Whenever the calendar moves into a new year, people and businesses alike take something different with them into the next 12 months.

For retail businesses, both January and the start of the new financial year in April are optimal opportunities to have a fresh start and take advantage of new opportunities to catch the eye of consumers, whether they are current, lapsed or potentially new.

The best way to do this is to have a look at the shopfront and see if it is appropriately conveying the needs and values of the business. 

Because they tend to last a long time, they can be something that ends up out of sight, out of mind, but there are plenty of reasons to consider upgrading your storefront over the next 12 months.

The first reason is if other nearby stores are starting to change, modernise or update their image, as there is a danger of falling behind the times.

This does not mean the store requires a radical reinvention although that can sometimes help, but instead just needs to look like as much care is put into that vital first impression as is paid to the rest of the store’s concept.

On a similar basis, updating the shopfront is often one of the more outwardly facing attempts to attract new customers, especially following or in the midst of a rebrand.

The space behind the glass is not just an opportunity to showcase new products but works as a vivid advertisement, one that has the potential to draw the eye of an audience already looking to shop and potentially buy in that area.

The first modern shopfronts in department stores took full advantage of this, creating tableaus, showcasing interesting designs in imaginative settings and strongly highlighting promotional opportunities.

This work put into the presentation of the store will result in sales, as long as the rest of the retail channel is as streamlined and easy for consumers to navigate as possible.