mornin’ merrymakers 🛍️🎄📸👀🧠💸

we’re going heavy on the window shopping this month.

i sent part one on monday and two more are incoming. highlighting the best installs to scroll in person or online. because thankfully you don’t have to go irl to experience the magic these days. i’m doing this because i love holiday window displays but also because i find it fascinating.

every year, brands across the country drop serious cash (we’re talking hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions) on window displays, lobby installs, pop-ups, façade wraps, and scent machines.

today we’re digging into why???

it may seem like it’s for funsies, but this is actually the original performance marketing.

today’s letter is about the strategy hiding under the snowdrifts. the data behind the nostalgia. the real reason even fast casual chicken joints are going full immersive storytelling this time of year.

grab your peppermint mocha this is a good one!

the first holiday windows in the u.s. date back to 1874, when macy’s rolled out decorated displays in their new york flagship. it was part attraction, part advertising, part excuse to loiter on 34th street with a roasted chestnut.

cut to now, and holiday windows are fully operational marketing machines.

physical stores can excite senses in ways e-commerce simply cannot. gleaming lights, nostalgic music, even the scent of pine. these sensory experiences lift shoppers' moods and make them view stores more fondly.

psychologically, winter can be gloomy (short days, cold weather). indulging in cheerful décor and gift-giving boosts our spirits.

researchers have found that the right sensory stimulation during the holidays increases positive brand perceptions and spending.

some shocking store stats to back this up: