1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:04,720 A shop window isn't just a display, it's a salesperson 2 00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:08,720 working for you 24 hours a day. Coming up, everything 3 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:11,760 you need to know to make yours impossible to walk past. 4 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:17,120 Welcome to the Resilient Retail Game Plan. I'm Catherine Erdly and in the 5 00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:20,880 next few minutes you're about to get powerful real world retail strategies 6 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:24,920 from insights shared both from my guests and myself, backed up 7 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:28,760 by my 25 years in the retail industry. Keep listening to learn 8 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:32,610 how to grow a thriving, profitable product business. Let's jump 9 00:00:32,610 --> 00:00:33,970 in with this latest episode. 10 00:00:37,650 --> 00:00:41,330 Today's episode is one that came directly from a trip that I took 11 00:00:41,330 --> 00:00:45,130 to Spring Fair a few weeks ago. I bumped into quite a few people 12 00:00:45,130 --> 00:00:48,730 who listened to the podcast, which is always a pleasure, and it also 13 00:00:48,730 --> 00:00:52,050 meant that I got to ask them what they wanted to hear more of. This 14 00:00:52,050 --> 00:00:55,890 topic was overwhelmingly a favorite one that you wanted me to address. 15 00:00:56,930 --> 00:01:00,730 My guest today, Sarah Manning was the obvious choice to reach out to, 16 00:01:00,730 --> 00:01:04,560 as she is a visual merchandising consultant, course leader, and 17 00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:08,040 a real expert in her field. It made for a great 18 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:11,880 conversation. We talk about the value of great window displays, 19 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:15,320 how to work with awkward spaces, and how visual merchandising 20 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:19,320 is an important consideration for anyone who sells in person, whether 21 00:01:19,320 --> 00:01:23,120 that's in a shop or at events or shows. I asked 22 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:26,600 Sarah what her four guiding principles are when implementing window 23 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:30,360 dressing and what she came back with was something I honestly hadn't heard framed 24 00:01:30,650 --> 00:01:34,210 this way before. She has a great name for it. The Power of the 25 00:01:34,210 --> 00:01:37,770 Pyramid. It's all about elevating your 26 00:01:37,770 --> 00:01:41,490 concept, your composition in the window, whether 27 00:01:41,490 --> 00:01:45,290 you're working with fashion or 3D products to the 28 00:01:45,290 --> 00:01:48,330 eye line of the customer. And it's all about 29 00:01:48,410 --> 00:01:52,090 engaging the customer's eye as they walk past 30 00:01:52,090 --> 00:01:55,850 your shop window. The top of the pyramid should be at 31 00:01:55,850 --> 00:01:59,490 the eye line, which is called our focal point, and that is the 32 00:01:59,490 --> 00:02:02,490 key area that the customer is going to concentrate on first. 33 00:02:03,130 --> 00:02:06,170 So all of that should contain your 34 00:02:06,410 --> 00:02:10,170 Ultimate Hero product or kind of push products as we 35 00:02:10,170 --> 00:02:13,850 call it. So anything that you want to highlight to the customer 36 00:02:13,850 --> 00:02:17,170 first, you place it there. We also work with lots of 37 00:02:17,170 --> 00:02:20,810 threes, repetition, alternation, and also our 38 00:02:20,810 --> 00:02:24,490 half pyramid, which is the asymmetrical pyramid, which 39 00:02:24,490 --> 00:02:28,330 quite cleverly takes the customer's eye towards the entrance as 40 00:02:28,330 --> 00:02:32,090 well. We always follow the graduation. One of you sent in a 41 00:02:32,090 --> 00:02:35,650 question by Instagram that really gets to the heart of something I think every 42 00:02:35,650 --> 00:02:39,290 independent retailer wrestles with. Do you use your window to push 43 00:02:39,290 --> 00:02:42,970 products or to tell your brand story? Sarah's answer 44 00:02:42,970 --> 00:02:46,330 Surprised me especially what's changed since 2020. See, 45 00:02:46,570 --> 00:02:50,330 Sarah works with clients that range from small independents to Tower 46 00:02:50,330 --> 00:02:54,170 Bridge itself. And what she's seen across all of them is a shift in what 47 00:02:54,170 --> 00:02:57,970 customers expect. It's not just about beautiful displays anymore. 