posted on 23 Jul in Our Products by The Marketing Angels.
Did you attend Jan’s Visual Design seminar and workshop at our Retail Festival held this summer? If you did, you no doubt went away feeling inspired and ready to create some brand new displays.
For any of you who may have missed it, here’s seven simple, actionable steps from the expert to help you create amazing visual displays that will grab people’s attention and turn them into customers!
IN STOCK NOW! We have a wide range of Display items to take your merchandising to the next level.
1. Plan & Prepare!
Failing to plan is planning to fail, as they say! Make your life easier by planning ahead and preparing all of the materials you will need in advance. Have you decided on a theme, colours etc.? It may help you to sketch out what you are planning for reference.
Plan your display updates ahead of time, factoring in seasons & important occasions such as Mother’s Day, Valentine’s day, Easter etc. Pop them in your calendar so you & your customers don’t miss out!
2. Change Your Displays Often
Keep your displays fresh and engaging by rotating stock often. This will help keep people’s interest.
These rustic trolleys are the perfect base for creating a versatile (and mobile!) display which can literally be carted around your retail space.
3. Risers are a Must!
What’s a riser you ask? Anything that can be used as a surface to elevate a product, such as a box, a crate etc. Risers give height and variation to displays and are essential elements in the creative process, lifting from one level to several… the result is a visually appealing product presentation without much effort!
Crates & boxes make the perfect risers, especially if they come in a variety of heights like our RAM017 crates. They even have a chalkboard for some interesting typography or maybe you wish to highlight an offer?
It’s amazing how you can transform some old boxes you may already have with a coat of paint, or cover them in wallpaper. They’ll be so appealing in their own right that your customers will want to buy them too!
4. Pyramid, Grouping & Space
This is the core theory of setting up an engaging display, so write this one down!
Working in a pyramid shape is vital to creating an eye-catching & professional display. Start with the largest and tallest items at the back and then build up the display moving outwards and downwards.
In this case, less is definitely more… leave room around the edges for the whole display to breathe. Reserve the main sections of the display for your star products and bestsellers.
Keep it simple until you get the hang of this technique… our pyramid display units are the perfect place to start RAM020.
5. Add Some Height
Work on adding height to your display to attract attention & draw your customer’s eye down to the main focus point no matter where the display is situated.
Our birdcage table top units will do the trick.
6. Finishing Touches
Put your own personal stamp on the display with the finishing touches. These are so easily forgotten but makes the difference between a standard display to a show-stopping one!
Smaller decorative items really bring the look together- the devil is the in detail! Try faux flowers for that added splash of colour to compliment your larger pieces. No watering required!
7. Regular Housekeeping
You’ve put all this effort into creating a beautiful display- don’t let it get untidy! Tired and dusty displays will not help your sales. Follow this checklist to maintain your displays:
• Check your lighting- do any bulbs need to be replaced? Are they dusty?
• Is the display facing the traffic flow- things get picked up and turned, make sure they are put back facing where most of your foot traffic is coming from
• Has anything fallen?
• Are your windows dirty? Give them a good clean so they sparkle. Don’t forget dusty window sills and dead flies…
• Has any of the product faded in the sun? Time to replace them to keep the display looking fresh.
We hope you find these tips useful! If you missed Jan’s workshop this year at the Retail Festival, make sure you keep an eye out for our showroom events! We invite top industry experts to share their knowledge with our lovely customers.
posted on 9 Jul in Events by The Marketing Angels.
This year, we brought Glastonbury to Birmingham! Lucky for us, the sun decided to shine but we donned our wellies anyway in true festival style, ready to welcome our lovely guests to the Retail Festival Showroom Event.
From Sunday 30th June to Wednesday 3rd July, we welcomed many of you to our Head Office for industry talks, interactive workshops, food, music and of course the more serious task of buying from our two fabulous showrooms!
Not to be outdone by previous Showroom events (remember when built a beach in our car park?) we hung up the Festival decorations and sourced a giant pair of welly boots! They provided the perfect photo opportunity and put your newly perfected the social media skills to the test in the highly contested clock competition.
What a line up!
This year we showcased some of the best industry speakers on the main stage. We welcomed Henri Davis (award-winning Independent Retail Consultant) who encouraged and motivated us to take advantage of the opportunities Brexit give us, minimise risks and continue to thrive through turbulent trading conditions. She gave us so many ideas to help independent businesses thrive through more uncertain times, covered which trends to focus on & how to keep your business efficient.
