window dressing
noun [ U ]
ukus COMMERCE
the art of displaying goods in a store window to attract customers:
The designers are skilled in everything from stitching to window dressing.
FINANCE, STOCK MARKET
in the management of investors’ portfolios (= collections of shares), the activity, towards the end of a financial period, of selling shares that have fallen and buying ones that have risen so the portfolio looks better than it really is:
Portfolio managers continued to buy popular stocks as part of their end-of-quarter window dressing.
the act of making something look more attractive than it really is, especially when you are hiding negative facts or details:
The insurance industry's voluntary code of practice has been criticized as mere window dressing rather than serious self-regulation.
window dresser
noun [ C ]
Window dressers must think of the best way to attract the target audience.