48 00:02:58,370 --> 00:03:01,970 I think it's a really interesting question. And I would say with most of 49 00:03:01,970 --> 00:03:05,610 my own customers since 2020, it's been 50 00:03:05,610 --> 00:03:08,530 really important for them to actually visually 51 00:03:08,930 --> 00:03:12,610 communicate who they are as a brand in their window. 52 00:03:13,090 --> 00:03:16,850 So all of that is really important because as a kind of customer 53 00:03:16,850 --> 00:03:20,450 now, our sort of expectations have greatly changed and we 54 00:03:20,450 --> 00:03:23,620 really want to understand and have 55 00:03:23,620 --> 00:03:27,340 transparency of those brands that we are choosing to come and 56 00:03:27,340 --> 00:03:31,100 shop now to communicate who they are in 57 00:03:31,100 --> 00:03:34,780 the shop window. That could be a slogan, that could be 58 00:03:35,340 --> 00:03:38,900 using QR codes that are scannable, that the 59 00:03:38,900 --> 00:03:42,500 customer can find out more information on that 60 00:03:42,500 --> 00:03:45,580 brand. And also showing your product in a way, 61 00:03:46,060 --> 00:03:49,620 maybe with various different textures and kind of props and kind of 62 00:03:49,620 --> 00:03:53,220 colors, which also helps to illustrate who you 63 00:03:53,220 --> 00:03:56,300 are as a brand. In regards to 64 00:03:56,700 --> 00:04:00,060 seasonal, I also work with a lot of 65 00:04:00,060 --> 00:04:03,900 customers, including, say, Tower Bridge, that we do 66 00:04:04,220 --> 00:04:07,660 seasonal installs for, which happen every two months. 67 00:04:08,060 --> 00:04:11,900 And all of that helps to create that freshness and that newness 68 00:04:12,220 --> 00:04:16,060 for the customer. However, at the same time, we also tell 69 00:04:16,060 --> 00:04:19,820 the story of Tower Bridge through that concept. 70 00:04:20,730 --> 00:04:24,410 So I think it's really important to talk about who 71 00:04:24,410 --> 00:04:28,090 you are as a brand. So that could just be your brand logo, 72 00:04:28,490 --> 00:04:32,170 a slogan which kind of gives the customer an idea 73 00:04:32,330 --> 00:04:36,010 of who you are and also maybe a QR code. 74 00:04:36,810 --> 00:04:40,490 Here's where it gets really practical and honestly, a little counterintuitive. 75 00:04:40,570 --> 00:04:44,210 You might assume you put your bestsellers in the window, but Sarah's 76 00:04:44,210 --> 00:04:47,800 take, not quite. Usually 77 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:51,720 most product that is showcased in a window is new, 78 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:55,600 seasonal or promotional. I see the 79 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:58,600 shop window as an area of opportunity. 80 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:02,920 So you wouldn't ever put product in there that your customers are 81 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:06,440 going to come in for anyway. It's an opportunity to 82 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:10,040 really showcase to the customer your 83 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:13,910 newness and promotional product and 84 00:05:13,910 --> 00:05:17,590 also for independence, a kind of great way to 85 00:05:17,590 --> 00:05:20,830 try and upsell something that hasn't sold. 86 00:05:21,470 --> 00:05:25,070 So I've got lots of independent kind of customers who won't always 87 00:05:25,310 --> 00:05:28,950 have new product coming through. So actually, that 88 00:05:28,950 --> 00:05:32,630 shop window can work as a really great example 89 00:05:32,630 --> 00:05:36,230 of how you can push product that maybe 90 00:05:36,230 --> 00:05:39,670 hasn't sold. That actually, you know, if it's placed in a 91 00:05:39,670 --> 00:05:43,030 window, it's dressed, it's styled, it's accessorized, 92 00:05:43,670 --> 00:05:47,390 then place at the hotspot in store, which is the first area that you come 93 00:05:47,390 --> 00:05:51,190 to most of the time. We do see increases 94 00:05:51,190 --> 00:05:54,910 in sales in that. Okay, so we know what 95 00:05:54,910 --> 00:05:58,750 goes in the window, but how often should things actually change? I 96 00:05:58,750 --> 00:06:02,430 had a hunch Sarah would say as often as possible, but her answer 97 00:06:02,430 --> 00:06:05,190 is a lot more nuanced and a lot more manageable. 