Page 194 - 101 Ways to Market Your Business

DO YOU THINK LIKE A CUSTOMER?

90 Always have a top quality window display to
attract interest

I am constantly amazed when I walk past a shop window
on a busy street and see a ramshackle, dusty and dingy
window display that looks like it hasn’t been changed in
ten years. Customers will decide whether or not they should
enter your store based upon your window display, making
it crucial that you get it right.

If you want to see this principle working, find a pet
shop with puppies and kittens in the window. They draw
a crowd and the crowd moves into the shop. I have
witnessed this phenomenon in pet shops around the world
and it is universally successful.

If you are not certain how to go about making a good
window display, do a bit of research. Grab your camera and
visit some of the major department stores. These compa-
nies spend a lot of money getting the window displays
right because they know how important they are. Find a
few shops similar to yours and see what displays they
have in their windows. Look for businesses that seem to
be drawing a crowd and take a photo of their window
displays.

A few common themes come out and they should be
considered when planning your window display:

• change the display regularly;
• don’t clutter the front window;
• use bright colours to attract attention and repaint the

window box when you are changing displays;
• make sure that your window box has good lighting; and
• keep your windows clean.

Try not to look at changing window displays as a
drudgery but rather as a key component to running your
business. Get your suppliers to provide you with pro-
fessional sales material; make the windows interesting and

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