It’s not easy to stop customers in their tracks to gain their full attention. Shoppers are busy, they’re distracted, and they’re bombarded by thousands of visual messages all day long. In order to break through all of that, you need head-turning retail displays that insist people stop and take a closer look.

First, you have to get people into your store, or the retail displays you build will go unnoticed. Your window must make a statement that grabs attention and piques interest. Your window display can be off-the-wall, or it can feature a few of your most enticing products. But it must tell a story about your store – a story customers can grasp in 2.5 seconds.

Big, bold, color, movement

Oddly-shaped retail displays attract more attention, too. But here’s the thing. It might be the unusual or “loud” aspects of your display that captures your customer’s attention. But getting customers to take the next step – personally engaging with the merchandise – depends on the products you offer and how you arrange those products and props within each display. 

Make creative use of the latest technology

Customers are surrounded by technology, which means they often expect to see and use technology within your store. That said, not every tech function or feature fits every retail environment. On the other hand, interactive kiosks are amazingly versatile, whether free-standing, self-contained units or smaller units incorporated into specific retail displays.

It is especially challenging to make your brand stand out among thousands of SKUs in a grocery or similar store. Some are turning to creative lighting techniques, such as interactive LED light strips that kick into action when they sense body heat from a pausing customer. It’s an interesting concept, using technology to acknowledge shoppers at a specific product display. (How could you adapt this shelf-strip idea for your non-grocery retail displays? Hint: It runs on batteries, so you can use it anywhere in your store.)

What else stops 'em in their tracks? Change.

Retail experts talk about freshness as a critical sales factor. You should feature the newest merchandise. You should renew displays – or rotate them within your store – often. Freshness matters because it’s all about change. That’s critical, because once customers have seen your displays, they stop seeing them. Shoppers want something new, and when it catches their eye, they will stop to check it out.

Stopping customers in their tracks is just the first step. Well-built retail displays will also draw people closer, invite them to interact with products, and motivate them to buy.