At the heart of any clothing display is the mannequin. These faux-humans can bring an item to life. They are even so iconic that major brands such as Old Navy are now even using the mannequin in the center of a national ad campaign.

But let’s face it; mannequins become a representation of your customers. Your target clientele should walk into your store and be able to imagine themselves in your clothes because they can see themselves as that mannequin. So you need to select a mannequin that reflects your customers and your clothing type.

So what type of mannequin is right for your store? While there isn’t a perfect mannequin type, there are some things to keep in mind when choosing a mannequin.

• What hair style should they have? Standard mannequins either come with molded hair or wigs. Both have their advantages. Molded hair can be kept on the mannequin at all times. But mannequins with wigs have many hairstyle options. You can switch hair to coordinate with an outfit’s color and style.

• Ethnicity: Mannequins come in a variety of skin tones. By matching the ethnicity to your customer base’s main ethnicity, your customers will relate to your items. If nothing else, introduce some diversity in your mannequins to appeal to all ethnicities. If you want to completely avoid the skin tone issue, you can purchase cameo mannequins that are cameo white and generic.

• Do you really need the entire body? Many mannequins don’t even have heads. Some are counter top mannequins and have no legs. Others are made for wall displays and don’t have backs. Determine where your mannequins will be placed to decide whether you need to get the whole body.

• Size does matter: Not everyone is a size two. Not all clothing is made for size twos. So if your customers tend to be plus sized, there are mannequins for them.

• Don’t forget the boys: Men need to see clothes on them also, while there are more female mannequin options, there are definitely different male models also.

• Kids need clothes too: Girls, boys and babies all have their own mannequin types.

Of course, if traditional mannequins aren’t your thing, there are alternatives such as uniquins, ladder mannequins and jersey covered dress forms.

What types of mannequins do you use? How do you dress your mannequins to increase sales?