Time for Fall Displays!

 
Fall isn't here yet - but it's time for fall displays!

We're all in a summer vacay mode, I know...
but if you haven't begun planning and installing your fall merchandise & displays yet, get to work NOW and install them as soon as you can in August. That way you'll grab the attention of shoppers who are just gettin' in the autumn mood! 

Whether you own a brick and mortar store, an online shop, or sell in a booth at shows, it's always a good idea to look ahead. Consider it the same thing as watching the weather segment on the news to see the extended forecast - we want to know what's coming up, how to plan, and what to expect... 

In retail psychology, applying this to the presentation (visual merchandising & display) of your products also creates a sense of urgency - a reason to buy NOW: 'Get this season's products before they are gone, and be ready to get the next season's hot deals as soon as they release!' Being ahead of the curve by planning and getting those new products out on display BEFORE the new season is a must.

HOW do you do that for fall? Here are some of my top tips:

Fixtures made of warm wood or painted in natural tones will set off the merchandise - and the style is up to you. A rustic wood picnic table is the perfect setting for some woodsy tableware and linens with an outdoor or camping theme, while a sleek lacquered walnut bookcase can present books, food products, candles, and glassware with contemporary flair. 


Build a seasonal look for fall by bringing in the elements from outdoors in every display... one might have a large real tree branch with crisp leaves hung overhead to bring a mood to a table set beneath it, or a rustic planter with a real grapevine 'zhooshed' up with faux leaves and grape bunches, to set off the wine theme merchandise. Try adding a small stack of split firewood or kindling in a glass jar to a display of woodland scent candles... it doesn't take a lot!


The warm tones seen in nature and food in autumn are a perfect base to build on for the season... the hues of farms, fields, produce, and landscapes aging into faded colors add warmth as the weather begins to shift. The addition of books, pillows, blankets, candles, and other similar elements to displays will create a sense of layering, coziness, and warmth that your customers will want to replicate in their rooms and on their tables.


Continue reading for links to posts filled with autumn display inspiration... 

A Window Display is 'Painting a Picture'

Retail Visual Merchandising is an art....
and I've always described what I do as a visual stylist this way:
"I create still life paintings using dimensional objects
 instead of paint or pastels."
This window display brought that together with actual fine art...

Continue reading to find Artful Display ideas!

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

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what's in YOUR windows for the summer season???

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summer is here (unofficially) and if you haven't done it yet,
it's time to refresh shop windows AND online photos for the season.
gather up the red, white, and blue products & props in your storage room
and let's get you in motion to create effective displays!

my best VM tip:
Selecting a general theme and a seasonal color palette is what works for us in this resale store.
The choice of a patriotic palette for summertime is easy, and draws customers like flies.
It can work for you, too, no matter what you sell - 
because a window 'set' that can simply be filled up with new products on arrival
saves everyone time & effort.

continue reading for classic summer display ideas,
created for an upscale thrift/resale store in Southern California...

Spring Fling

It's still cold, gray, wet, and miserable....and winter isn't about to let go yet.

But are you offering your customers a healthy dose of Spring Inspiration?

You should be!

Continue reading for some ideas to help you get started...

Have 'Leftovers' for Valentine's Day!

Restyling old products to create a new look - taking something and making it look totally different by combining it with something else, using a different color to set it off, etc. - is something I really enjoy. And it's an effective way to lengthen the 'shelf life' of merchandise instead of just putting it on clearance. Keep those profit margins UP, that's the goal.

...continue reading for some of my top tips for 're-using' and re-theming merch!

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...

before & after: retail display solutions

A successful retail display doesn't just happen.

it is the result of a combination of knowing the science of retail principles

and the art of composition and placement. 

Both combine to create a 3D work of art that invites customers in - 

and results in sales of product.

There are some retail display design principles that are oh-so-perfectly illustrated

by the following 'before and after shots',

and to discuss them means that I have to critique the 'befores'.

So while I point out all of the flaws in the design below,

know that I realize someone worked hard putting it together...

they just didn't know the most effective way to do so.

continue reading as i describe what was wrong -
and how easily those challenges were addressed...

Artful Spring Window Display

Retail Window Display is an art form....
and I've always described what I do as a visual stylist in this way:
"I create still life paintings using dimensional objects instead of paint or pastels."
This particular display brought together that art with actual fine art...

...Continue reading to find Artful Display ideas!