Guidelines for store design and display windows

Zhandos BalykbayevRepresenter of H&M in Almaty

Plan of Presentation Stores that inspireDressing Windows Guidance and inspiration for

customers Online and catalogue shopping

complements the storesTips for Creating Winning Store

Window DisplaysVirtual window shopping

Stores that inspireThe store is H&M’s most important place for

meeting customers, which is why the right store design is the be-all and end-all. Guidelines for store design and display windows are drawn up at Head Office.

The store and its display windows are the most important communication channel H&M has with its customers, and that’s why their design is so important. Either every other, or every three years, H&M creates a completely new interiors programme for a large number of stores. The starting point comes from a special, new store on an interesting market.

Dressing windows Definition by American Heritage

Dictionary : Window dressing ( what is it?) Decorative exhibition of retail merchandise in

store windows.Goods and trimmings used in such displays.

A means of improving appearances or creating a falsely favorable impression: "The realignment ... may be more window dressing than a substantive change in how the company does business" (Connie Guglielmo)

Definition by Wikipedia A display window (most commonly called shop

window (British English) or store window (American English)) is a window in a shop displaying items for sale or otherwise designed to attract customers to the store. Usually, the term refers to larger windows in the front facade of the shop. Display windows at boutiques usually have dressed-up mannequins in them.

Putting a window display of merchandise in a store’s window is called "window dressing", which is also used to describe the items displayed themselves. As a figure of speech, "window dressing" means something done to make a better impression, and sometimes implies something dishonest or deceptive. 

Guidance and inspiration for customers Interiors programme has to work around different conditions and be adapted

to suit. In this way each store becomes unique. When we set up new stores we often choose the premises because of its location – not because of how it looks. Our aim is for stores to be inviting and inspiring. They should appeal to a wide public so that everyone feels comfortable in them, whatever their background.

The store’s most important task is to create a clear framework for a range that is constantly changing. The aim is to offer a varied shopping experience throughout the whole store.

The display window is perhaps the most important part of the store, as it is the first meeting the customer has with H&M. Displays in the windows and most important areas are changed every ten to 14 days, all over the world. The guidelines for the displays in more than 5,000 H&M windows are created in a large “test store” at Head Office in Stockholm. They need to inspire customers and emphasise the best of our collections. The clothes should look inviting and be displayed with accessories and footwear, sometimes combined in a way that customers themselves wouldn’t have thought of.

The layout of the display windows should suggest an association or a feeling, without taking focus away from the clothes. The store environment should be inspiring, but also make it easy for customers to find what they are looking for easily. That’s why the way that garments are presented is crucial to making it simple for customers to differentiate between different styles or departments.

Online and catalogue shopping complements the storesFor more than 25 years, H&M customers in Scandinavia

have been able to shop from home through a catalogue, and since 1998 via the internet too. The strength is the freedom of choice, with customers being able to choose which sales channel suits them best at the time.

Although the stores are H&M’s main sales channel, catalogue and online sales strengthen H&M’s profile and increase the service provided to customers, thereby making H&M even more accessible. In the future, customers from even more H&M countries will be able to shop via the internet and catalogue, despite the fact that the most of the expansion is happening through stores.

One H&M, lots of ways to shopYou’ll find H&M stores on every other street corner and in many countries* you can also shop by mail order, either with H&M online shopping or using the H&M catalogue. However you do it, it’s still H&M you’re shopping with. And you’ll get just as much fashion and quality for your money.

Store Of course, we’re delighted to see you whenever you pop into an H&M

store. You can have a look around and see all the new items that appear on the rails every day and find lots of fashion ideas to inspire you.

Shop Online If you haven’t got time to come to an H&M store, large parts of our

range are available for online clothes shopping. Shop online and find out how nice it is to shop for clothes exactly when you want to – our online shopping store hm.com never closes and new garments come in all the time.

Catalogue If you want to lie on the sofa and take a peek at the season’s fashions

before everyone else, make sure you get our mail order catalogue sent to you. You can then choose whether to phone in your order, send it by post or order online.

Shop Online H&M

Tips for Creating Winning Store Window DisplaysAs a retailer, your display windows are literally your windows to

the world. They are the face that you present to passersby, the first impression you make with customers, and the easiest way to draw attention away from your competitors.

Whether it’s Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, or back-to-school time, a good window display should include a theme. Moreover, you want to highlight your store’s image. Are you trendy? Cutting edge? High end? Do you offer great bargains? While you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can tell a lot about a store by its window displays. Many retailers overlook the potential of their display windows to grab the attention of potential customers. Think of them as three-dimensional billboards.

From a creative aspect, there is a lot that can be done to make your store windows dazzle. However, there are also practical concerns to address. Before you begin, first consider these ten tips:

Ten tips:1.Don’t overdo it. Less can be more, or at least more easily

discernable to the eye. A cluttered window loses appeal and featured items can get lost. 

2.Make merchandise the focal point. Not unlike a television commercial in which everyone remembers the commercial but forgets the product, you do not want your window dressing to overshadow your products. 

3.Accentuate products with good lighting. Whether the window is recessed or under a spotlight, the goal is to highlight the products within the overall display. If the window design simply features your brand/image, rather than specific products, then balance the lighting throughout.

4.Stack products or use a pyramid. Place items in the window at varying heights and depths to catch shoppers' attention and make the overall display inviting to the eye. 

5.Have fun with mannequins. If you are using mannequins, create interesting poses, and make sure that each one is well lit and easily visible to customers passing by. 

6.Be creative. Let your imagination run free — as long as you don’t lose sight of the objective — and draw customers into the store with innovative, attractive, and compelling displays. 

7.Remember your theme. Keep your window theme in mind and decorate according to that theme.

8.Draw in drivers. If your potential customers drive rather than walk, make your display larger and use more color to draw the attention of a passing motorist. 

9.Use backdrops. Backdrops are useful tools to create positive and forceful displays, and to separate the window from the store. 

10.Stock up on featured products. Don’t draw customers in to buy merchandise that you don’t have enough of

Be creative . Get noticed.

Virtual window shoppingH&M sends shoppers on the run with this new partnership

with AR platform startup GoldRun. The GoldRun app lets iPhone users view, interact with and take pictures of H&M clothing and accessories in front of any of the retailer's 10 Manhattan locations. The users choose the items they want to view and "capture" them with their phones to receive an instant 10% off H&M goods.

The app will also allow users to try on virtual outfits and post images to Facebook to create their own lookbooks.

One of the brains behind GoldRun is CEO Vivian Rosenthal, who's also the co-founder of digital media studio Tronic. The app encourages users to interact with GPS-linked virtual objects located in the real world in the form of "runs," highly targeted, hyper-localized activities that people can opt into with their smartphones.

GoldRun application

Get ready to do some serious shopping...

See you soon at H&M