How can you tug on customers' emotions - and purse strings -  with your holiday displays? Check out these photos, tips and advice from top experts and retailers.

The recipe for holiday successgoes something like this:

step one

Buy the right jewelry.

step two

Draw customers’ attentionto the jewelry.

step three

Sell the jewelry.

Many jewelers concentrate so intensely on Steps One and Three that they skip Step Two, instead relying on unremarkable displays ... and in so doing, miss an enormous opportunity. Gift-buying during the holidays is a sentimental occasion, and jewelry display is your chance to feed those emotions, giving your sales team the opportunity to capitalize through quicker sales of more profitable items.

How do you create displays that fit not only your store’s sales goals, but also your brand identity? To help you brainstorm, we’ve rounded up a couple of our most accomplished visual experts, as well as three retailers who’ve shown prowess in this area (all have appeared in previous “Case Study” features in INDESIGN) to put together some holiday-themed displays (during the summer, no less!).

As you browse through these photographs, you’ll see a variety of holiday possibilities. Choose one for your store, brainstorm appropriate alterations, and watch this holiday season as customers, first fascinated with your displays, are then captivated by your jewelry.

capture a moment

ELLE W COLLECTION (NEW YORK, NY)

WE LOVE THEME PARKS like Walt Disney World and Universal Studios because they pick us up out of our ordinary lives and place us inside the stories we love. A great window or case display can do the same thing.“Consider windows as stage sets,” says Pam Levine of Levine Design Group. “Begin by asking your creative team: What is the story we want to tell?”

Window design and installation by Pam Levine, branding and visual merchandising director of Levine Design Group, in collaboration with Charles John and Ken Morrison (Phillip Williams Association)

Holiday décor supplied by Christine Taylor Collection christinetaylorcollection.com

Store photos by Marty Umans

“Cross-merchandising requires careful arrangement with attention to proper viewing angles to catch light and create interest. Although there’s a lot to see and absorb, the merchandise flow and arrangement engages emotionally with a hint of drama, yet without overwhelming the customer.”  — PAM LEVINE

Too much blank space, not a lot of drama. Lovely furniture with select items placed across, but with little height variation and less highlighting of individual items.

Mirrored furniture was angled, and important jewelry was placed on neck forms and atop larger handbags to draw the eye. Winter-white petals and florals direct the eye down the vase and across the table. Ice branches frame and direct the eye across the window. Snowflakes of graduating sizes were adhered to the outside of the glass, subtly drawing the viewer across a curve of flakes from one vignette to the next, tying the story together.

To update worn-out neck forms and provide consistent color matching, Levine Design Group used its new silver stretch velvet ChangeForm covers.

 

 

 

 

 

White branches, oversized yet delicate gold lace leaves, a feather Christmas tree, and ornaments stacked on graduating sized hatboxes all work together to draw attention up and down the display. A touch of winter-white coolness carries customers’ eyes to the corner setting of dripping white pearls, while a bold Chanel crystal necklace nests among opera glasses, evening bags and clocks.

 

Table lamps provide ambient lighting and evoke a residential feel, enabling focus on the art deco details. Black, clear Lucite, onyx and crystal, silver and diamonds, vertical posts and horizontal jewels direct the eye, linking different objects from one piece to the next.

 

Levine propped and created various levels to show off the jewelry. The levels also serve to lead the eye from one product to the next.

 

Jewelry drips out of drawers and embellishes evening bags, which are angled for selection. Cradling the name of the store owner is a small signature sign housed in a striking frame (also for sale).

 

create animpression

CHURCHILL (FAIRWAY, KS)

WHILE A STAGE SET CAN BE VERY SPECIFIC AS TO THE SCENE INTO WHICH THE CUSTOMER IS , another way to conjure powerful emotions is to go the route of Monet, Van Gogh, and Renoir: impressionism. By giving color primacy over line, these painters captivated the public, and according to Churchill fine jewelry manager and sales director, Chris Garrett, the same approach can work in holiday displays.

