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Welcome!

How to make the right first impression on your customers.

By Linda Cahan -- Gifts and Dec, 1/1/2010 12:00:00 AM

Entryway displays are as critical as the windows. A few years ago, I set foot into a gift shop and stopped dead. There was a huge fixture about 4 feet in from the front door that blocked my view of the entire store. It was at least 6 feet high by 8 feet wide and filled with merchandise. My first impression was, "I guess they don't want me going any further into the store." When you create an easy-to-read visual event in the front of your store, you invite people in for more shopping fun.

A few tips I've learned over the years:

Don't go over 4 feet high.
Keep width proportionate to height.
Don't block people from coming in.
Change it out weekly.
Light it well.
If you're adding a mat, position it with its long side against the front wall of the store.

	WELCOME TO MANOR, new in Portland, OR. As I walked into this warm, elegant display I noticed how the back wall created a perfect backdrop for the front of the store. The geometric placement of the prints combined with artful shelf merchandising makes this entry feel like coming into a well-designed home. Note how the green color spots gently move the eye from area to area.
SESAME AND LILIES had several welcoming displays and this one is inspired clutter. This is an excellent mix of whites, beiges, greens, textures and shapes. I especially like the added touch of a lit lamp which throws light on the display. When a display has a cluttered feel it’s easier for customers to pick up a piece and put in back down without fear of messing it up.
	JONATHAN ADLER ON Madison Avenue in NYC had two focal areas in the entrance. This strong green acted as a great accent for the neutral gifts, accessories and furniture. Price tags that show are an important element in this welcome display. You always want customers to know that it’s all for sale! Never make a customer hunt for the price.
AT PASSION FLOWER Design this umbrella display, the highest in the store, was visible behind the prime entry display. There’s so much to love, starting with the softness of the umbrella and how the feel of fabric is carried from the top down to the pleated table skirt. Paper lanterns work with the colors and textures. Shelving has been carefully covered by fabric with a raffia trim.
	THIS DISPLAY OF plants and textured baskets, wood plates and chargers at Sisters Drug & Gift store in Sisters, OR, is a good example of how to show large pieces without overwhelming the area. The bamboo plant makes the overall display triangular in shape. The eye is drawn to the angles created by the different levels of baskets. The repetition of round shapes adds to the consistency of this welcoming focal area.
THIS TABLE-ON-TABLE display at Sesame and Lilies in Cannon Beach, OR, layers nicely to give several surfaces to the focal area merchandise. Note how black is the color spot. Using the black chair at one end balances the black kitty thing on the far bottom right. Finding the perfect balance between lights and darks can make or break a display.
	LIKE JONATHAN Adler, show a great grouping of like-minded merchandise in your prime welcoming focal area. Rather than just showing an object or two on the curvy orange coffee tables, a full selection of pieces is shown in a yin-yang style display. The leather dog adds a touch of “awww, how cute,” making it emotionally accessible.
THE FIRST THING you see at Passion Flower Design in Eugene, OR, is this long table filled with eclectic goodies made even more interesting by layering tables on tables, along with levels of merchandise that work together through texture and color spots of green, magenta and blue. Wood tables add the deeper tones plus ground the display and make it feel solid.

Author Information

Linda Cahan is a retail visual design consultant based in West Linn, OR.

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