cheap & Easy' Display Trees

This post appears today on my DIY Decorating blog HOMEWARDfound...
and since the idea began with my retail display work, I thought I'd also share it here.

Years ago, in the course of my retail visual merchandising career,
 I created a Christmas Ornament Display Tree using a wire tomato cage.
It was a last-minute solution on a budget - and it worked.

Many years after that, I was asked by a well-known winery to create something
simple . easy. contemporary . and CHEAP
for their Holiday retail displays in their wine shop.
And I created the wire trees all over again:
See those and learn HOW to make them after the jump....

Top Holiday Posts

 My stats are telling me that ALL of the current search results sending viewers here are for
 Retail Holiday Display ideas... 
so I've compiled a list of my posts on those subjects for easy access. Enjoy!

My Top Ten Holiday Ornament Tips!

The Holiday Season - Redefined

It's a Small, Mall World...

It Takes a Village

It Takes a Village (part 2)

O Christmas Tree

Holiday Inspiration
Eye Candy

Tree Trimming Play-by-Play

Vintage Tea Party Decor

White Christmas

Counting Down the Days
What To Do AFTER the Holidays
Rethinking Leftover Holiday Stock

 Display Basics can be found in my videos on YouTube - 

Find links to them in my 'Videos' tab up above

Published

  FOLK Magazine Holiday 2012

includes my feature article on independent retailer 

Down Home Country Antiques in Orange, California

owned by Peggy and Don Arbenz

Photos by Deb Kennedy and Down Home Country Antiques

Window Dressing

 Yep, I'm still Pinning images to my

Retail Display Inspiration board on Pinterest.

 And as I scroll through hundreds of shared images on the site,

I am thrilled to discover more retail resources. 

Sharing those resources with you is what my blog is all about, 

so without further ado, let me share one I find MOST interesting:

Please RUN - do not walk, RUN - over and check out the blog 

'A Love of Visual Merchandising'

You'll find a plethora of fabulous photos there, taken of store window displays in the UK.

Author Kathryn, from Bath, Avon, United Kingdom, introduces herself this way:

My name is Kathryn, I am 22 and grew up in the Cotswolds. I have recently graduated from university where I studied a BA Hons Degree in Fashion Marketing and Communication. I hope to pursue a career in retail, my area of particular interest is visual merchandising. This blog is an opportunity for me to record and display examples of Visual Merchandising that inspire and excite me. In addition to my observations I try to identify Visual Merchandising trends within the fashion industry, to train my eye to look at things from a professional perspective as well as from a commercial and consumer one.

Delve into her archives for some real visual inspiration 

from the very talented 'window dressers' in England. Posh, for sure ;0)

white image shown above is linked from 'A Love of Visual Merchandising' blog.

Top red image is mine.

iPhone? nah....iPin

  Yeah, I've been hit by the Pinterest bug!

I've been busy this morning creating a new board, 

pinning my own images of displays I have designed & created 

along with some really fabulous images discovered on other pinboards.

I'll keep adding to it as I find more

('cause you KNOW how addictive Pinterest IS!)

You can find my board here:

Retail Display Inspirations

And I'll suggest that you also check out Cathye Bordwell's here:

 Display Merchandising

(some of the images I pinned were found on her board) 

and Patty from Sisters Antiques has one here:

Shop Displays 

Smart Retailer Magazine has one, too!

 Display Inspiration

Pinterest is a really great new resource for visual inspiration...

you just have to be rather determined NOT to waste hours of time there!

Do you know of other inspiring retail display boards on Pinterest?

Share links in a comment!

Winter Displays on the Cheap

What are you featuring in your windows and front zone displays right now?  

Have you restyled them to reflect the season and provide fresh inspiration - or are you waiting for new merchandise to arrive? It's very simple to refresh existing merchandise to look new and appealing to customers. 

It's important to get a fresh start after the holidays! 

Your customers will be coming in with gift cards, gift certs, and money they received, and they deserve to see fresh new ideas. Inspiring them to buy what you offer can be as simple as taking what you already have and combining it in a new way to reflect the season.

The tableware display shown in the photo above features white Vietri pottery, along with gorgeous brown linens, whimsical dotted glassware, and since this was during my stint creating displays at Columbia Winery, of course a lovely wine is included. This look is a perfect mix for this 'bridge' season of late winter to early spring. Simple, contemporary, classic, and warmth of color & textures draw the customer in. Huge bare branches bring nature inside - you could even hang crystals (or leftover snowflake holiday ornaments) from the branches to add movement and sparkle to the display. 

Most of the products shown here were in displays in the store during the Holidays: the white Vietri was paired with red linens and snowflakes. The brown linens were displayed with brown pottery and pinecones. Combining them with new elements and a few fresh props creates a fabulous new look, inspires your customers, AND saves you money. 