“We’re trying to use color, or the absence of it, as the subject matter,” says Garrett. “Everything we do, we try to do it systematically. We will often do an area that has a ‘wonderland’ of different textures and color — customers love it.”

the concept: “Our typical displays throughout the year are much more restrained, but for the holidays, we’ll do sections like this for an added ‘wow factor.’ We’ll photograph them for print ads, too. People are just amazed by displays like this.”

the color: “Our store’s owner, Sally Hilkene, doesn’t care for strong reds, so we did this concept in a subtle rose tourmaline color.”

the base: “This shot was taken on gauffraged velvet — a heat treatment where real gold is pressed into Venetian velvet.”

the concept: “Sally asked me to do a ‘Bling Christmas,’ and so I thought an icy cold winter scene would be nice. In the past, we’ve done a concept called ‘Bling in the New Year,’ and this echoes that. We had already done so much color that I wanted to balance that out with a neutral one.”

the jewelry: “Along the foreground, there are some estate necklaces. At the base of the  vase is a diamond collar in gold and silver. We use the trees a lot for diamond rings — they make an easy ring stand. I like things radiating out, and I thought the star pin in the center, which is an old estate piece, gave a nice effect.”the lighting: “I wanted to keep it romantic, and this was shot with the lights low to give that effect.”

the structures: “These are aluminum birch vases with a chrome finish by Michael Aram, which I’ve staircased with little crystalline trees.”

the base: “We are kind of a department store, although our chief item is fine jewelry, and so I used one of our dresses underneath everything. It’s a sequined dress that adds a little bit of color — the sequins in the dress have a bit of an ‘aurora borealis’ to them, as you can see a little green color there. The shimmer gives it a romantic look.”

 

make an (under)statement

SWAG (DALLAS, TX)

WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE: After a day of holiday shopping and being subjected to “Silver Bells” ten thousand times, seeing Santa everywhere you look and enough fake snowmen to cover the North Pole, you want a break from Christmas. Larry Johnson, author of The Complete Guide To Effective Jewelry Display and senior vice president of Pacific Northern, says your holiday displays can have the same effect if you’re not careful.

“Many retail jewelers overload the cases with décor items to create a holiday impression, and instead run the risk of undermining their sales purposes in the process,” Johnson says.

The place for holiday décor, he says, is more in the showroom, less in the cases. “Allow the store trim to create the ‘holiday shopping mood,’ but limit your displays inside the showcases to actually selling the merchandise.”

Displays by Larry Johnson, senior vice president of Pacific Northern and author of The Complete Guide to Effective Jewelry Display

“Incorporate some color in the showcases to direct the eye at the pieces you want most to sell. You’ll want to promote pieces that are priced at about 20 percent higher than the average price point of sales from that case. Put these pieces on some special displays you save for use only during this time of year. Bright red leatherette elements are a good choice for this purpose.”  — LARRY JOHNSON

 

"If you load the inside of a case with holiday props, you’ll risk distracting the customer at a time they need to be paying attention to your goods."

 

A higher proportion of your customers are buying gifts rather than making self-purchases, so their budgets are probably a bit smaller than usual. After the holidays, shoppers may be spending money they received as gifts, so raise the price points of the items you’re promoting in each showcase."

 

"Make the layout of the showcase easier to work with to accommodate the increased customer traffic. Remove tall neck forms that restrict associates’ arm movement. Replace earring stands or other pieces that tip over easily."

evoke nostalgia

UNDERWOOD’S FINE JEWELERS (FAYETTEVILLE, AR)
FOR A DISPLAY TO BE TRULY EXCEPTIONAL,  it  must stir emotions in its beholder, which can  then be transferred to the product. During  the holiday season, nothing  is  so tied  to feelings of love as nostalgic references to Santa Claus, reindeer, snowmen and other “typical” holiday references. The trick, of course, is to use these references in a way that is not typical, but artful.