98 00:06:06,070 --> 00:06:09,870 We often will suggest every four weeks in 99 00:06:09,870 --> 00:06:13,100 regards to changing the composition in a shop 100 00:06:13,250 --> 00:06:16,690 window. I think anything more frequent to that 101 00:06:16,770 --> 00:06:20,210 is often time consuming. But it's very important 102 00:06:20,370 --> 00:06:23,570 that every four weeks you create that sort of newness 103 00:06:23,890 --> 00:06:27,690 coming through. So if we give the example of 104 00:06:27,690 --> 00:06:31,250 Tower Bridge, the spring concept, which is 105 00:06:31,250 --> 00:06:35,010 currently there, is only there usually for about two 106 00:06:35,010 --> 00:06:38,530 months. However, after Easter, we will take 107 00:06:38,530 --> 00:06:41,810 the Easter elements out of it and just keep in 108 00:06:42,340 --> 00:06:46,180 more spring. So actually, from a customer's point of view, it 109 00:06:46,180 --> 00:06:49,860 creates that illusion of newness constantly. When we 110 00:06:49,860 --> 00:06:53,580 look at larger department stores where they have a 111 00:06:53,580 --> 00:06:56,740 larger spend, say someone like Selfridges or 112 00:06:56,740 --> 00:07:00,460 Harrods, usually you'll see that turnaround every eight to 10 113 00:07:00,460 --> 00:07:04,260 weeks because they have greater sort of, you know, 114 00:07:04,500 --> 00:07:07,820 spend on that concept. However, for 115 00:07:07,820 --> 00:07:11,580 independents, I feel if they can try and structure some 116 00:07:11,580 --> 00:07:15,200 kind of change in the window every four weeks, 117 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:19,520 even if it's just a slight product change, it will really 118 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:23,280 help just to kind of draw more attention to the window 119 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:27,120 and just keep it really fresh and interesting for their customer. 120 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:31,280 What Sarah said next is the kind of practical tip that genuinely makes things 121 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:34,640 feel doable. If you're a small business owner with limited time and budget, 122 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:38,720 it's about building a permanent skeleton in the window. So the 123 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:42,560 monthly fresh is just about a wardrobe change, not a full rebuild. 124 00:07:43,430 --> 00:07:47,270 And I would say with lots of customers who I work with, 125 00:07:47,270 --> 00:07:50,710 we will pre set up a sort of template, if you like, in 126 00:07:50,790 --> 00:07:54,630 window. So say we're going with the symmetrical 127 00:07:54,630 --> 00:07:58,350 pyramid. I will pre set up, say, plinths or 128 00:07:58,350 --> 00:08:01,510 kind of podiums in the window that give you that 129 00:08:01,750 --> 00:08:05,190 symmetrical shape. And then all they have to do 130 00:08:05,270 --> 00:08:09,110 each month is just change the actual product and maybe any 131 00:08:09,530 --> 00:08:13,130 prop elements in the window. But the structure is already 132 00:08:13,530 --> 00:08:16,970 preset, so that can be really helpful 133 00:08:17,290 --> 00:08:21,010 for independence to actually have a permanent sort of 134 00:08:21,010 --> 00:08:24,810 structure in the window, which obviously brings that height 135 00:08:24,810 --> 00:08:28,490 up, brings the eye line to the product, and 136 00:08:28,490 --> 00:08:31,810 all of that can be created with kind of crates or floor 137 00:08:31,810 --> 00:08:35,170 plans. Not every retailer is working with a 138 00:08:35,170 --> 00:08:38,780 beautiful, wide, deep shop window. I heard this a lot 139 00:08:38,780 --> 00:08:42,140 at Spring Fair. My window has no depth. Mine is tiny. 140 00:08:42,380 --> 00:08:46,020 Mine is basically a gap in the wall. So I asked Sarah what to do 141 00:08:46,020 --> 00:08:49,860 when the space itself is working against you. I actually have 142 00:08:49,860 --> 00:08:53,660 a particular client, Elenique, who has got a lovely 143 00:08:53,660 --> 00:08:57,500 clinic in Fulham Road in London. And I've worked 144 00:08:57,500 --> 00:09:01,220 with Elena for probably the past eight years now. Her window 145 00:09:01,220 --> 00:09:04,700 is really shallow, so we tend to do a lot of 146 00:09:04,700 --> 00:09:08,500 hanging in her window. So we've had like a hanging 147 00:09:08,500 --> 00:09:12,220 rail installed over her shop window 148 00:09:12,700 --> 00:09:16,340 where we can hang graphics or we can hang props 149 00:09:16,340 --> 00:09:19,580 in there. We've also used a 150 00:09:19,660 --> 00:09:23,420 floral arch quite a few times, particularly at Christmas, 151 00:09:23,820 --> 00:09:27,420 because the feet on the arch are quite short, 152 00:09:27,580 --> 00:09:31,340 so it kind of sort of slots in. So having something that's quite narrow 153 00:09:31,820 --> 00:09:35,420 or hanging. But I've got another customer who's got a very 154 00:09:35,420 --> 00:09:39,030 slender shop window who's had a screen put into 155 00:09:39,030 --> 00:09:42,830 that. So it, you know, it kind of, sort of allows them to 156 00:09:42,830 --> 00:09:46,310 constantly showcase kind of content on that screen. 