They are a common fixture on the high street, adding an interesting touch to a retail space, but are they a necessary part of your store merchandising, or are mannequin heads just a waste of money?
To answer those questions, let’s take a look at the many reasons retailers use mannequin heads and see what you think!
1. To Add Interest to a Physical Store
Very few businesses don’t have a website these days. In fact, they are considered essential to the survival of many businesses, with even big brands like Primark, who refused to enter the online world for so long, finally giving in and placing some styles online.
Research has shown that mannequin heads are pretty useless for online use. Anything that you might display on a mannequin head can usually be photographed in an attractive way without one, usually by placing them on a real-life model. However, in-store, it is not a very cost-effective option to have models walking around displaying your wares. And the presence of a humanised head has been proven to be very important when it comes to boosting sales of the products displayed on it.
Interestingly, the opposite is true when dealing with people with a high knowledge of fashion. They prefer to touch and inspect the jewellery or accessories on display and a humanized head seems to put them off.
But for most retail spaces, if you want people to spend money in-store rather than online, you’ll need a few mannequin heads dotted about the room.
2. To Aid With Sales On The Road
Pop-up shops and market stalls need an easy and efficient way to display wares such as hats, scarves, wigs, and jewellery. A mannequin head is ideal for this purpose. Since most heads are quite lightweight, they are very portable and help make a stall stand out in a busy marketplace.
High-end milliners and jewellers often visit clients’ houses with their more expensive pieces. Displaying items on a mannequin head gives a more personal approach to this one-on-one way of selling, helping to boost the chances of the customer buying something.
3. To Protect Expensive Jewellery Items
Placing jewellery on a mannequin head allows customers to have a good look at an item before deciding whether or not to buy it. When jewellery is handled too much, it can spoil, so it is best to keep it out of customer reach wherever possible, sacrificing a single piece for display which can later be sold at a discount price.
But whatever is on display has to give the customer the best chance of understanding how something might look when they wear it. That is why mannequin heads are ideal – you can see how a necklace drapes around the neck and how long the chain is. Mannequins with long necks are great, as you can place several items on them at once, promoting them all at the same time and increasing your profit margin.
4. To Improve Customer Satisfaction
Having the jewellery on a mannequin also reduces the need to have a sales assistant on hand to show customers items up close. When you walk into a jewellery store and everything is behind a glass window, a sales assistant needs to be free to allow the customer to get a better look. If it is a particularly busy day or the shop is understaffed, this can cause problems. While a mannequin head is not a complete replacement for a sales assistant with years of jewellery knowledge, it can be a great intermediary, letting customers view items before deciding if they need more information.
5. Aid in Navigating Your Store
The unusual nature of mannequin heads means they stand out in a busy store. If you sell lots of different types of products, decorating your mannequin head with scarves, hats, or jewellery shows customers that is where they will find those products. If they are searching for a nice necklace, they will appreciate the useful signpost.
6. Encourage Impulse Buys
Equally, those customers not looking for hats or scarves might be persuaded to buy after seeing these items on your mannequin head. As they walk past to look at other items, the mannequin might catch their eye, along with the items on it. Accessories are often seen as great ways to boost sales, especially cheaper ones, as they don’t require much thought when it comes to buying them. They don’t need to be taken to the changing room to try on and if they only add a few extra pounds to the basket at the till most people are happy to buy.
7. They Are An Inexpensive Store Accessory
As you might expect, mannequin heads are much cheaper than their full-body counterparts and quickly make themselves useful. There is no assembly involved – simply take the head out of its box, place it on your display, and decorate it with your products! They bring in far money more than they cost, so you can justify the investment and enjoy the interest that the item brings to your store.
8. Mannequin Heads Are Versatile
While you can use your mannequin head as is, there are also a number of different ways you can work with it. Depending on the material of your display form, you can paint it to match your brand colours or show off some of your makeup items. You can add a wig – if you sell wigs, this is a great way to display your best-seller. But even if you don’t sell wigs, you might like the extra personalization that the hair brings, adding character to your humanized form.
If you have headless full-body mannequins, you can even secure mannequin heads on top. This helps you to stay up to date with mannequin fashions or mix up your merchandising when you feel stuck in a rut.
