Does your store have a Halloween hutch? You might be missing out

Pictures of #halloweenhutches, from stores and homeowners alike, are popular posts on Instagram. Take a cue from the trend for your store.

Does your store have a Halloween hutch? You might be missing out

For the past few years, homeowners and store owners alike have been showing off their “Halloween hutches,” on Instagram and the #halloweenhutch trend is still going strong. Collectors are packing everything from modern hutches to rustic chic ones with seasonal tabletop and décor and it’s a great way to see what’s trending in the category.

Having a hutch in your store to display seasonal dishes and decorative items is not only a great merchandising hack, but it’ll also inspire trendy shoppers to add to their hutch collection.

“I have many friends who have collections of things and have ‘merchandised’ them together seasonally in their homes, for ages and ages,” said Linda Cahan, visual merchandising expert and retail design strategy consultant. “Years ago I had a client who would buy an entire display from a store and set it up in her home, so a Halloween hutch is definitely a viable merchandising tool!”

Cahan points out that there’s room for store owners to tap into the trend: “There are many people who love the look but feel insecure about how to achieve it,” she said. “Doing it in-store will encourage them to buy/collect more.”

To properly merchandise your in-store hutch for the season, Cahan recommends having a balance of colors, sizes and shapes. “It seems that three colors are best, such as black, white and orange; or orange, white and a touch of green,” she said. “Too many colors looks like a confused mess.”

Lately, it seems black-and-white displays have been reigning supreme, with ghosts, bats and skeletons stealing the spotlight. But with the popularity of Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice and soon-to-be-released Wicked, green Halloween accents with black-and-white displays might be the most popular this year and next.

“Having different shapes and sizes gives the opportunity to layer the pieces from smaller to larger and taller in the back. It gives depth and a feeling of ‘friendliness’ and belonging together on each shelf,” Cahan added. “The hutch itself contains the pieces and the collection. It becomes a powerful focal point both in a store and in a home.”

Of course, an in-store hutch isn’t limited to displaying only Halloween items. The seasonal hutch trend also works great for Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter items.