Jean Phillips, a longtime sales associate with Underwood’s, has a talent for doing just that. “You can make your standard displays ‘Christmasy’ by using cheerful, bright lighting and backdrops,” she says. “People like to see some red and green, but I’ve done Christmas in brown and beige, or even pink and silver. I get tired of Santa Claus and sugar plums sometimes, but whether you go all out or keep it simple, you do want that Christmas theme in there, because we’re talking about Christmas gifts.”

the backdrop: “This is a piece of tissue from a gift shop, which they were just stuffing down into bags. I asked, ‘May I have one, and don’t mess it up?’ I have no shame when it comes to begging and borrowing.”

the reindeer: “I picked up two of these bronze reindeer in Tulsa. I range far afield — my husband says I shop more for Underwood’s than for myself.”

the jewelry: “These are line bracelets in ruby and sapphire, alternating with diamonds. I wish someone would give one of these to me, but they don’t.”

the pitcher: “This is a pewter pitcher from my house. I love old pewter like this.”

the props: “I found the sprigs of eucalyptus and berries at a local gift shop, as well as the ornament of the partridge sitting on the pear. That ornament gave me the idea for this entire display.”

the pearls: “The pearls are at the forefront; everything else is in there to get someone to come across the room and see the pearls. It’s a subtle way to draw attention to a piece of jewelry you think customers will like.”

the backdrop: “I use a lot of handmade wrapping papers, which you can find online. This one is a light green with silver sparkly stripes. It’s subtle, but it contributes to the holiday atmosphere.”

the concept: “Once I had the greenery and the partridge, I found a background of soft colors. It’s ‘Christmasy’ in that there’s greenery and the silver color, but if you took the pear ornament out, it could be a fall window.”



“There’s a cemetery near our store where you can find pine cones and needles. The texture of the pine needles is really something I like, and you can use them in the fall or during the holidays.” —  JEAN PHILLIPS

 

the color: “A gold window with gold eucalyptus leaves — it’s a departure from the norm. Gold is a Christmas color, especially if it’s a little sparkly. You don’t want to overdo it, like using sequins that will reflect light back to the customer.

the ribbon: “The gold around the jewelry is a ribbon from a gift shop; it’s openwork but not overpowering, so it blends with the gold eucalyptus.”

the liner boards: “These are liners we had made with masonite or some sort of particle wood, and we had a painter paint the board black and then put gold leaf on the boards (the black brings down the glare of the gold). So when I want to use gold, I have these handy.”

 

“I picked up the bear in Tulsa at a giftshop, just because he was adorable. I was thinking, ‘I can use you somewhere.’ Somewhere in my travels, I picked up this long red branch, and now I cut it up to do what I want it to do. And there’s a birch log behind the bear.”

tell a story

RONAY JEWELERS (ST. PETE BEACH, FL)
CAN A DISPLAY SELL JEWELRY WITHOUT ACTUALLY INCLUDING JEWELRY IN? Jorge Ronay of Ronay Jewelers believes it can, especially if it tells a story intrinsic to the way jewelry is made and what it stands for.

“The idea is always to grab people’s attention,” says Ronay, whose father taught him the fine art of displays at a young age. “People of every generation should have a memorable experience when they see our store windows.”

For the 2010 holiday season, the Ronay family (including Jorge, his sons Alan and Alex, and his daughter Jessica) put 300 man hours into a display that depicts the journey of jewelry, from the diamond mine, to the shop, to the tiny wrapped box sitting under a Christmas tree. “Look at how far this piece of jewelry has traveled: from being underground for millions of years, to being in the hands of some of the most talented and skilled artists, to your hands,” Ronay says. “It’s really a fantastic journey and an even more fantastic way to surprise her this holiday season.”

the display: “For the 2010 Christmas season, instead of showcasing jewelry, we decided to do something extraordinary by creating a miniature scale model of the journey a diamond takes on its way to a customer’s home. Diamonds are first rough and found deep in mines. Workers have to journey deep inside the Earth’s crust to excavate the rough stones. Then they are transported to a diamond-cutting workshop, where highly skilled polishers cut and grind stones to reveal the unique beauty within. Later, master setters place the now-polished diamonds in exquisite precious metal settings. Last, but most importantly, the customer picks out their favorite piece of jewelry to give as a gift for a loved one. The miniature itself is approximately 1:12 scale. Some of the photos contain a penny for referencing the scale. The miniature was created using foam board and artist board as well as many other materials, including paint, clay, rocks, fabrics and wood.”

