15 Halloween Display Ideas for Small Businesses

Looking for amazing Halloween display ideas? Halloween can provide lots of fun opportunities for local businesses to personalize their spaces.

From vintage wall decor to spooky window decorations, showing your Halloween spirit may improve the experience for customers and help you build a memorable brand. These decorations may even be part of a fun Halloween party. Here’s a guide and some inspiring images for local businesses.

Why Should You Decorate Your Small Business with Halloween Displays?

The Halloween season isn’t just for kids and homeowners; businesses can also benefit from tapping into the spooky spirit. Here are several compelling reasons why decorating your small business with Halloween displays can be a smart move:

• Boost Foot Traffic: With an enticing Halloween display, your store can stand out from the rest, luring in curious customers and possibly increasing sales.
• Engage With the Community: By celebrating the holidays, especially a popular one like Halloween, you show that your business is community-oriented and relatable.
• Promote Seasonal Products: Halloween-themed displays can act as the perfect backdrop to highlight and promote any seasonal products or special offers, encouraging impromptu purchases.
• Strengthen Brand Image: Tailoring your Halloween display to reflect your brand’s unique take on the holiday can create a cohesive and memorable image in the minds of your customers.
• Enhance the Shopping Experience: A well-decorated space can contribute to a fun and immersive shopping experience, making customers more likely to return and associate positive memories with your store.

When Should You Decorate Your Store with a Halloween Display?

The exact time to decorate for Halloween can vary. Stores that sell Halloween decor or party supplies may decorate early in September or even during August to promote these items for customers who like to be prepared.

However, other types of businesses often decorate in October or even just put up a ‘Happy Halloween’ sign the week of the holiday.

Then these decorations are usually taken down right after Halloween since the holiday season starts right afterward for retail shops.

How Do You Make a Halloween Window Display?

Halloween window decorations vary depending on the store, products, and style. There’s tons of inspiration for craft projects or design ideas online, including from popular sources like Martha Stewart.

The images below may also inspire your own decor. Here are some general guidelines to help you take that inspiration and make it your own.

• Decide on a goal for your display: Is your goal to grab people’s attention, show off your products, or just show a bit of festive spirit? The answer may guide your design decisions.
• Add main pieces: Start with the biggest pieces that create the layout of your design. Think mannequins, huge pumpkins, or signs. Then you can fill in around them.
• Include your own products or signage: If you have products or specials to promote, add your own items to the large display pieces, or include signs that detail your other offerings.
• Embellish: Then you can add smaller decor elements like spiders, ghosts, or window decals to complete the look.
• Incorporate lighting: Make use of eerie lighting to enhance the spooky ambiance of your display. Consider using orange or purple string lights, flickering candle lights, or even black lights to cast shadows.
• Utilize textures: Think about how different materials can evoke the Halloween spirit. Cobwebs, faux fur (for werewolf or monster themes), or shredded cloth can all make the display more tactile and visually appealing.
• Incorporate motion: Adding elements that move can capture attention even more. Think about a battery-operated bat that flaps its wings or a witch on a broom that sways side to side.
• Include a soundtrack: Subtle spooky sounds like distant thunder, creaking doors, or whispering ghosts can draw people into the atmosphere you’re creating. Ensure it’s not too loud, but just enough to be noticeable and add to the overall experience.

Halloween Window Display Ideas to Inspire Your Own

Halloween window displays may vary from kitschy costumes to an image of the scariest house on the block. The following images can inspire your own ideas and help your business stand out this Halloween night.

1. Pumpkin Mannequins

Ralph Lauren used mannequins with pumpkin heads to show off their collection of fall apparel.

2. Spooky Bridal Display

This bridal shop displayed a few dresses alongside spooky accents like skulls and antique candles.

3. Festive Disney Decor

Disney lovers know that Disneyland is known for offering lots of festive decorations for every season. This window display just switches out the shop’s normal products for a few orange and pumpkin-themed items.

4. Large Pumpkin Display

This window from Little Marc Jacobs features a large, eye-catching pumpkin, with a few small outfits in front to showcase the shop’s products.

5. Bright Signage

This shop in Japan included a large purple background with lots of bright orange signs and products to really catch people’s eyes as they pass by.

6. Realistic Scene

This window display in Japan takes a more realistic view, with lifelike mannequins creating a scene of kids surrounded by Halloween decorations.

7. Bats Backdrop

This window from Hege Greenall-Scholtz includes a backdrop with lots of paper bats. This adds some striking contrast and a spooky touch, while still allowing the products to shine in front.

8. Freak Show Display

Scout in Royal Oak, Michigan created this window with a specific “freak show” theme. Every element goes along with a strict color scheme and falls into a particular style to make it incredibly striking.

More Great Examples of Halloween Window Decorations

The examples above offer some inspiration for typical Halloween scenes. But there are even more options for creative windows or shop decorations. Here are a few of them.

9. Spider Display

This Louboutin window features a large spider that displays fancy shoes at the end of each leg.

10. Zombies Vs. Vampires

This library created a display with books featuring zombie themes on one side and vampires on the other. This theme could also apply to bookstores or other entertainment venues.

11. Colorful Candy Display

The Candy Bar sells colorful sweets that are already popular around Halloween. But they added an extra festive touch by arranging candy-like headstones to create a colorful graveyard.

12. Trick or Treat Central

This in-store display at a grocery shop features tons of different candy with popular Halloween themes. So customers can quickly grab everything they need to hand out to trick-or-treaters on Halloween night.

13. Haunted Castle Retail Display

Here’s another in-store display featuring Halloween products. This one includes a cardboard shelving unit that sets the Halloween products apart and draws the eye to this particular section.

14. Simple Fashion Display

If you want to let your products really shine through, draw inspiration from this window from Traci Tessone, who simply added a witch broom alongside a fall outfit.

15. Antique Kitchen with Skeletons

Skeletons are a perfect way to turn any normal display into a Halloween window. This antique shop set out an arrangement of furniture products and simply used life-sized skeletons for styling.

Halloween Display Ideas Summary

How Can You Decorate your Business with Halloween Window Decorations for Cheap?

To keep your Halloween window or holiday aisle inexpensive, use your own products as the main elements. Then simply fill in with a few small decorations like pumpkins or scary masks.

What Are the Most Popular Halloween Decorations?

The most popular Halloween decorations include classic spooky elements like jack-o-lanterns, skeletons, witch hats, black cats, and bloody handprints.

What’s the Best Way to Market Your Small Business on Halloween Night?

The best Halloween marketing strategy depends on your niche. However, many families spend Halloween night trick-or-treating, so it may be beneficial to pass out candy or put up signs welcoming families from your neighborhood.

Image: Envato Elements