9. They Are Linked to Glamourous Moments
You’ll find mannequin heads backstage at fashion shows so that each model knows what they are wearing on the catwalk. They are also used by trainee hairdressers and evoke nostalgic memories for those who played with the hair on dolls’ heads when they were younger. There is a very emotional reaction to this kind of prop that retailers can easily capitalize on.
So Why Don’t All Retailers Use Mannequin Heads?
We’ve stated the case for mannequin heads in shops, but they are not always the best option for retailers. Here are some reasons why you might not see them in some stores.
1. They Aren’t Useful for the Products Sold
If yours is a store that only sells shoes, a mannequin head won’t offer the best way to display them. Unless you are going to get very creative with your display, you’ll probably be better off looking for alternative mannequin forms.
2. The Shop Only Sells Couture Items
The very nature of couture is that each piece is made specifically for a single person. That doesn’t leave much to display. If a designer does want to advertise products they have made in the past, they would be better advised to create a portfolio of images rather than having an oddly placed mannequin head nearby.
3. You Can’t Afford a Decent Display Head
Cheaper, low-quality mannequin forms can be a false economy, especially if you have a busy shop. It will quickly be broken or spoiled in some way. A broken mannequin is not nearly as effective as one that is not broken – in fact, it signals to your customers that you only offer low-quality items, even if that’s not true. So, no mannequin is better than a bad one!
Which Stores Should Definitely Have Mannequin Heads?
- Hat shops: There is no better way to display your hats than on a head!
- Tie shops: You can wrap a couple of ties around the neck and spread them out to display lots at once!
- Jewellery shops: Necklaces, chokers, and tiaras look amazing on a mannequin head.
- Hairdressers: Add a wig and promote new styles, fancy cuts, and extensions.
- Electrical equipment shops: Show gamers how the latest set of high-tech headphones will look when they play.
- Wig shops: Let customers see how the hairs fall into place before making a purchase.
- Sports shops: Show off your sweatbands, baseball caps, and tennis visors on your fake head!
- Any other shop that has a creative use for one!
What Kind of Mannequin Heads Can You Find at Valentino’s Displays
So, you’ve decided to purchase a mannequin head. Great! Now you need to work your way through the hundreds of options that the internet will offer you. Or you could choose a high-quality, low-cost one from Valentino’s Displays.
Our mannequin head range includes:
- Glass head: A great high-fashion option that is both eye-catching and great at displaying your wares at full impact. We also have a range of glass skull heads which are an exciting option for retail spaces with a gothic vibe. Or just for Halloween!
- Polystyrene head: These cheapest mannequin heads are far from low-quality. These are perfect if you need to pin anything to the head, like a wig, or a head scarf, as the fixings won’t damage the soft material of the head.
- Fibreglass mannequin head: Our most popular designs are thanks to the versatility of this material. This section of our website is where you will find our most realistic mannequins due to the flexibility of fibreglass allowing it to be easily moulded into place. They are great value for money, lightweight, and durable, making them the perfect models!
- Plastic head display: A great budget option, we have plastic heads with features, and those without, which provide an interesting art deco aesthetic. If you want something different to all the other stores, our faceless mannequins are ideal.
- Wooden mannequin head: These mannequin heads are our most expensive due to the very high-quality materials and the craftmanship involved. They are well worth the price, promoting a classy, high-end atmosphere within your retail unit.
Why Choose Us For Your Mannequin Heads?
When it comes to mannequins, we are the online retail experts! If you need some advice to help you pick the right mannequin head for you, we’d be only too happy to help. Or, if you have a very specific idea about what you want yours to look like, and you can’t find it in our store, let us know, and we will source the display head of your dreams!
Our clients come to us again and again for their retail supplies because they trust us to give them great value and high-quality products. They love our extensive range and the fact that they can ask for things they can’t find elsewhere. And they really love our customer service team, who treat each and every customer with respect.
Our Mannequin Heads Include Wholesale discounts
Our prices are good, but our wholesale discounts are even better! And if you spend over £100, you even get free delivery. As a bonus, you have a whole 14-days to change your mind and get a full refund. The odds really are in your favour. If you ever have a question or a problem with your order, we want to help you resolve that. It is in our interests for your shop to do well, as that means you’ll keep coming back to us for new retail equipment as you grow.
So, if your retail business is currently without a mannequin head, now is a great time to fix that! Just take a look at our range in our online shop!