157 00:09:46,950 --> 00:09:50,510 You can also have quite small podiums created, 158 00:09:50,510 --> 00:09:53,750 which obviously help to give you the elevation of height 159 00:09:54,390 --> 00:09:58,190 and then also allow you a bit of a kind of platform to be 160 00:09:58,190 --> 00:10:01,670 able to dress. And also hanging shelves can 161 00:10:01,750 --> 00:10:05,430 also actually be really effective in those areas. 162 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:10,120 So maybe thinking more about what you can hang from 163 00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:13,040 the ceiling rather than on the floor area 164 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:14,080 itself, 165 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:21,640 Then we got into something that might split opinions. Open 166 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:25,400 windows where customers can see straight through into the shop, versus windows 167 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:28,760 with a background screen or barrier. And honestly, I hadn't really 168 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:32,440 considered how much of a difference that choice makes until Sarah explained 169 00:10:32,440 --> 00:10:35,760 it. When we talk about open windows 170 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:39,640 and open windows are brilliant because that obviously allows the 171 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:43,400 customer to actually see through in store. However, 172 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:46,920 it can create confusion because 173 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:50,720 obviously you're not looking at the window, your eyes sort of focusing 174 00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:54,680 straight past the window. So to be able to break that 175 00:10:54,680 --> 00:10:58,500 eye up and to be able to allow the customer to. 176 00:10:58,650 --> 00:11:02,250 To really focus on the window, we would either put in 177 00:11:02,250 --> 00:11:06,050 like a hanging panel just behind the window area, you 178 00:11:06,050 --> 00:11:09,570 know, that only needs to sit in the middle of the window, so it's not 179 00:11:09,570 --> 00:11:13,290 going to sort of block out light either side. So it could be a 180 00:11:13,290 --> 00:11:16,850 panel. I've had a couple of examples where we've 181 00:11:16,850 --> 00:11:20,090 created like a branded graphic which is hanging. 182 00:11:20,490 --> 00:11:24,130 We've also hung some fabric which can also be really 183 00:11:24,130 --> 00:11:27,810 nice for a home interior store. You can do, 184 00:11:27,890 --> 00:11:31,690 say something like wallpaper panels, and 185 00:11:31,690 --> 00:11:35,450 it just separates the customer's eye. So it kind of 186 00:11:35,450 --> 00:11:39,010 helps to allow them to really focus upon 187 00:11:39,330 --> 00:11:42,809 the actual concept in the window. So. So that creates 188 00:11:42,809 --> 00:11:46,490 strength and then it also helps to be able to create 189 00:11:46,490 --> 00:11:49,730 the clarity inside. So you are able to see through, 190 00:11:50,130 --> 00:11:53,970 but you're also able to actually concentrate on the Window as well. 191 00:11:55,920 --> 00:11:59,680 By this point in our conversation, I wanted to zoom out beyond the window 192 00:11:59,680 --> 00:12:03,200 itself because Sarah is actually writing a whole new course 193 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:06,720 on the retail experience. And what she shared next about external 194 00:12:06,720 --> 00:12:10,360 theatre makes so much sense of what I've been seeing while out and 195 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:13,760 about recently. I'm currently 196 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:18,040 creating