Arranging for Great Sales

Top Display Tips for Gifts

For this article, boutique shop officials described their top display tips.

At The Wharf Shop in Sag Harbor, N.Y., Co-Owner Gwen Waddington said, “We do color themes, and we change things out frequently. We also often theme our display merchandise. Overall, sought out in the shop, too. To sell more of any of these items, he noted changes in his own approach. “The personal touch customer service part of it has had to change somewhat, because of the pandemic. We are not as close to the customer and don’t engage as much as we used to, I don’t think. So, display and social media are big. Any independent boutique has had to do more with social media than they already were,” he attested. “Getting that online word out there is important. Display-wise you need to feature items more prominently in the store; and with customer service, you have to be able to explain products quickly. It’s counterintuitive, but you just can’t have that five-minute conversation with customers anymore. We still have to engage and educate, but briefly, and from a distance.”

Mo Meehan , owner and manager of Lantana’s we like to tell a story with merchandise from compatible companies and use visually compatible merchandise.”

In Watch Hill, R.I., Erika Anderson, owner of Westerly Gifts reported, “I have a lot of items from local artists, and the main display tip I recommend is keeping those kinds of items together and displaying like-items by category.”

Located in Scottsdale, Ariz., Gift-ology Owner Parag Shah described his display technique as based in attractive positioning, both throughout the store and on a specific display space. “We don’t do color themes, but I will crossmerchandise when I can. Mostly it’s about placing everything in one place, for example face masks, or candles, and making the items look attractive in that spot.”

Mo Meehan, owner and manager of Lantana’s Gallery in coastal Southport, N.C., also voted for grouping like-items together. “We do color themes and seasonal displays, too. We’re a tourist-based town, so we try to display a good mix and cross-section of gifts to fit everyone’s budget, from local shoppers to visitors that just want to see some new fun seasonal items. That mix is the most important part of display.”

And in Cambria, Calif., at The Garden Shed, speaking for Owner Ashley Gracey, the shop’s cashier, Katherine, said, “We tend to keep like-items together. For example, all our soaps are in one area, and within that area, each product has its own display, such as goat’s milk soaps and lotions and caramels all in one area.” ❖

Gallery in coastal Southport, N.C., said she has wonderful gift options in her 1,000-square-foot shop. “We carry Paddywack candles, and they are one of our biggest sellers, both for year-round and holiday scents. We also carry Northern Lights and Illume candles, Cat Studios dish towels and art prints, Illume lotions and body washes, which are all great gift products for us.” She lists a few other top sellers for her shop: “We also carry Blinko Glass from West Virginia. That’s a company that’s been hand-blowing glass since the 1800s, and people will come to us exclusively for those pieces. And we’re an authorized retailer of Mackenzie Childs gifts. We have a large following of those customers, with housewares and gifts.” She said all of these items do well for the store because “We try to make sure we have items both unique to Southport itself, and items that are simply not available anywhere else in town.”

Striving to find these special items is one important aspect of elevating

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Co-Owner Gwen Waddington of The Wharf Shop, photographed with baby apparel on display behind her. Customers want to support this family owned store, which is located on a real Main Street. Waddington’s mother, Nada Barry, who started the business in 1968, is the other co-owner.