Go out on your sales floor and look at the components you already have - 

what possibilities exist to rethink, restyle, and sell them at full price right now?
Use leftover Christmas merch for Valentine's Day? Yep! Look HERE

Image Credit: Taken by DWK 2007; courtesy of Columbia Winery

Prepare NOW for Your Holiday Displays

'The Holiday Season' is not what it used to be, folks!
It begins immediately following Labor Day (if not before) 
and includes the fall holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving) 
along with those we traditionally think of as 'Holiday' (Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan).....
Is your head spinning yet? 
Are there boxes of Christmas merchandise stacked and waiting for floor space?
Most of you are saying yes right about now.

Relax - you've done the easy part.

And now, your rest is over...

Because the hard part is that you need to have a plan ready
for how, where, when, and why those boxes of product will make it to the sales floor. And you need that plan NOW, my friends.
Before you pull an all-nighter to set it up. Before you leave a list of 'to do's' with the staff.
Before you have the invites for your big fall decor unveiling event printed. (You ARE having a big unveiling event, aren't you?) Before your ads hit the media.

Since most retailers count on the holiday season for a large percentage of their annual income, it makes sense to plan for it. 
But far too many businesses just roll the stuff out on carts and start stuffing it into display. Don't sabotage yourselves! 
With a bit of planning, you can reap all of the benefits of a successful Holiday season.

First, determine where the main focal locations are in your store.
Front and center, windows and immediate adjacencies, 
and both behind and beside the cash wrap (register counter)
are always a good place to start, generally speaking. 

Stand in your store entrance and see where your eye naturally lands as you enter, 
just as your customers do. 
Then look behind your front and center display area - a bit farther back into your store. There's one great spot to focus attention. And then back a bit farther, there is another. 
 If you focus on these areas, you will create a corridor of display areas 
that will focus attention on your holiday merchandise  
and act as a device to draw your customers into the depths of your store.

I mention this because in my line of work, 
I see far too many retailers that pack the entire front of their stores with Holiday merchandise.... and it sells, yes. 
But they miss the opportunity to get customers into the other areas of their stores - 
those areas that hold the basic, day-to-day product lines, 
the bread & butter lines, that people use all year long. 
The ones you want them to come back to your store for after the Holidays are over. 
Build in a reason for them to remember you and return...

Next, look at what you've purchased for the season and determine what works together to create themes or styles. 
Will you have a white wintery look, a warm woodsy look, and a bright colorful look? 
Will you have country, shabby chic, French flea market, and modern vintage styles? 

Once you've determined that, 
look around your store and see what you already have that fits in those categories. 
Adding everyday merchandise to your new Holiday offerings expands the impact, 
plus it helps you make room on your sales floor to FIT all that new stuff! 
You don't have to pack up the old stuff, just rearrange it in new groupings & settings.

Now, you need to take those Holiday products and create fabulous displays with them. 
For example, take that winter white theme I mentioned: 
Add big branches sprayed with snow, and bring in a selection of old sleds to use as risers for the white ceramic snowman figures, dishes, and ornaments.
Take a theme and run with it - add large-scale props like these to make it really engaging. 

Then, add some NON-Holiday merchandise to those displays. 
To the example above, add some plain white dishes, cups, red napkins, 
a selection of hot chocolate mixes, little bags of marshmallows, (display some in big glass vases!), and of course mittens and scarves. 
You've just taken 'everyday' merchandise and elevated it to extraordinary 
by association with the Holiday theme - 
AND you have increased the likelihood of raising the per transaction total of a purchase. (How could your customer possibly buy a ceramic mug with a snowman on it as a gift without also buying the hot chocolate mix and some marshmallows?!)

A simple way to keep your displays looking fresh and new throughout the season? Create a 'set' that will help you feature many types of merchandise. 
To show off themed papers, stationery, partyware, and ornaments, 
creating a 'dining room' with a long harvest table, a few chairs, and a sideboard - 
in your window, or in the center of your store.

These 'fixtures' will hold a ton of product and present it successfully every season:

*In early fall, use harvest baskets to present the items 
and an old ladder hung horizontally overhead to hang more baskets from.
*For Halloween, switch it out to black and white and orange, 
and hang a few black chandeliers or tissue paper lanterns overhead. 
*For Thanksgiving, group items on large platters and in soup tureens - 
yes, even cards and gift bags and napkins! 
This creative presentation will make your customers smile and notice those everyday items in a new way.
*For Christmas, bring in the everyday dishes and mixing bowls and cookie cutters and aprons - make it look like an old fashioned cookie baking party!
Then add in the holiday papers and cards that coordinate with that look
 to take it over the top. 
Add in some vanilla, birthday cake, and cupcake scented candles for a real sensory effect!

These are really simple, easy ways to be effective with your visual merchandising. Planning each display area's 'set' and use throughout the season 
will help you maximize your time, your effort, and your profits. 

And your customers will be clamoring to see just what you come up with next...