In a world of digital marketing, I still believe there is a place for putting your best foot forward through your shop window.
And this has never been more apparent to me than this week when we launched our Easter window.
(Our new Easter window at Osborne's)
As soon as Attracta and Zoe had completed the window, people on the street were stopping to take a look and feast their eyes on the bright and cheery colours of our new seasonal stock.
There’s something about the pretty pastel colours of Spring and Easter that are just such instant mood enhancers.
Flash back to this time last year though, when we were still in lockdown and had our shutters down – it was a very different story.
Even though the shop was closed in March 2021, we still created an Easter window, to cheer ourselves up – and always living in the hope that we might have been able to open before Easter had passed.
Egg hunt arrow sign: £7.25
One day last Easter we decided to throw the shutters up and remind anyone who happened to be out on the street that day what a shop window looked like!
I can’t tell you how good it felt to let some light into the shop and see people stopping and smiling at the Easter scene that we had created.
It was good for the soul and it felt like ‘The good ol’ days’!
It was short lived through because we soon got a call from the Council to say that we weren’t actually supposed to have our window on display in lockdown!
It was so worth it though, to bring some joy to anyone going passed – no regrets here!
Our Peter Rabbit mixed wool hanging decoration: £9.60
And it felt great again this week, to receive so much positive feedback from anyone coming into the shop or taking the time to message us and say how much they loved our window.
It made me realise that shop window displays are still a key marketing tool, even in this digital marketing driven world.
Don’t get me wrong – I fully respect the power of digital marketing and what it can do for a small business like ours.
But I’ve also seen the power of a good shop window at enticing someone through your door – and there’s a certain charm in the old skool shop display that no digital marketing strategy can ever match.
Large Furever bunnies: £56.99 each Also available in small & medium.
Some times we get so bogged down by the pressure to upload that reel or provide the links to that product, take photographs for that Instagram post or film a Live chatting about those new arrivals that we forget to lift our heads and take care of the traditional retail practices that keep a shop ticking over.
We like to put a lot of thought into out window, particularly at Christmas time.
And I think there will still be a place for eye-catching window displays on our local High Street for many years to come.
Daffodil/Bunny glass hanging decs: £4.40 each.
Thank you so much for your feedback this week. It has really put a Spring in our step knowing that it’s brought a smile to so many of you.
What do you think?
Do you still think shop window displays are as important as they used to be?
What do you prefer - digital marketing or 'old skool' retail marketing?
Let us know in the comments.