Chapter 4: Refreshing Seasonal Displays
Seasonal displays, which correspond with a specific season, often prove an effective marketing tool. They cater to changing consumer interests and attitudes. It’s essential to pay close attention to retail seasons and capitalize on those relevant to your product. If you’re interested in creating seasonal retail campaigns, consider using temporary displays, which are designed for short periods. This chapter will discuss seasonal displays — what they are, how to create them and how often to replace them.
What Are Seasonal Displays?
Seasonal displays are temporary displays intended to fit a specific season. Remember, “seasons” in retail include more than the four seasons of nature — they center around national holidays and other events. Examples of seasons for which companies make displays include:
- Back to school.
- Winter holidays, especially Christmas.
- Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and other single-day holidays.
- Lawn and garden season.
- Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
What Does “Seasonal Store” Mean?
Seasonal stores are only open during specific retail seasons. One of the best-known examples is Spirit Halloween, which is only open during early fall. You might consider creating seasonal store displays, especially if your products fit well with a specific season. For instance, a company that sells candy products would do well by partnering with a seasonal Halloween-centered store. Companies can better reach a particular customer base with such displays.
How Can You Create the Best Seasonal Retail Displays?
Some seasonal displays are more successful than others. Whether or not a seasonal display will work for you depends on several different factors, including your customer interests and your attention to detail. Here are some tips for creating the best seasonal displays:
- Know the seasons your customers care about: Consider your target consumer. Is your biggest demographic a certain age, gender, marital status or religion? You can use your knowledge of your customer base to choose the most relevant retail seasons. For example, if many of your customers are married men, a Valentine’s Day display could be an effective strategy. On the other hand, if your key demographic is mothers of teenagers, you might prefer a back-to-school display rolled out in the summer.
- Use relevant colors, texts and graphics: Make sure your display themes align with the season. For example, if you’re creating a St. Patrick’s Day seasonal display, use green themes and words emphasizing luck to match the holiday. You’re more likely to interest consumers if your display looks relevant.
- Play on changing attitudes: Be sure to recognize consumer attitudes and how they shift with the seasons. Are customers more likely to prioritize convenience and practicality or fun and excitement? What kind of visuals will they respond to? For example, messaging around the winter holiday season emphasizes family and comfort, while summertime messaging focuses on excitement and adventure.
When Should You Refresh Your Seasonal Display?
Taking advantage of seasonality can help you generate sales. However, knowing when to roll out and retire seasonal displays can be tricky. When should you refresh your seasonal displays? Be sure to catch your consumers when they’re shopping for a specific season or holiday. Here are a few examples of when to refresh seasonal displays:
- Back-to-school: Most back-to-school displays roll out in early July and last until September — 62% of parents start back-to-school shopping before August, so you could miss out if you wait too long.
- Christmas: If you’re going to create a Christmas display, you might want to do so earlier than November, as 38% of consumers start holiday shopping before the end of October.
- Valentine’s Day: For Valentine’s Day, gift-shopping times vary. Consumers buying jewelry often do so in advance. Chocolates, which almost half of shoppers buy, tend to be last-minute purchases.
Pay attention to shopping trends to ensure you time your displays for optimal performance. It’s a good idea to do some research regarding when customers tend to shop for various retail seasons.
Learn More About Seasonal Displays
Seasonal displays are based on retail seasons, which generally center around holidays and other events. They align with changing consumer interest, so they feel fresh and relevant. Some stores are purely seasonal and use only themed displays, such as Spirit Halloween. Companies can benefit from placing marketing materials in seasonal stores.
To create an effective seasonal display, pay close attention to your consumers. Think about what retail seasons they’re most likely to care about. Use messaging that aligns with the season, apply relevant color schemes and be strategic about timing. Learn more about designing seasonal displays using custom-printed corrugated cardboard. We can create fun, exciting seasonal displays for your products at Creative Displays Now — call 1-866-244-2214 to find out more.