Jan Billings (award-winning Visual Stylist) covered the golden rules of display design and how to create amazing product displays that get customers buying! Jan delivered the theory and then it was time to test your knowledge in interactive workshops with a prize for the best display. We were really impressed at the quality of the designs you put together!
A look around the NEW Home Range
Why have just one fabulous Showroom when you can have TWO? Our NEW Home range has been allocated its very own Showroom where all items are it stock for immediate delivery – The full range of inspiring shabby-chic home décor has everything from chairs, sofas & shelving units… pictures, pots & vases… all of which co-ordinate perfectly.
A GREAT BIG Thank you!
And of course the event wouldn’t have been the great success it was without you… our guests… We would like to thank you all for attending spending a little time with the industry speakers and your angels.
Couldn’t make it this time?
We’re sorry we missed you- but don’t worry, you can visit our fabulous showroom all year round. If your curious- you can take a virtual tour here.
We won’t be at the Harrogate Home & Gift show this July, our next trade show stop will be Autumn Fair at the NEC (Sunday 1st – Wednesday 4th September 2019). Find us in Hall 20, Stand B40-C41.
We hope to see you there!
Connect with the Speakers
Henri is an independent retail advisor to businesses in the cards, gifts, stationery and heritage industries, and combines 35 years of retail experience with her knowledge of trends and consumer motivation to analyse markets and identify new opportunities.
Jan is an award winning Visual Stylist. After studying Retail Display Design she started in work designing and building props for window displays for Debenhams, Selfridges and Harrods. Connect with Jan.
posted on 14 Jun in Events by The Marketing Angels.
You’re invited to our inspiring Showroom for a Festival full of buying, inspiration & bags of retail insight!
What better way to celebrate the summer than with a festival? We’ll be donning our bright pink wellies and getting into the festival spirit at the end of June to deliver a Retail Festival to remember!
If you join in on the fun and wear your own wellies, we’ll treat you to 10% off your order* placed on the day- which includes EXCLUSIVE peek at our Spring/Summer 2020 collection!
What’s on?
Expect an impressive line-up of Speakers on the Main Stage:
Interactive Workshop – Retail Display & Merchandising
With Janet Billings – Visual Stylist
Workshop Dates: Sunday 30th June – Wednesday 3rd July
The fantastic Visual Merchandiser Janet Billings is back by popular demand to deliver a hands on interactive workshop. Learn expert tips and practise your merchandising skills to help boost your sales- you will go home feeling very inspired & with a notepad full of tips!
Limited spaces are available to keep the sessions personalised to suit you and your business- book your place today! Don’t miss your chance to learn how to create inspirational, sales-boosting displays from an industry expert.
Expert Talk – Banish the Brexit Blues: Making the most of the Brexit Opportunity
With Henri Davis – Independent Retail Consultant
Speaking Dates: Sunday 30th June at 2pm and Monday 1st July at 10am.
“Don’t let Brexit get you down, let’s be BOLD, BRAVE, BRIGHT and BRILLIANT and make the most of the opportunities that Brexit gives us.”
With 35 years in the retail & buying industry under her belt, Henri will help you rise to the Brexit challenge! Not to be missed- book your Festival ticket today!
Expert Talk – Growing with Social Media
With Louise Welsby – Digital Marketing Consultant
Speaking Dates: Tuesday 2nd July at 10am and Wednesday 3rd July at 10am.
Social media is a great way to reach your gift buying audience but without huge budgets and all the expertise, it can be a challenge managing in house and growing your audience so that you can make a real difference.
This is where Louise steps in, with extensive experience in Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing and PR, Louise has lead teams in film, television and radio before she decided to set up her own marketing agency BUY-FROM with her father in 2015.
A champion of small, micro and independent businesses- Louise will leave you feeling empowered to take your social media marketing to the next level!
Don’t miss out- grab your Festival ticket now!
What else can I expect?
As a Festival guest, you will get an EXCLUSIVE peak ay our Spring/Summer 2020 collection before anyone else! What’s more, you can see our ENTIRE collection under one roof in our inspiring Showroom. Curious? You can take a virtual tour here.
That’s not all, the Retail Festival will feature competitions, great food & more festival fun!
How to find us:
Our fabulous showroom is only 20 mins away from the NEC Birmingham. You can find full details on how to find us, local accommodation and to get in touch here.
We hope to see you there!