some new content for a brand new online course 197 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:21,680 through the ual, which is all about creating this retail 198 00:12:21,680 --> 00:12:25,430 experience. And one of the first chapters is us 199 00:12:25,430 --> 00:12:29,070 talking more about examples of 200 00:12:29,070 --> 00:12:32,910 brands that have created impact not only through 201 00:12:32,910 --> 00:12:36,470 their shop window, but actually on the exterior of their 202 00:12:36,470 --> 00:12:39,990 store to make the customer want to 203 00:12:39,990 --> 00:12:43,830 feel that they are entertained and ultimately help to 204 00:12:43,830 --> 00:12:47,550 draw them in. And a couple of great examples to talk about, 205 00:12:47,630 --> 00:12:51,200 I feel, which is obviously looking at more sort of luxury 206 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:55,040 brands, is Louis Vuitton has some fantastic examples 207 00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:58,840 that we can all take inspiration from. So a couple that I've 208 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:02,480 used on that course is the Rainbow, 209 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:06,480 which was shown on their flagship here in London, which 210 00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:10,320 obviously ultimately created that pointer as well in store, 211 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:13,680 but it was obviously right on the exterior of the store, 212 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:17,280 which obviously creates greater impact as the customer is 213 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:20,910 approaching. And then cleverly, like a sort of 214 00:13:20,910 --> 00:13:24,750 asymmetrical kind of pyramid takes the eye not only to the window 215 00:13:24,750 --> 00:13:28,550 but also to the entrance. It also creates 216 00:13:28,550 --> 00:13:32,110 that sort of talking point, photograph opportunity. 217 00:13:32,830 --> 00:13:36,550 And also another one which was shown at Harrods, which was 218 00:13:36,550 --> 00:13:40,270 in 2023, when they collaborated with Kusama, 219 00:13:40,350 --> 00:13:44,110 who's the Japanese artist. And we probably all saw 220 00:13:44,190 --> 00:13:47,630 the polka dots on Harrods and also the Harrod 221 00:13:47,630 --> 00:13:51,200 size Kusama painting those polka dots on 222 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:54,800 Harrods itself. So it's all about creating that 223 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:58,560 huge theater. Maybe, you know, talking about the 224 00:13:58,560 --> 00:14:01,920 art element too, which is very interesting. 225 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:06,160 Selfridges have added lots of touch points to the glass. 226 00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:09,920 So it isn't just about a sort of static window, it's about 227 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:13,760 something that maybe plays music or creates kind 228 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:17,040 of movement. And then also AR technology, 229 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:21,040 which is AR scannable codes. You can have 230 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:24,720 more of a. An experience through your smartphone, if 231 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:28,000 anyone's interested. We actually talk about quite a lot on the 232 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:31,520 courses. The collaboration with Selfridges and a company 233 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:34,680 called 8th Wall, which was taken from 234 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:38,480 2022, where they had the AR scannable codes 235 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:41,840 actually in store, which kind of sort of allowed you to have 236 00:14:42,290 --> 00:14:46,130 like a holographic kind of catwalk experience. So 237 00:14:46,210 --> 00:14:49,650 there is lots of sort of elements that kind of can be added 238 00:14:50,050 --> 00:14:53,530 to the outside, which obviously then 239 00:14:53,530 --> 00:14:57,250 creates the theater to draw the customer inside. 