Make sure your window and in-store displays and your shop layout can grab attention and entice people to buy. Decide what you’ll showcase in your store, and craft the stories that you’ll tell through your displays.
From a logistical standpoint, see to it that you have the materials to set up stunning displays. These include:
- Lights: Invest in good lighting that makes your displays pop. If possible, use white lights to generate interest and to put shoppers in the holiday mood.
- Props: Do away with generic props, and get yourself something holiday-specific. As Retail Doctor Bob Phibbs notes, if your store looks the same on December 15th as it did on September 15th, you’ll probably settle for crumbs when you could’ve had the entire season.
- Signage: “Sale” signs are pretty standard, and you should definitely have them in your signage mix. But be sure to throw in unique messages to get the attention of holiday shoppers.
Here’s a great example: In last year’s expert webinar, Bob showed us how a retailer cleverly created a sign to encourage impulse buys during the holiday season. The sign read “The gift you forgot!” and it successfully drove sales for the merchant.
See if you can do something similar this season.
SET UP GIFT-CENTRIC DISPLAYS.
Make sure your displays at this time of year cater to holiday shoppers.
Determine your top-selling and most-gifted items, then put the spotlight on those products by placing them in a special display or on a special shelf. Make sure people see them (and know what they are) by adding signage along the lines of “Holiday Top Sellers,” “Gifts for Him,” or “Gifts for Her.”
You should also consider bundling gift items to increase value and incentivize sales. Depending on the products, there are a number of bundling strategies you could implement, including:
- Complementary products: Group a product with relevant or complementary items (e.g. a doll and its accessories).
- Multiple item grouping: Bundle a number of units of the same products (e.g. items that come in multiple colors), and sell them as a package.
- Slow-moving items with top sellers: Pair slow-moving products with your more popular items (e.g. top-selling pairs of shoes with slow-moving socks).
See: Day 3.
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