The Angels xx
*T&Cs: The Retail Festival offer of 10% off applies only to Everyday orders placed by Showroom Event guests on the day of attendance. Guests must wear their wellies in order for the offer to be valid.
posted on 13 Jun in Promotions by The Marketing Angels.
This year, we are giving you our lovely customers the chance to win a spook-tacular Halloween display clock!
All you have to do to enter this competition is place a Halloween order with us between the dates of 11/06/19 and 31/08/19. This can be a pre-order to be delivered on a date to suit you nearer to the Halloween season.
Have you considered stocking up on some spooky stock this year? Over half of UK consumers spent on Halloween in 2018, and it's popularity is increasing every year (Mintel Report).
Competition T&Cs: To enter to win the Halloween display clock (worth £500 RRP) an order must be placed containing Halloween items between the dates of 11/06/19 and 31/08/19. The winner must be able to collect the display clock from our Head Offices in Birmingham.
posted on 19 Feb in Events by The Marketing Angels.
Phew, what a show!
Spring Fair has wrapped up for another year. As always, there was plenty going on with the launch of thousands of NEW Christmas and Everyday lines, a busy café and even a TV feature for the second year running!
This year we unveiled our show-stopping Birdcage campaign. Each collection had its own inspiring birdcage which captured the essence of every product range.
The birdcage will be available from the NEW Everyday collection- enabling you to create your own stunning displays.
New for 2019 - not just for Christmas!
The luxurious Opulent theme has been expanded in response to last year’s popularity. It seems you couldn’t get enough the deep purples, blues and sumptuous textures.
Fairytale continues to be one of the most popular themes, not just for Christmas but all year round. The pom-poms and feathers look just as magical in a child’s bedroom as they look draped over a Christmas tree.
New Everyday & Home 2019
The launch of the NEW Home collection was a great success, with many of you flocking over to Hall 1 to view the expanded furniture and homeware selection and enjoy a glass of bubbly.
Featured on Birmingham TV:
The lovely Andy spoke to Birmingham TV to discuss the benefits of being a home-grown business and being able to meet so many of you at the NEC.
Your comments:
"We had a lovely time at the show. Your stand looked amazing. Such exciting new products. Thank you for the tea and cake in your pavement cafe." - Clare Mayo
"Lovely coffee and cake and easy ordering too!" - Kelly Campbell-Staines
Thank you again to all who visited us, we look forward to seeing you again very soon!
If you couldn’t make the show this year, but are intrigued by the photos- don’t worry! Our ENTIRE collection is available to view in our fabulous Showroom, which is only 20mins away from the NEC Birmingham. It is well worth a visit, AND you’ll be provided with lunch and cake- you won’t be disappointed! Visit our Showroom page here.
posted on 14 Jul in Events by The Marketing Angels.
Here at Heaven Sends we’re known for a lot of things… quirky giftware, great customer service, value for money - but we’re also known for our madcap ideas as well. So when it came to choosing how to launch the NEW showroom, we had no choice but to “bring the beach to Brum” - quite literally!
As we don’t do things by halves, the car park was filled with sand, seagulls were imported, ice cream was served, a pier was constructed and even a coconut shy was built. Unfortunately the tide was out so the only thing missing was the sea!
Everyone loves a good British seaside resort, and it was great to see so many happy customers enjoying the beach, taking photos of themselves at the peep-through and of course basking in the sunshine sitting in the giant deckchair!
Guests were the first to see just how amazing the NEW showroom is and were able to view the entire collection (Christmas, Home, Gift & Halloween) – over 6000 products in one place. Customers are now able visit the new showroom space at any time to browse or buy.
Industry speakers were also invited to the event, sharing their knowledge with guests in information-packed seminars. Jan Billings from Show Off demonstrated how to create beautiful visual retail displays and Sam Bailey from Silver Compass Digital explained the best way to use social media and email marketing, focusing on small businesses.
After spending the day having fun, being inspired by the seminars and browsing the NEW Showroom, guests went home with a bucket full of new ideas and a few souvenir goodies & photos…
“Just to thank you for such a wonderful 'trade' day yesterday. Dee and myself thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Not only was it lovely to browse the stock to order, but the staff were so friendly and helpful - true 'angels' in every way. The day was well planned and today we are already making changes to the shop's display to reflect the advice at yesterday's workshops. Thank you again”- Liz and Dee from Finishing Touches.