240 00:14:57,650 --> 00:15:01,450 Something I've heard referred to as the third window is what happens Once a 241 00:15:01,450 --> 00:15:05,290 customer actually crosses the threshold is that first display they encounter 242 00:15:05,290 --> 00:15:09,050 inside the store. Sarah had some very specific thoughts on how 243 00:15:09,050 --> 00:15:12,810 to make it work hand in hand with whatever's in your actual window. And 244 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:18,160 so the hotspot area, which is that kind of third 245 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:21,960 area as you come through, as you talk about, should be 246 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:25,760 your area as you come into the entrance. So the 247 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:29,600 hotspot area shouldn't be too close to the entrance because that 248 00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:33,440 can also subconsciously block the customer flow. So 249 00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:37,080 it should be further back so you have that clear space before the 250 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:40,620 customer actually, you know, to encourage them to come in. And then 251 00:15:40,940 --> 00:15:44,700 they obviously sort of discover the hotspot space. 252 00:15:45,180 --> 00:15:48,460 That hotspot space can be a table, it can be 253 00:15:48,460 --> 00:15:52,300 rails, can be any type of kind of fixturing. However, it 254 00:15:52,300 --> 00:15:55,979 should hold all of that range of product that 255 00:15:55,979 --> 00:15:58,860 you've just shown your customer in the window. 256 00:15:59,820 --> 00:16:03,620 So it's creating that opportunity which we 257 00:16:03,620 --> 00:16:06,930 say in the industry, see it, like it, buy it. So you're seeing it in 258 00:16:06,930 --> 00:16:10,530 the window, you like it, it's kind of sort of drawing you 259 00:16:10,530 --> 00:16:14,210 in. And then that product is the first product that you come across 260 00:16:14,610 --> 00:16:18,290 as you come in to store. And usually if 261 00:16:18,290 --> 00:16:21,850 we're looking at sales through vm, that 262 00:16:21,850 --> 00:16:25,530 hotspot is quite an important area because it kind of helps 263 00:16:25,530 --> 00:16:29,290 to sort of drive more commercial sales. Particularly 264 00:16:29,290 --> 00:16:33,110 if you've got those packages of products all together at 265 00:16:33,110 --> 00:16:36,910 that area as well, which kind of obviously comes on to link 266 00:16:36,910 --> 00:16:40,630 selling. So that about trying to sell your customer 267 00:16:40,630 --> 00:16:44,430 that entire package of product that you've just shown them in 268 00:16:44,430 --> 00:16:48,270 the window. When you were saying that about the external theatre, I was thinking 269 00:16:48,270 --> 00:16:51,990 about obviously for independence. Then some of these things are, 270 00:16:52,310 --> 00:16:55,990 you know, if only we all had the Louis Vuitton budget. But I was thinking 271 00:16:55,990 --> 00:16:59,630 about just even certain areas where you see lots of 272 00:16:59,630 --> 00:17:02,570 independence. I was in North Lane in Brighton, for example, 273 00:17:03,210 --> 00:17:07,050 shops, they almost like paint upwards as well. So it's like you see. 274 00:17:07,130 --> 00:17:10,970 And the other place that always strikes me is Camden. As you're 275 00:17:10,970 --> 00:17:14,770 walking from Camden tube station to the Camden Lock market, there's 276 00:17:14,770 --> 00:17:18,610 a lot of those shops will have. There's like a giant Dr. Martens boot on 277 00:17:18,610 --> 00:17:22,330 the side of the Dr. Martens store. And there's like again like the paint will. 278 00:17:22,410 --> 00:17:25,850 It'll be the brand colors. But then it's almost like the first story of the 279 00:17:25,850 --> 00:17:29,410 shop has been painted as well. So it feels quite eye catching. There's a shop 280 00:17:29,410 --> 00:17:32,970 there in Brighton called Soctopus and it's bright blue and it's got the big 281 00:17:33,340 --> 00:17:37,140 logo on it. So it sort of really stands out. So I love what you're 282 00:17:37,140 --> 00:17:40,940 saying about brand colors, like the color impact of the shop being really 283 00:17:40,940 --> 00:17:44,660 important as well. I wanted to ask Sarah where she 284 00:17:44,660 --> 00:17:48,340 goes when she needs a hit of inspiration. And she didn't just rattle off the 285 00:17:48,340 --> 00:17:52,060 obvious names, she gave us a genuinely useful list. And one 286 00:17:52,060 --> 00:17:54,700 recommendation in particular I hadn't come across before. 