Walking down a shopping street in Scandinavia, you immediately get a sense of what is in each shop — because a sampling of merchandise is often displayed outside on carts and racks in front of the store.  This proved to also be true at Milwaukee’s Discovery World, where a display of green and blue snakes subtly tempts shoppers to come into the gift shop.

Displaying goods outside seems counterintuitive when you consider how much energy American retailers spend trying to protect ourselves from shoplifting.  And I’m sure that the occasional snake slithers away from the Discover World shop undetected.  But if you take into account the benefit of bringing shoppers into the store, this loss could actually be considered an advertising cost.

The shops in Denmark will often put sale goods out on the street, so it doesn’t matter so much if they get stolen, or slightly damaged by rain.  Bargains tend to stop pedestrians and make them look for something that will be a good buy.

Other Scandinavian stores put first-quality goods outside, but attach them to a rack or railing. (Or they might have an employee stationed outside to tend to this display.)  We know that whenever you can get a customer to see and touch what you sell, you are much more likely to make a sale.  Seeing and touching outside becomes a preamble to the in-store experience.

I’m not suggesting that you put small, easily pocketed items outside in front of your store, or that you have an outdoor rack that isn’t at least partially visible from inside. Perhaps a closed display or a sign that catches the eye of passersby will work for you.  But window shopping may remain just that if you don’t have a good way to tempt passersby to come in from the outside and make a purchase.

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder