Phone a friend. Or, in this case, phone a vendor. The vendors who sell you merchandise will be happy to provide you with POP displays and posters to help promote the items you sell. After all, if you sell out of their merchandise you will need to order more so that’s a big incentive for vendors to assist you by providing marketing materials. This is a great way to decorate your window and promote your merchandise at a minimal cost to you.

Spread the love by sharing the window. Create a sense of good will and community by offering your window space to local non-profits who are doing good work in the community. Every few months you can have a local non-profit or community organization use the window for a couple weeks to promote their cause or events. The change of pace will draw attention to your retail window display while giving deserving organizations the opportunity to spread the word about the services they provide.

Get artsy. Approach local artists or art students and ask them to paint backdrops appropriate for your store’s retail window display, images that reflect your store’s brand and personality. They will get exposure by having their work displayed and you will have eye-catching backdrops for your displays. The artists may be more eager to help if you allow them to leave gallery or studio information at the counter for customers to view. Keep in mind, though, that everyone has a different vision so it’s a good idea to go over ideas for the backdrop to make sure you’re on the same page. After all, a painting of a flaming bicycle flying off a cliff may be captivating but will it really help showcase your body oils or pet food?

Scrub-a-dub. Remember to keep your windows clean and smudge-free! You only have a few seconds to capture the attention of potential customers so you want them to focus on your retail window display, not on the sticky hand prints or dusty rain spots.