Retailers, it’s time to start preparing for your summer sales.  While things are heating up outside, you want to create a cool and inviting atmosphere to lure shoppers inside!  Following are some smart ways to make your store a bright spot for customers this summer:

1.  Window Displays – Your window display is your free advertising space!  It offers you the opportunity to catch  your potential customer’s attention, enticing them to find out more about what is inside your store.

Create a bright and visually interesting window display for summer.  Keep it balanced, simple and colorful.  Use cool bright summer colors.  Note that the hot color trends for summer 2010 include greens, reds, soft pinks, mauve and neutrals, along with bright almost neon accents.  Also, white and indigo blue make great anchor colors for your summer window displays.  Consider fun colorful promotional rope lights or bold reusable window letter clings for added impact.

Choose your focal points for your display by selecting the product(s) that will most appeal to your target audience.  Make sure these products are displayed at eye level.

Be creative! Summer is the perfect time to be whimsical and fun with your displays.  Use summer props, but, don’t overdo it.  You don’t want to create a cluttered display which makes it hard for customers to focus.

2.  Use mannequins to display your summer merchandise.  In addition to being eye-catching, mannequins show your customers what your merchandise will look on them.  You can use your mannequins to display various merchandise at once such as beach wear, hats, sunglasses, footwear, jewelry, watches and more.

Budget-friendly forms can also be used to display summer merchandise such as t-shirts and bathing suits.  In fact, light-weight shell forms can be displayed hanging from ceilings.  Air conditioning or any air
 movement will actually spin the forms giving it motion and added visual appeal.

3.  Place summer merchandise near the front of the store or in an area that can be easily spotted right away as your customers enter your shop. Keep in mind that some people can be turned off when they can’t spot what they saw in your window display in your store fairly quickly.  Place other desirable summer or sale items in different areas of your store and use retail signs to point out them in the right direction.

 4. Place sale dump bins and tables with older inventory you want to move in strategic locations near registers to encourage impulse buys.  Portable sale bins are also great for outdoors sidewalk displays. Every bargain hunter loves a sidewalk sale.

5. Place retail signage, sale banners and even balloons outdoors to advertise your sales.  Red, white and blue flags, bunting and pennants help to create visual excitement outside of your store.

6.  Hang summer clothing on portable clothing racks and move them outside or place in different strategic locations in your store.

7.  Set the right mood with good lighting, fresh summer scents and music.  Play summer inspired tunes in your store like The Beach Boys or Caribbean themed songs.

8. Finally, be sure to let your customers know about upcoming sales and any new merchandise that you have planned for the summer!  Invite them back with coupons, discounts or other rewards.  At www.DiscountShelving.com we regularly offer promotional discounts and coupons.  To sign-up to receive our latest offers click here.

What are some of your summer merchandising tips? Let us know in the comment section below!

Retailers are always looking for fresh ways to merchandise their stores. Fortunately there are plenty of solutions available that to help attract potential customers.  Among the most popular and inexpensive ways to create visual excitement outside of stores, especially during the summer, are banners, pennants and flags.  Colorful pennant strands and banners are tried and true ways to increase retail foot traffic.  Currently, red, white and blue nylon flags that sport words like Sale, Welcome and Open, patriotic U.S. flag pennants, as well as buntings that fan out, are selling from www.DiscountShelving.com at a fast clip.  Customers launching or “re-launching” their stores are choosing our convenient Grand Opening Kit, which comes complete with a 36” x 36” plastic sign, 100 feet of pennant flags and two 36” fan buntings.  Need more ideas? Check out our sidewalk signs, and other displays solutions at www.DiscountShelving.com.