Retail Christmas Window Displays: The 3-Colour Rule That Sells

Your shop window is your hardest-working unpaid employee. This Christmas, is it pulling its weight? Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly. This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Capify - business funding made simple. Find out more at capify.com If you're an independent retailer, you're probably about to put up your Christmas window display, or you've already planned it. But a pretty window isn't the same as one that sells. For most independents, the quickest Christmas win isn't finding more customers. It's each customer spending a little more. So what does a window have to do to make that happen? And what's it doing for you at 10 o'clock at night, when the door is locked and it's been dark for hours? To find out, I brought back visual merchandiser Sarah Manning. Sarah has worked in visual merchandising for more than 20 years, starting at Harrods, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols, and she has run her own consultancy since 2006. When we spoke she was in the middle of planning Christmas schemes for her own clients, so this is what she's actually doing this season, from a fashion client's window to a food retailer whose shelves are every colour going. By the end of this episode you'll know how to build one Christmas look that runs from your window to your shelves and your website, and why three colours is the limit. You'll know how to use your window and the area just inside your door to sell a gift rather than a product, so each customer spends more. And you'll know when to put your window in, when to refresh it, and how to keep it selling after you've locked up. Chapters 00:00 Why your Christmas window matters 02:44 One theme, three colours, window to website 06:50 Sell a gift, not a product 10:51 When to install, refresh and light it Resources and links Sarah Manning, Visual Merchandising Consultant: https://visualmerchandisingconsultant.co.uk/ Sarah on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visualmerchandisingcourses/ The UK prop suppliers Sarah uses: http://www.dzd.co.uk/ The colour trend sites Sarah mentions: WGSN https://www.wgsn.com/ · Coloro https://www.coloro.com/ · Pantone https://www.pantone.com/ Sarah's first episode, on shop windows and the power of the pyramid: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/podcast-episode/retail-window-display-ideas-for-shops-that-turn-browsers-into-buyers/ My free Christmas guide and planner (put your end-of-November refresh in it): https://www.resilientretailclub.com/christmas Give your windows a Christmas makeover? Tag me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resilientretailclub/ All episodes of the Resilient Retail Game Plan: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/podcast/ Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/catherineerdly The Resilient Retail Game Plan shares retail industry trends, insights, and best practices for the retailer who's serious about building something that lasts. New episodes every Thursday morning.