In the third feature of her visual merchandising series, Hannah Downs from HD Visual Services shares some tips on changes you can make that should help you increase sales.
Visual Merchandising is a key part of any retail store, and telling the story of your brand. There’s a good chance if your VM sucks, so do your sales. So let me talk you through some very simple, key methods to supporting sales in your bike store that are easy to implement and easy to remember – Hannah Downs
1. Eye Level – Buy Level
You have probably heard this before, but products placed at the customer’s eye level are not only the ones they will see first, but the ones they will more than likely buy. Got some exciting key product that has great margin?
Place it in the eye-level zone and include some POS if you have it. Place slower-selling items in the same category, lower and higher value items above; this way, the customer has a clear path of how to navigate products.
2. Cross-merchandising to add on sales
Simple, effective, you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself. The whole reason that when you go to a Starbucks, they sell cups, cross merchandising to up your add-on value for each transaction. Cycling shoes have a run of cycling socks underneath, which will help you customer imagine their story, and in turn increase your sales.
Have some multitools for sale next to the workshop, if the service team are advising a customer on how to take care of their bike, having a tool to demonstrate what they need to do is not only educational, it’s increasing your sales in store.
3. Refresh Refresh Refresh!
Keep displays fresh by updating them regularly, monthly is ok, fortnightly is probably best, it will help the store stay clean and vibrant, and will give your store team an opportunity to showcase different products.
You don’t have to change all the graphics and imagery, but flipping the mannequins out to a different colour, swapping a window feature bike out from a road bike to a hardtail mountain bike in a vibrant colour, will help create intrigue and keep things interesting!
4. View your store’s layout and product placement
Take a walk through your store with the eyes of a brand new customer, could they find a product and self-serve? Are products grouped together so they aren’t finding multiple products in different places? A customer journey should be simple; if they are looking for cleaning products, they should be placed near the workshop, and an expert in cleaning bikes.
Are all the mountain bikes grouped together? And can they see MTB apparel and accessories from where they are looking at a brand new Full Suspension bike? They might not be able to buy a brand new Full Sus, but they might be tempted to update the colours of their grips and a new jersey to give them a sense of “new”.
5. Have a Plan
Refreshing is key, but a plan for updating the store is the unlock. Take a look at a calendar and add in some key dates, and you can work around these to create some great visual stories. It’s not just Christmas or a sale to plan in.
Here are some great examples of stories you could tell throughout the year:
• January – Winter-Ride Ready – Light it up, layer up, stand out. Hi-vis, lights, and cold-weather gear to keep you rolling:
Hi-vis mannequins, lights, and safety messaging in the store on keeping safe on dark nights.
• February: Fall in Love with Cycling – Treat your bike right. Service workshops, tune-ups, and all the feel-good riding vibes:
Valentines it up, love your bike, use red bikes, and add some Valentine’s stories on why your customers should love their bike. Include messages of your team’s favourite love stories on their bikes. This is great for social media content too!
• March: Spring Spin-Up – Shake off winter with fresh gear, fresh rides, and a fresh start to the season:
Showcase any new models, kits and add some ‘NEW’ labels.
• April: Tour de Femme – Celebrating women on wheels with events, rides, and empowering gear:
Celebrate women in cycling, tell some stories in the store of great female ambassadors, and pull any specific women’s product forward.
• May: Mountain Bike May – Hit the trails with the latest MTBs, accessories, and off-road essentials.
Get Gnarly, add some wicked mountain bikes to windows, layer up with some camping gear, fold up some mtb casual wear.
• June: Summer E-Bike Season – Cruise, commute, and enjoy long sunny days with effortless electric riding:
Have your team come up with where they’d love to go on an E-bike, and what they’d do when they get there. Tell that story in your window, make sure Electric bikes are called out with specific tags, host an electric bike event, and offer customers a chance to test ride one.
• July: Tour de France Fever – Pro-level road bikes and gear to match the season’s biggest race:
Go yellow or go home! Add some fun flags to the store, change mannequins to racing gear, add high-end road bikes to the windows, create a nutrition station on any tables, and host a sweepstake in store.
• August: School’s Out, Bikes In – Family rides, kid-friendly gear, and adventure-ready bikes for all ages:
Create a family story, a few hybrids and some kids’ bikes, keep it entry level and keep any display props simple: you could build a little picnic in the park in your window, effective, fun and easy!
• September: Student Commuter Kick-Start – Back-to-campus servicing, smart commuting solutions, and budget-friendly bikes:
Add commute, budget-friendly accessories to bikes, including locks and panniers, throw some books and some headphones in to tell a true campus bike story. Add any messaging to welcome students in, even if it’s just for an inner tube and some air!
• October: Autumn Adventure Month – Crisp rides, cosy layers, and seasonal gear for leaf-crunching miles:
A fun opportunity for a Halloween window, or just get some pumpkins around your store, piles of autumn leaves also look great tucked under tyres for a nod to the season. Make sure mannequins start to get ‘cold-weathered up’ with season-appropriate layers.
• November: Get Set for Winter- Prep your bike and your kit—maintenance, mudguards, lights, and more:
A rehash of your January story, with a black Friday twist. Add some messaging and use November as an opportunity to sell through and old lines by hosting a Black Friday Sale.
• December: Dashing Through the Snow – Festive rides for everyone—winter gear, gift ideas, and holiday fun:
Get festive and invite Santa to your store. You could add some fun to mannequins by adding some festive accessories to their winter riding gear. Add presents around key feature bikes on display. Don’t forget those cold-weather products are great gift purchases.
Still feeling a bit stuck after reading this? If you think your store could use an extra boost, I’m here to help. I provide visual merchandising support for all kinds of retailers and have partnered with bike shops across Europe—so I know what works on the shop floor.
If this article has sparked ideas and you’d like to explore how I can elevate your store’s layout, displays, or customer flow, just drop me an email, and we’ll set something up.
As a thank you to BikeBiz readers, I’m offering 10% off all booked day visits in January and February 2026.