Top

Traditional vs. Contemporary Christmas Displays

When we think of Christmas we think of reindeer, we think of Santa and snow, we think of family parties and opening presents. It evokes imagery that is synonymous with the festive holiday season and that’s exactly what shops try to do when December looms closer and closer. They use clever branding and marketing techniques to entice you off the street and into the store. At Christmas, retailers love to be visually impressive and it gives them the opportunity to go all-out and really go for it, all with the aim of getting more customers into the store.

But over the years has anything really changed? Do we still respond to the same things we have always responded to? Has contemporary replaced traditional design?

Traditional Displays

Christmas on Main Street was always a place to enjoy fantastic displays in shop windows, exciting designs and fun POS boards all helping to promote the festive feel. This hasn’t really changed much over the last 50 years but the execution of it has. In the 50’s and 60’s retailers in the USA would use storefronts and shop windows to display story-book-like settings of Santa and his elves or perhaps reindeers in a barn on a bed of snow. This then became the benchmark that UK retailers started to also use. Some figures would be mechanical, so detailed and crafted that they captured the imagination of thousands of children and passers-by as they shopped.

It became a tradition for some families and people made it an event each year, to go downtown and visit the local department store or toy store to see what the Christmas display was going to be that year. It brought people together and created a kind of social event you don’t always get nowadays. Woolworths is one retailer who always made a big effort with their window designs and this included Christmas figurines, large Santa sacks, food, wrapping paper and a host of popular toys at the time. This tradition continued right through to the early 2000s, when their doors later closed.

Incredibly, any animated scenes in many shops were hand-operated by staff below or behind the window, usually with turn-operated levers. A crude and labor-intensive method of putting on a show but clearly something that gave a lot of joy to those watching. The effort involved was immense, from preparation and production to delivery and clearly the shops felt it was worth it if it drew the crowds.

Contemporary Christmas Displays

In comparison to the “traditional” window displays of yesteryear, today’s layouts are usually visually impressive, cleverly branded and big. Quite a contrast when you consider that a lot of the traditional designs were not concerned massively by brand marketing. The lure of a new window display at Christmas may have been an opportunity to bring families together back in 1960 but today, it’s used as a promotional tool on Main Streets and online. People still come to see these unveilings but many major retailers make a big deal of their new window displays and you can see brands like Harrods and the New York favorite Macy’s Department Store all engage with the public through some incredible designs.

The Power of Visual Suggestion

This isn’t mystical mumbo jumbo but in fact something that scientists have proven; people are visually stimulated by imagery and colors. This of course is like a red rag to a bull with Marketing companies looking to snare you right off the street and many marketing campaigns utilize this advantageous approach in order to attract more customers. The idea that there is no place left for bricks and mortar shops is one that surely cannot come to pass. Although the internet has now taken over a large percentage of the shopping experience, after many years this has balanced out again and actually many people still prefer to go to a shop and feel and touch the products they are looking at buying. With this in mind, what would become of the classic and modern window displays if suddenly the high street was no longer viable and people were shopping mainly online? Visual creativity would take a big hit and a tradition would be lost forever.

What seems to both enthuse retailers and attract customers is the idea that each year there can be a theme for each one. In the past Macys have done displays based on The Nutcracker, Cinderella and The Magic of Christmas. These themes then set the stage for sometimes ingenious designs and captivating scenes. Normally there are a host of carpenters that work on a project at any one time and it can take months in advance to create the models, mannequins or decorative features for the display. This level of commitment to persist in providing this holiday pastime ensures the tradition lives on and customers continue to be fascinated and compelled by them.

Contributed by Vicky Dean. Dean works with KSF-Global.comShe is a passionate writer with a background in retail and operations management. In her spare time she enjoys running and watching classic movies.

Post a Comment

Disclaimer

This blog accepts forms of cash advertisements, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensations. While we may receive commissions when you click on some of our links and make purchases, this does not impact our reviews, comparisons, opinions or thought-leadership perspectives. Please note we also welcome contributed content and there may be links that are affiliate oriented within these contributions, as well. Retail Minded always aims to deliver trusted news, education and support for our readers.

Read More about our Privacy Policies

AS SEEN IN...

Retail Minded on Entrepreneur
Retail Minded on Fiverr
Retail Minded on Forbes
Retail Minded on Gift Shop
Retail Minded on LRG
Retail Minded on Museum and More
Retail Minded on NBC
Retail Minded on Party Paper
Retail Minded on today