Based on your branding, marketing, and any community-specific promotions, you might not be the traditional red and green combo user, and that is cool! That means you have the chance to stand out in the crowd. When our Marshall Field’s Great Tree color scheme focused on hot pink and gold back in 2002, we found ourselves stepping into a fresh look for the holiday. Small clusters of silk flowers were added to the stacks of boxes on display and then later used for bridal and/or Valentine’s Day. Zero waste was our motto, long before it became an eco-friendly movement. 
Photo courtesy of Susan Kezon 

By Amy Meadows

Follow These Tips To Reflect Your Color Scheme 

In the fourth quarter, you are wrapping up your sales year and wrapping up merchandise for your customers. Whether it is merely placing those items in a nicely branded shopping bag or putting goods in boxes for the customer to wrap later, these are trivial details that can make a significant difference in conveying your brand to the recipients (i.e., future shoppers). 

Likewise, your displays should reflect the same color scheme and decorative details when using gift boxes inside your store and in your windows. Gift boxes are invaluable for creating height — especially on tablescapes! 

This is unlike the packages under our trees that (more likely) reflect a wide variety of papers, ribbons, boxes, and bags. We have discussed holiday decorations in detail but let us dig a little deeper related to these important, finishing touches. 

While I am a fan of painting as the optimal solution for updating older, mismatched, or damaged props, it is tough to beat yarn, string, twine, or fabric scraps for immediate “oomph” and impact. While the panel of birch branches is an effective color story of blues and grays for a furniture store, the multi-colored, wrapped branches create a clever window to promote what this store sells — yarn! Bingo — use the tools of your trade to promote the products you sell. 
Amy Meadows Photos 

Use Quality Paper 

It does not necessarily need to be ornate or expensive, but make sure your paper creases cleanly without showing the white background the folds. In the interest of cost and sustainability, have you considered Kraft paper? It comes in a variety of weights and can be accented with colorful ribbon, raffia, or strips of fabric. 

If your business is focused on handcrafts, consider precutting your paper to box sizes and go crazy with your paintbrush on a sunny day. Unleash your inner Jackson Pollock and splatter widely. Et Voila — you have custom gift wrap that is both cheap and cheerful! 

And here is another option if you want to stick with brown or white paper but do not want to go crazy with ribbon. An easy hack is to cut off more detailed, patterned paper approximately one-third of the total package width and simply wrap that strip around the gift box. Use ribbon, twine, or yarn to hold it in place, and you are done. 

Explore Ribbon Options 

Maybe you are like me and grew up saving special ribbon from holiday gifts for future use — beautiful grosgrain, satin, striped, perhaps a length of wired ribbon. In visual merchandising and window display, we would select and purchase gift wrap “wardrobes” that we could mix and match while remaining in the theme’s color story. 

One year, it was fuchsia and metallic gold, while the next year, it was two different shades of blue, with silver. There was no random red and green. 

Wired ribbon is a little bit of magic whether used in tree branches or display boxes. The loops and tails can be formed into a crisp bowl — essentially the “chef’s kiss.” 

Like good, quality gift wrap, ribbon can also be quite expensive. I have seen packages wrapped beautifully with string, scraps of yarn, and baker’s red/white twine. For a splash of color or bit of texture, slip in a bit of evergreen, a small ornament, or a candy cane. 

And what can you do with all those scraps? Here are some creative and environmentally conscious windows from Stumble & Relish, in Evanston, Illinois. 
Photos courtesy of Stumble & Relish 

What Else Can I Wrap? 

That is easy! If you find yourself with an abundance of yarn, twine, or strings, there are a myriad of display uses in addition to using them with boxes or bags for customers’ purchases. 

The simplest, fastest, and most forgiving use is to wrap prop items — branches, cans, foam balls, hoops — to update color and texture. As a bonus, you can unwrap those items for continued use. Check out my Pinterest boards for splendid examples! 

If you are using gift bags, changes in tissue paper can provide a seasonal update. On a recent trip to Danville, Illinois, I was offered a wide variety of options of paper to accompany my purchase. Not only was I thrilled to have so many choices, but the display rack itself also was an effective fixture, fully visible behind the cash wrap. When you are squeezed for space on the selling floor, variations on ladders can be quite efficient. 
Photo courtesy of Lima Bean Glassworks & Gifts 

Have an interesting display to share? Or a question about visual merchandising strategies for your business or your district? Visit www.windowsmatter.com for more information.