Seasonal Décor: How to Keep Retail Spaces Fresh and Engaging

Christmas decorations up weeks before Halloween? Yep. That’s retail reality. So, first, let’s provide a hat tip to Pumpkin-Headed Turkey Claus, despite incidents of resistance.

Timing fluidity notwithstanding, seasonal décor is fundamental to the retail store experience. Done well and it’s a powerful tool to attract customers, enhance their in-store experience and boost sales. Done poorly and it takes up valuable space, doesn’t provide ROI and drains the all-important holiday spirit.

So how do retailers maximize the positive impact of their seasonal décor? We have some thoughts.

Align décor with brand identity

Seasonal décor should amplify your brand’s identity, not overshadow it.

Incorporate brand colors, logo elements and design themes into festive displays to maintain consistency. Whether it’s back-to-school, summer vacation or Christmas, intertwine your brand into décor, fixtures and displays so shoppers connect your stores with important seasonal wants and needs.

Coach New York Townhouse pop-up installation, The Hyundai Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Giovanni Zaccariello / Coach).

This means Santa and Mr. Turkey don’t just stand there and absently smile. They’re joyous and actively engaged, surrounded by branded bags from your store as they exalt their shared excitement over fresh cookies… or a new PlayStation. Or how can your brand act as a necessary fulcrum between summer vacation and back-to-school, so customers know you’ve got them covered, whichever is their present focus?

Prada holiday pop-up located in Selfridges, London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Prada).

Does a large part of your store lead with organic food or outdoor gear? Make a connection to sustainability and use only eco-friendly materials like reclaimed wood or recycled paper for branded seasonal decorations.

When customers see your seasonal displays, they should feel an authentic connection between the décor and your brand’s story and values.

Ensure flexibility and scalability

Seasonal décor should be easy to implement across multiple locations, ensuring a consistent customer experience. Are your fixtures easily adaptable to changing needs, such as seasonal promotions? Fixtures that are flexible, modular and durable can provide refreshed and different looks and uses for years, lowering costs while maintaining quality.

Retailers also often need to accommodate a store fleet with diverse footprints. That means flexibility starts with ease of initial installation, as well as the potential to be moved or augmented during seasons and as purposes change. It’s worthwhile to know in advance if installation and deployment changes can be easily accomplished by associates, as opposed to professional installers.

Nordstrom's "Wonder all the Way" located in New York, New York. (Photo by Nordstrom).

Flexibility also means adapting to regional, cultural or demographic preferences. For example, stores in different parts of the country might emphasize unique aspects of the season — like snowy holiday scenes in the north versus sunny, tropical holiday themes in the south. Celebrating fall leaves won’t work as well in Phoenix as it will in Vermont. Tailoring décor to resonate locally can create a stronger emotional connection with customers.

Grand Central Holiday Fair pop-up located inside the Grand Central Terminal in New York, New York. This destination features 36 local food and craft vendors and small businesses made within the state of New York or the U.S. (Photo by Grand Central Terminal)

Foster interactive and Instagrammable moments

Interactive décor engages customers and deepens their connection to your brand. Further, in today’s social media-driven world, creating visually striking displays that customers want to photograph and share can significantly boost foot traffic and online engagement.

A holiday setup might include a gift-wrapping station, a photo booth with themed props or digital touchpoints that share personalized recommendations when scanned. Some of these aren’t particularly new, but they can be presented in more engaging and interactive ways, including using hashtags or subtle branding within the displays so shared images serve as organic marketing.

Charlotte Tilbury and Harrods holiday pop-up located in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Charlotte Tilbury). 

Or go big! Lowe’s wanted to add a “Wow!” factor to its Halloween merchandising, so instead of just including a designated area for decorations, it partnered with Miller Zell and created an engaging haunted house-like structure. The display celebrated the season with animatronics and decorations available for purchase, while also being both durable and easy to assemble.

Lowe's engaged with Miller Zell to create a haunted Halloween Scastle.

Not only did it look cool and create social media moments, but also it increased sales.

Subtle touches that engage the senses matter, and this isn’t purely visual. Seasonal scents, music or sound effects can uplift customers and make the shopping experience more memorable.

Interactivity doesn’t just draw attention. It also encourages customers to spend more time in your store, increasing the likelihood of purchases.

Seasonal décor, when done right, can significantly enhance customer experience and drive sales. By aligning seasonal décor with your brand identity, leveraging social media potential, enhancing customer engagement through interactivity and maintaining flexibility, retailers can create memorable shopping experiences. These more than pay for themselves while also boosting your brand.