When was the last time you actually stopped by a window display to carefully look at trends in fashion, or a new technology gizmo, or even some jewellery designs.
Gone are the days, says Paco Underhill - the retail expert, who specialises in studying shopper behaviour, when passersby took time out to inspect a window display to understand fashion trends and be informed of the new brands on sale.
The reason as he explains is quite interesting. These days owing to high traffic conditions - both human and vehicular, there is always a cluster of people waiting/ moving at traffic signals (and on roads). This cluster is dense in some patches and sparse in others, and moves with a steady momentum. Any member of the cluster who might wish to go the other way or change tracks is likely to end up bumping, brushing past, or getting pushed around. So it is unlikely that people moving in a cluster will stop short in their track to look at a window display unless ofcourse it is eye-catching.
Most displays today, are cluttered. The intent of most shop-owners being to display all brands/ wares in the two by two ft space available. Paco observes that to make display truely eye-catching, one could use it to display social messages, jokes which could have brands as part of the message. A better idea than cluttering the space with merchandise!
