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Getting customers in your store ... by putting them in the window

April 25, 2011 by Laurel Tielis — Author and Professional Speaker, Laurel Tielis & Associates

If you've been looking for an easy and inexpensive way to bring in more business, check this out. Taking advantage of people's propensity to sit — at their desks, on their couches, and behind the wheels of their cars — to create buzz for their business and involve people with their store, Paul's Hat Works invited neighbors and customers to sit in their front window. Talk about engaging with your clientele!

A San Francisco-based men's hat shop owned by four savvy young women, Paul's Hat Works has been in business on the same street since 1918. The owners, who call themselves the Four Pauls, are Abbie Dwelle, Wendy Hawkins, Olivia Griffin, and Kirsten Hove.

They bought the 1,600 square foot shop in 2009 and learned how to custom-craft hats from the former owner. No one, though, has had to teach them how to get the word out. They are mistresses of the art of guerilla marketing.

Playing on the interest in Mad Men, a TV show about a time in U.S. history when everyone wore hats, they used their front windows–each about four feet by six feet–to set a scene of the 1950s and '60s. Since women's and men's roles were clearly delineated at that time, the two windows were distinctly different.

The window for women offered a manicure kit, a yarn holder and knitting needles, as well as appropriate reading matter. The men's window featured an upright typewriter, a pipe, a newspaper, and a glass of scotch (actually apple juice).

The Women's Window

The Men's Window

Combining social media with mass media, they invited people to the shop through their page on Facebook, their blog, and by sending out press releases. The idea was people could visit the store, pop on a hat, and take a trip to the past.

The story was written about in the local newspaper, and picked up on a number of blogs. Passersby stopped to look, and to shop. Some offered to window-sit themselves. Word-of-mouth started working.

According to Kirsten, "More people wanted to sit, than there was time." Sales, she said, increased by about 10 per cent. The Four Pauls are planning to make window-sitting an annual event.

Their innovative idea required a minimal outlay of time and dollars, and resulted in ongoing business that continues to pay off. Use it in your store to increase both your sales and your connections with customers.

About Laurel Tielis

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