Under Performing Storefront

Independent opticians and eyewear retailers often miss a marketing opportunity because they don’t know how to make a visual impact with their storefront.  Glasses like jewelry and accessories fall into the small product category, i.e., anything smaller than a human head.

The chains hire expert designers to work out ways of showcasing tiny merchandise, much of it involving custom case work, luxurious materials and feature lighting.  Others, give up on the storefront altogether, choosing instead to open the window completely to the sales area beyond.  Still others, rely on prominent and message heavy signs, or brand specific imagery.  There are a few who actually get how to incorporate actual merchandise into attention grabbing storefront displays that works with signage and related brands to deliver a super marketing message.

Smaller retailers offer great products and services, but without the store planning resources of larger chains how can they take full advantage of the high priced display space associated with their storefront?

Storefront Design by Gaddis Architect, Copyright © 2012

In the image above and notes below I suggest some techniques that enable a retailer to reach both walking and drive by markets with a physically little product?

  • Have a convertible shelving/platform system and good display lighting installed in your window.
  • Display only one or two, preferably  related, products at a time.
  • Make the main display module human or human sized.  Both full and partial mannequins work.  Remember, people are attracted most to other people, and you only have about 5 seconds to get the shoppers attention.
  • If not using mannequins, make it a display module that is close to human in size.  Use primary forms, i.e., cylinders, boxes, pyramids.
  • Repeat the product.  When landscape designers want to make a statement in the view they use a lot of one thing.
  • For drama and to stand out of the street-scape add a bold but generic graphic.  High contrast always attracts visual attention.  To much contrast is visual noise.
  • Establish a hierarchy.  Above, from smallest to largest, we see vendor logos, wall displays, mannequins dressed with glasses, over sized side wall photos, and finally the umbrella graphic, which is reinforced with an artist’s trick.  The color becomes less saturated as it moves back, until full saturation re-appears as a bright back wall.
  • Last, but really important, set up a marketing program for your window and test your displays in an offsite location.

Copyright © Bridget Gaddis 2012, all rights reserved.