287 00:17:56,060 --> 00:17:59,380 I would really recommend, if you are local to 288 00:17:59,380 --> 00:18:03,020 London, if you, you can go and look at them in person, I think it's 289 00:18:03,020 --> 00:18:06,520 brilliant. However, equally, we can all obviously access 290 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:10,480 all of the content from pictures in store and also in the 291 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:13,720 windows on their Instagrams. But look at Harrods, 292 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:18,120 Liberty, London, Selfridges, particularly the corner shop 293 00:18:18,120 --> 00:18:21,800 is a great example of a pop up shop which changes 294 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:25,480 approximately every eight weeks. They have four shop 295 00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:28,720 windows there which are brilliant examples of these 296 00:18:28,720 --> 00:18:32,300 interactive shop windows and lots of brand theatre. 297 00:18:32,780 --> 00:18:36,060 Also looking at brands like Fortnum and Mason, 298 00:18:36,620 --> 00:18:40,380 particularly at Christmas time, is a great example of 299 00:18:40,460 --> 00:18:44,220 showcasing food and 3D packaging in a 300 00:18:44,220 --> 00:18:47,940 really inspiring way. They had their advent calendar this year that 301 00:18:47,940 --> 00:18:51,420 was really fun. Where they actually had like in the windows of Fortnum and Mason, 302 00:18:51,420 --> 00:18:55,180 they had the different numbers. Yeah, their windows look 303 00:18:55,180 --> 00:18:58,110 absolutely brilliant. I would also say 304 00:18:58,190 --> 00:19:01,830 Tiffany for jewelry is a great one. 305 00:19:01,830 --> 00:19:05,550 If you're working more with smaller showcases 306 00:19:05,950 --> 00:19:09,630 in your windows or also in store, that is a very 307 00:19:09,870 --> 00:19:13,710 great example of how they use their brand color 308 00:19:13,950 --> 00:19:17,630 and really kind of sort of brand props which 309 00:19:17,630 --> 00:19:20,990 kind of take the element all the way through really 310 00:19:20,990 --> 00:19:24,760 consistently. And then finally talking about 311 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:28,880 somebody in our industry called Tim Nash, who's got a 312 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:32,560 fantastic blog called the Shop Drop Blog. Obviously I'll give 313 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:36,040 Catherine the link. Yeah. Now he's got his own 314 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:39,800 podcast, but he's also got a blog page that you can 315 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:43,760 subscribe to his complimentary newsletter that comes out 316 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:47,160 every Thursday. And he has got lots of great content 317 00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:51,400 on pop up shops which are happening globally. And there are lots 318 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:54,520 of examples on there of great installations, 319 00:19:55,320 --> 00:19:58,600 great product placement and also great use of 320 00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:02,320 branding. Fantastic. Thank you, that is great. Yeah, we will definitely 321 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:05,800 link to that in the show notes. Thank you so much. And yeah, do you 322 00:20:05,800 --> 00:20:08,520 want to just finish off by telling everyone where they can find out more about 323 00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:12,320 your work and your courses? Of course, yes. So if you want 324 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:15,800 to check me out, you can check out the website, 325 00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:19,160 which is visualmerchandisingcourses.co.uk 326 00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:22,970 and on Instagram it's 327 00:20:22,970 --> 00:20:25,210 @visualmerchandisingcourses 328 00:20:27,370 --> 00:20:31,210 So there we have it. A masterclass in making your shop window do the 329 00:20:31,210 --> 00:20:34,730 work for you. If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it with a friend 330 00:20:34,730 --> 00:20:38,090 who might enjoy it too? And don't forget to like, follow or 331 00:20:38,090 --> 00:20:41,850 subscribe to be the first to know about each new episode. And 332 00:20:41,850 --> 00:20:45,250 don't forget to join us next week when we'll be exploring how getting a handle 333 00:20:45,250 --> 00:20:47,960 on your data can transform your marketing.