14 Ideas for Storefront Window Displays


window displays

For local businesses, your storefront window displays offer a unique opportunity for you to grab customers’ attention and get them to come into your store. There isn’t one right way to create eye-catching storefront window displays. But there are some interesting ideas you can use to make a display that works best for your business.

Below are different ideas for interesting storefront window displays that get customers’ attention.

Find an Interesting Way to Use Patterns

Storefront Window Displays

Your display doesn’t need to be matchy-matcy all the time. In fact, mixing different colors and patterns that wouldn’t normally go together can really help to grab people’s attention as they walk by.

Emphasize a Culture or Heritage

Storefront Window Displays

Having a theme for your window display can allow you to tell a story and attract interested customers. The display pictured can also double as a holiday theme, if used around St. Patrick’s Day. But other businesses with relevant products that reflect a certain culture or heritage could use a similar idea to create a visually pleasing display while also appealing to target customers.

Use Striking Letters

Storefront Window Displays

Sometimes the best way to get your message across to customers is by stating it clearly with big, bold type in storefront window displays. Large signs with contrasting type or bold colors can communicate the message you want to state without distraction.

Emphasize Fantasy or Romance

Storefront Window Displays

You can also tell a story by visually referencing stories, characters or themes that people are generally familiar with in window displays. For example, using a fairy tale or at least visuals that allude to a fairy tale or romantic story can communicate your style and products with potential customers.

Use Popular Characters

Storefront Window Displays

Specific characters can also help to draw customers’ interest to your window display. Since customers already recognize and likely have positive affiliations with these characters, they can then associate them with your brand. However, you need to make sure that you have the rights to use any official characters in your displays.

Let Your Products Do the Talking

Storefront Window Displays

But you don’t always need fancy stories or display props to sell your products in window displays. Sometimes, all you need is the products themselves. Depending on the types of items you sell and the display area you have, you may be able to just arrange them in a visually appealing way and let customers draw their own conclusions.

Put an Emphasis on Nature

Storefront Window Displays

For businesses that sell organic or natural items, emphasizing nature in your displays can be a big plus. To do this, you can incorporate earthy tones, plants and natural looking materials to play up one of your features that’s likely a main selling point for customers.

Choose a Unique Setting

Storefront Window Displays

You can choose to tell a story around your products using a particular setting in window displays. Like this one, which shows brand name clothing at a farmers’ market. By doing so, you can help customers picture a situation where they could use your items in ways they wouldn’t have otherwise thought about.

Get Festive

Storefront Window Displays

There are plenty of holidays throughout the year that give you the opportunity to create displays with festive holiday themed decorations. These decorations, whether surrounded by your products or presented as the main décor for your space, can give customers a positive feeling when visiting your stores or viewing your displays.

Create a Full Setting

Storefront Window Displays

For things like furniture or home décor, you may be able to benefit by creating window displays that depict an entire designed room or even a series of rooms. This type of display allows people to more fully visualize the type of space that they can create if they purchase your products.

Make Mouths Water

Storefront Window Displays

When dealing with food items, you can keep your displays fairly simple as long as they show off your products. You can arrange them in rows, circles, by color, style or size. But the most important thing is to make sure that your food items look delicious and ready to eat, since that’s what’s likely to encourage customers to buy.

Show Off All Your Products

Storefront Window Displays

In addition, when dealing with food or other products that offer some variety to customers, you can create window displays that show all of the different items you have to offer. The one picture shows the different types of bread very clearly since they are all separated by type.

Mix It Up

Storefront Window Displays

You can also use a few different types of props or formats within your display. Consider showing products in some parts of your display and other parts that showcase your products in use or even other decorations that fit with your brand.

Show Off Your Design Sense

Storefront Window Displays

If your business has to do more with a particular style or aesthetic than a set number of products people can choose from, then you can make your window displays more about that style you want to portray. Think about the colors, textures, patterns and other design elements that fit best with your brand and make sure that the overall look is something that customers can expect if they do business with you.

Window DisplayChairsSt. Patrick’s DayBig Sale SignsFantasyPeanutsJewelryFruit StandVintage Bike, FlowersGold ReindeerBedroom SetCupcakesBread ShopBeauty ShopFlower Shop Photos via Shutterstock

8 Comments ▼

Annie Pilon Annie Pilon is a Senior Staff Writer for Small Business Trends, covering entrepreneur profiles, interviews, feature stories, community news and in-depth, expert-based guides. When she’s not writing she can be found exploring all that her home state of Michigan has to offer.

8 Reactions
  1. It may help to just take a look around just to get inspired. It is not about imitating designs but looking for ideas and inspiration so that you can come up with your own storefront.

    • Yes, I completely agree! You can find a bunch of great inspiration out there and then just put your own personal touch on it

  2. Inspiration is great! I find myself taking photographs of great storefront windows when I travel around the world. Thank you for putting this article together because I am a HUGE fan of great storefront windows.

  3. I had a friend who combined robots with manequinns for his wifes thrift store. He had crowds outside her store.

  4. This is such a wonderful list of ideas. I am excited to look and see what I can apply to my own storefront in the downtown area of my local town. Dan seems to have a very interesting friend! I would be interested to see this list updated for 2020 trends.

  5. Definitely an inspiration right here. I’ve been helping my mother set up her new storefront and you best believe I’ll be using ideas from this list! Thank you!

  6. I Personally Like Your Post; You Have Shared Good Insights And Experiences. Keep It Up.

  7. Inspiration is great! I find myself taking photographs of great storefront windows when I travel around the world. Thank you for putting this article together because I am a HUGE fan of great storefront windows.