For those that attended the event, thank you so much for sharing your time with us. You made the event a massive success. We couldn’t have done it without you. Don’t forget to check out our Facebook page for your beach fun photo. We’ll be announcing the lucky winner of the most amusing photo on Monday 17th July! Or you can view our gallery of snaps here. Can you spot yourself?
If you couldn’t join us at the beach, at least you didn’t get sand in your shoes like the rest of us! But we’d still love to see you at the NEW Showroom, so just book your visit here.
Our next fun filled stop is Autumn Fair (3-6 Sept), so we hope to see you there! You could always combine your visit with a look round the showroom, only 20 mins away…
posted on 3 May in Our Products by The Marketing Angels.
One of our most popular Everyday ranges is Beach Home; its pale blues and weathered woods invoke fresh mornings by the coast- a mood which customers are keen to replicate in their homes. No longer just a trend, coastal home interiors have become a long-standing love affair with the British public that isn’t going anywhere…
Our range features nautical finishing touches and more nostalgic, tongue-in-cheek décor that take us back to childhood holidays by the sea. So, inspire your customers this summer with statement furniture, shoreline décor and whimsical whales and mermaids. We’ve picked some of our beachy favourites for you below.
Beach Home Collection Edit
To view our full range of hundreds of fabulous Beach Home products, register today!
posted on 16 Mar in General News by The Marketing Angels.
The weather is finally on the turn and everyone is itching to get out into the garden once again! In celebration of the upcoming National Gardening Week, we’ve put together a great collection of Outdoor Living products for you, perfect to inspire your green-fingered customers.
From whimsical waterfalls to more practical insect-repelling candles, there’s lots of choice for a successful Spring/Summer retail season. Don’t miss out on celebrating one of Britain’s favourite hobbies as UK consumers will be spending around £5 billion this year on products and plants for their gardens!1
Feed the birds
The British people love wildlife almost as much as they love their gardens! Did you know we as a nation spend £200 million a year on Wild Bird food?2 Give your customers (and the birds!) some great choices of bird feeders and accessories.
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Get out into the garden
What could be more blissful than the relaxing sound of trickling water? Well, maybe a lovely bench to sit back and laze on. Here are some great garden features that will make your customer’s garden as stylish as it is enjoyable to spend time in.
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Gifts for Garden Lovers
No matter the gardener, you’ll find the ideal gift. For the shed enthusiast, the al fresco diner or the flower bed potterer- there’s a shed load of choice in our Outdoor Living range.
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*Source: The Horticultural Trade Association
2: Source: Wild Scotland http://www.wild-scotland.org.uk/2006/12/its-official-brits-spend-200-million-a-year-on-wild-bird-food/
posted on 15 Feb in Events by The Marketing Angels.
So that's it for another year... and Spring Fair 2017, as ever, was an absolute pleasure!
It's always so lovely to see lots of old friends, happy returning customers and of course to meet new faces along the way. Though it's a tremendously busy time of the year, it’s you that keeps us going with your excited expectant energy and your joy at seeing all the new collections. (a coffee always helps of course... did you manage to visit the Angel Café?)
Launching over 1000 new products and merchandising them beautifully was great fun as usual. So we hope you enjoyed discovering all the new goodies as much as we did. Just in case you missed us, here are some of the highlights of this year:
We're dreaming of a...Pink Christmas! Our Christmas collections are always a huge hit. From the red and white of Nordic-inspired novelties to the whiteout of Winter Wonderland, but you know us, we love to give things a twist, so we thought we’d give the rose-tinted Fairytale range the spotlight. And what a pretty successful bunch they make! It’s the colour of things to come…
A flutter of florals If springtime is more your thing, you're sure to enjoy the floral fancies of the new Fleur range… Soft watercolour washes and intricate details abound in this uplifting collection. Featuring a charming mix of fresh florals & fanciful flamingos (all the rage don’t you know), these delightful pieces will have you feeling right at home.
How time flies when you're having fun... There just aren't enough hours in the day for all the shopping that needs to be done! So set a reminder with this alarmingly large statement timepiece… What fun!
It was a jam-packed show from start to finish, but we wouldn't have it any other way. We hope that our fabulous collections, and ever-helpful angels helped to keep you going.
You can see all of our photos from the event here.
Of course, we want to hear all about how much you love your orders when they arrive, so keep in touch!
Did you miss out on seeing us at this year's event? Why don't you book an appointment to pop into the HS showroom. (revamped with all the new products).