the mine: “The mine was made using an expanding foam, giving the rocks texture and the illusion of being millions of years old. We also used real lava rock to simulate the effect of rocks typical of diamond excavation sites. The inside part of the mine was made with wire mesh, and there are a few CZ’s hidden inside of the mine. The mine carts were created with illustration board and filled with rocks painted to look like diamond ore.”

the workshop: “The workshop was made all in illustration board and foam board. Every element shown here was made by hand, even the floor. The background and the pictures in the wall are patterns that Alan created, printed and applied to the cardboard. Those are real crystals and real gold and silver on the desks. All the workstations were made with cardboard, then painted by hand to represent wood and the different stages of the diamond process. The miniature microscopes and some tools were made by my son, Alex. One of the pictures that appear on the workshop wall is my great-grandfather’s workshop in Hungary in 1875. The other picture is my grandfather, Frank Ronay, in his workshop in Mexico City around 1945. (I’m the fourth generation of jewelers.)”

the house: “The house was also made with illustration board. The rug, gifts boxes and Santa’s stockings were handmade by my daughter Jessica and the wood sofa by my son Alex. All the rest — the fireplace, the stairway handrails, the wall pictures and frames, even the wreath on the fireplace — were made by Alan. Notice a certain jolly red guy stuck in the chimney!”

 

BY SARAH YATES, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, GRID/3 INTERNATIONAL

1 Don’t crowd your windows; less is more.

2 Keep all displays consistent with your store image.

3 Create focal points in your windows.

4 Use color and readable text to help get your story across.

5 Use different levels and planes of merchandise and props to keep the customer’s eyes moving.

 

BY LARRY JOHNSON, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, PACIFIC NORTHERN

1 Decorate your store more than the interiors of your showcases.

2 Don’t allow holiday trim to overpower your merchandise.

3 Use quality decorations that reflect your store’s brand image and positioning.

4 Use a contrasting holiday accent color on in-case displays to draw attention to special pieces.

5 Implement a key-item program to raise the average ticket price of items in each case.

6 Promote slightly higher priced pieces in the weeks following the holidays.

7 Remember to make your efforts, and your choice of trim items, inclusive of all types of holiday celebrants. Everyone should feel welcome in your store. Make sure your staff is clear on the fundamental gift-giving traditions of each group.

 

BY PAM LEVINE, BRANDING & VISUAL MERCHANDISING DIRECTOR OF LEVINE DESIGN GROUP

1 Know what inspires your customers, and speak to them in a visual language that rivets them.

2 Use props to draw and attract passersby. Once up close, make sure the props take a back seat to the merchandise you want to sell. Remember, the product is always the hero.

3 Plan ahead and select merchandise to tell themes and stories.

4 Consider the space you have to work in. How can you create a dynamic presentation?

5 Don’t overpower merchandise with large props.

6 Don’t create a monotone display. Use color, color tones, texture, materials and lighting for beauty, drama and inspiration.

7 Don’t lay everything out on the bottom of your window or on a flat surface. Instead, create dimension and vary heights, arranging elements and props to catch the eye and stimulate exploration.

8 Use fabric-wrapped blocks, risers, lifts or other merchandise to show your jewelry (books, gift boxes, picture frames with colored paper or fabric inside, etc.).

9 View your window from the outside so you see what the customer sees.

10  When displaying diamond jewelry or rare gems, display only a few, in order to demonstrate their beauty and rarity.

11  Arrange your items into small groupings or vignettes that conjure up a scene, evoke a memory and grab attention.

12  Dramatic spotlighting can be used to break up a flat display of small detailed items, allowing the eye to distinguish, engage and focus on each piece.

This story is from the July-August 2010 edition of INDESIGN