Nailing your store product display is essential for successful sales. In a time where customers can easily shop for anything online, the in-store experience you’re able to offer is what really will make your store stand out. Clients come in to being inspired and feeling something more than what they could ever feel behind a screen— and that experience is created also and especially through creative merchandising.

Effective merchandise display ideas can attract new clients, trigger emotional purchases, increase the time spent in the store, and encourage social sharing. To help you master product display in the best way, we put together a list of nine product display ideas and tips valid for all kinds of boutiques.

Invest in Good and Varied Lighting

Good lighting can set the right mood and make your products look fabulous at the same time. Create a bright and warm space where clients can feel at ease— they need to clearly see what’s around them but not be disturbed by too strong lighting. When setting up the space, consider making the different types of lighting work together harmoniously: ambient lighting, accent lighting, and decorative lighting are all equally important.

Ambient lighting will lead as the main element of the space, while accent lighting can be used to put some products in the spotlight as well as create precise lighting in window displays. Finally, decorative lighting can be a fun extra element to add to the walls: just make sure that is not clashing with the rest.

Have Fun With Colors

As with anything in life, bringing some color into your boutique is always a good idea. Colorful displays have been proven to grab customers’ attention much more than monochromatic displays, where the eye struggles to find anything specific to focus on.

Finding the right color palette, however, is key for a coherent and engaging display. In general, try choosing a maximum of three colors, so as not to overdo and confuse the clients. If you already have strong branding with set colors, consider reflecting that in your brick-and-mortar store; while if you need to pick colors from scratch, start from how you want your customers to perceive your store. Do you want the atmosphere to be fun, refined, old-flavored, or contemporary?

Apart from the elements in the store, an effective color scheme can be applied to product display too. You can organize clothing racks based on similar colors, and the same can be done for retail tables or wall shelving. Just make sure it all feels spontaneous and coherent.

Engage Customers with All Senses

Okay, so we covered the most immediate visual aspects, but what about the other human senses? If you want your in-store experience to fully engage your visitors, think about incorporating the senses of smell and touch. They’re an integral part of our body experiences and something that will wink at the most emotional side of your clients.

Smell-wise, choose a fragrance that is quite mild and neutral, staying away from too intense flavors. You can opt for candles and home fragrances, such as diffusers and sprays, or involve the smell only in the packaging, with perfumed boxes, tote bags, or wrapping paper.

For a tactile experience, encourage your clients to touch the goods around them, as that’s a crucial part of any purchase process. Display different textures and let your clientele explore your store collection with their own hands. 

Add Some Greenery

There’s something about having plants around you that makes everything instantly better. Plants add warmth to the space, create a more relaxing atmosphere, and make a store look curated and put together. Furthermore, they help in keeping the air cleaner and healthier, bringing some nature into the retail space.

Depending on your store size, you might want to invest in a few big plants or in groups of small succulents and mini plants. Use them in the boutique area or in the window display: they will enhance your merchandise display ideas and create a more pleasant experience for clients and visitors.

Educate Clients with Words and Signs

Product merchandising can also have an educational and informative value: use signs, small visuals, leaflets, and cards to provide any information that can be useful or inspirational for your clientele. Ideas are countless: you can print your store mission statement, tell the story of a particular brand, promote your latest offer, or give insights into the production process of a sustainable product. Place the signage where it’s visible and make it visually appealing.

Think About Themed and Seasonal Displays

To create engaging boutique display ideas, think about special themes to focus on. This will depend on your store category of course, but keeping track of the main holidays and shopping events of the year can be a good starting point for gathering ideas. Let your visual merchandising reflect the change of season or the rise of any major trends, and play with themed displays to both inspire customers and push purchases in the direction you need.

Don’t Forget About Bundling

Bundling and cross-merchandising are one of the oldest tricks to boost sales. Displaying complementary products next to each other can indeed inspire customers regarding the use of a specific product, while also increasing the chances of a higher order value.

For creative retail table display ideas, group different products together according to their use, their theme, or their color— travel accessories all together, kitchenware with kitchen utensils, or maybe a collection of pastel-hued hair accessories and small jewelry. The only rule is to give your clients creative ideas on how they can use products together for an even better experience.

Put Your Best-sellers In the Spotlight

Make your best-sellers clearly visible: they’re your strongest and high-selling products, so they should be the first thing your clients see when entering the store, in order to increase the chances of purchase. Arrange them in a spot where they can be reached easily, inviting clients to interact with the products themselves.

Also, consider arranging in the most visible display areas all those products that your customers might not know you have. If you’re a womenswear store for example, and have recently added home textiles to your collection, put this category in the front rows of your display structure: clients will go fetch women’s clothing anyway, but they won’t discover your home collection if you don’t make it visible.

Change your Product Display Often

Our last tip for a great product display is simply to change it up often. You want your store to be fresh and interesting at all times, both in its look and its collection. Switch things up, change the product arrangement, move from one theme to another, and keep giving your clients reasons to come back.

More From our Magazine