Windows on Your World

RDR checked in with visual merchandising experts for tips on keeping product looking fresh and intriguing, even if you’re working with last year’s goods.

By Margo DeAngelo

RAPAPORT... I think that visual merchandising can play an extremely vital role when the economy isn’t doing so well, because it is able to convey the message that the retailer wants. It can draw customers in,” observes Erica Hudson, vice president of operations at Housing Works, whose thrift shops around New York City are known for their creative windows.

When budgets are tight, Anne Kong, an assistant professor in the visual presentation and exhibition design department at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), knows that “the nonselling areas are the first to be cut in retail. But consider what visual can do.” The good news is, “Visuals rebound at times like this, albeit with more of a skeleton crew. I’m probably going to get into trouble for saying this, but some of the greatest things come out of dollar-store props. Budgets are the mother of invention.”

Paco Underhill, the founder, chief executive officer (CEO) and president of research and consulting firm Envirosell, observes, “One of the wonderful things about 2009 is the trumping of creativity over money.” But he acknowledges, “The nature of jewelry is the experience you appreciate close up. This is one of the ongoing challenges.” In addition, the competition in the marketplace is fiercer than ever. “When it comes to jewelry merchandising, we have gone from a polite war to a bar fight,” he says.

All three experts shared their tips for attention-grabbing visual merchandising:

Know your holiday-season audience. “It’s communicating that we’re in the business of making you a hero on Christmas morning. It’s not being afraid to recognize that what you are presenting in the window isn’t just the merchandise, but the idea,” Underhill explains. Superman mannequin, anyone?
Everyone agrees that frequent change is key. “I’ve always found that once we change things around, people are looking to see what we are doing,” Hudson notes.
The side walls of a window are critical. “So many windows are designed as if customers are facing it, as opposed to walking past it,” Underhill observes.
Don’t be predictable. “In jewelry, you have your standard props. Necklaces have those necks and rings have the fingers that stick up. But you don’t always have to use them,” Hudson stresses.
Consider displays that take shoppers to a different time and place. “What we see surface during hard economic times is the whole theme of fantasy, because people want to be taken away,” Kong advises.
At the same time, “If you add ten items, when you step back, make sure you are taking away two, so what you are trying to say is very clear to your customer,” Hudson states.
Abstract concepts can work, too. “For diamonds, you could focus on the facets and use those shapes throughout the window,” Kong suggests.
“Look into the treasure trove of whatever you might have thought was dated and cover it up, refinish it, whatever you have to do,” Kong urges.
Personality and humor can help independents stand out. “We always defer to Kenneth Cole, with the genius use of text copy in his window to get people to look. Playing around with vinyl lettering on glass is a great option,” Kong notes.
Don’t overlook color. “In the color scale, if white is 1 and black is 10, then colors that are in the range of 5 to 6 appeal to the widest range of people. Closer to 10 appeals to higher socioeconomic groups,” Kong points out.
Symbolism and transposed objects can surprise. “Turn the merchandise into something else. Put some rings on a plate with a fork and knife. Arrange a bunch of rings into the shape of a brooch,” Kong suggests.
“I recently took a class to the New Museum of Art and Design to look at an exhibit called Second Lives that was made of things that had been discarded. You have to inspire yourself,” Kong notes.
Continuing education at local schools can help, as well. In New York, “You can take Design Exhibit 101 or 102 at FIT at night,” Kong adds.
If your store offers environmentally friendly products, the window can emphasize this. “Talk about green — you could cut up soda bottles and use them as background. They sparkle,” Kong mentions.
Seek out affordable help at the nearest art or design school. “You can offer an internship for credit or a small stipend for a student who is interested in getting some experience,” Kong says.
Partnering can bring in new elements. “What flourished in the 1980s was borrowing antiques, then giving credit. Fine art, as well,” Kong recalls.
Looking to the future, Underhill advises, “We are going from delivering customer service from what we call ‘nose to nose,’ where I stand at one side of the counter and serve you on the other side of the counter, to what we call ‘hip to hip,’ where we are both on the same side of the counter looking at the merchandise. I think being able to have some softer edges within the structure of the store should be in everyone’s ten-year plan.”