With Christmas just around the corner, retailers are gearing up for what will probably be their busiest few days of the year. At P2, we always find ourselves busy in October, November and December, helping shops design festive window and retail displays. And let us give you one piece of advice: as people take to the high street to find gifts for the people in their lives, you want to stand out. When footfall is at its highest, you do not want to fade into the background. Here are our four top tips to help your store dress to impress over the holidays:
Focus on lighting
Light is key to making displays work in winter, when afternoons and evenings get darker earlier. As Christmas approaches, you want to stick to traditional themes. That means soft glows lighting up your displays, reminding shoppers of nativity scenes and nights in front of a roaring fire. And it means miniature lights: stick with white or yellow for high-end displays that focus on traditional themes, or go multi-coloured if you’re looking for something fun.
Colour matters – and it’s easy to get right
When it comes to design, colour is a big deal. And because the iconography of Christmas is so well established, that’s doubly true this time of year. For the same reason, though, it’s easy to get your colour palette right at this time of year. Christmas has an established identity – stick with seasonal colours: think holly, ivy, Santa, and snow. Alternatively, if you’re looking for something more modern, you can take a colour palette from Christmas-themed movies… Frozen or Home Alone, anyone?
Use props to tell a story
Everyone knows that Christmas decorations are a major part of the season. That means trees and baubles, fairy lights, and Santa hats. But you can also use props to create a narrative experience through your store. That could be snowy footprints leading to Santa’s Grotto, a “Christmas Party” themed mannequin display, replete with Christmas jumpers and mistletoe, or something led by product. Whatever you decide to do, the key is this: make sure there’s a pay-off for the customer. Christmas 2019 will see the trend towards in-store experience increase, not die down.
Use signage to create Holiday messages
Guess what – now is the perfect time to use signage to your advantage. Christmas is probably the only time of year when you can guarantee that most of the people coming into your shop aren’t just looking for a product – they’re looking for inspiration. That means they are particularly receptive to targeted messages. You can use signs (suitably festive in appearance, of course) to literally tell people what to buy… and they’ll probably be thankful for it. So feel free to label that perfume “the scent she’s been waiting for” or describe this whisky as “What every dad wishes Christmas tasted like” – you’re doing them (and you) a favour.
All retailers that take themselves seriously will be making an effort over the next four weeks to look their best. The tips above should help you to keep up, but if you really want to stand out, it pays to get in an expert. At P2, we work tirelessly each Christmas to guarantee that our clients have the best-looking festive stores possible. If you’d like to join them, please get in touch with us on 01455 288 922.