Best Practices for Visually Merchandising your Store for Every Season
While some parts of the country are bombarded with snow, others are basking in the sunshine. Yet, no matter where your store is located, Spring officially begins on March 20th. Owners and staff need to accomplish plenty of tasks throughout the season to make customers feel welcome and create an attractive shopping environment. Depending on the product assortments, in-store retail displays can be basic or more complex. There’s no denying they can also be hard work. However, they are worth the time and effort required to build them since they can dramatically impact how well products sell.
Visually merchandising your store at the start of the season helps shoppers connect to the product and better understand its features and benefits. Displays should be refreshed or changed at specific intervals to keep customers engaged and excited about what they can expect to see during their next visit. Visuals have a significant impact on our ability to process and retain information. Studies conducted by SHIFT, an eLearning Solutions Provider, indicate:
- Sixty-five percent of the population are visual learners
- Visuals stick in long-term memory and improve learning by 400 percent
- Visuals transmit messages faster
- Visual cues trigger emotions
Select the Best Options to Sell More Products
The beauty of hardware stores is that their sizes, designs, and locations are as diverse as the communities they serve. So, flexibility is essential when determining the types of visual displays best suited for your operation. Although retailers have various options, these are the most used visuals in the home improvement industry.
Window Displays. Depending on the window size, many stores take this as an opportunity to spotlight specific merchandise or promotions. Window displays translate into money since they can persuade shoppers to enter the store. Be sure to create displays that put your store and the brand in the best possible light.
Entryway Displays put certain products at the top of the list as soon as customers enter the store. Placing bagged goods, plants, and seasonal merchandise directly in front of the store is a great visual merchandising tactic that puts customers in the mood to buy.
Endcaps greet shoppers as they move from one aisle to another. Placing items on endcaps gives them a place of prominence in high-traffic areas. These prime locations draw attention to seasonal items, themed products, new brand introductions, and best-sellers. Research indicates that products displayed on end caps sell eight times faster than those on shelves within an aisle.
Floor Displays that enable customers to feel and interact with products are ideal for selling big-ticket seasonal merchandise such as outdoor furniture, grills, lawn equipment, and power tools. Allowing the customers to connect with the effect on an emotional level makes them more comfortable spending money on items they may want more than they need.
The checkout aisles that lead to the register should be loaded with tempting goodies and impulse items that force customers to think twice before they pass them by; everyone needs last-minute items like batteries, candy bars, keychains, or small flashlights that are handy in an emergency. Impulse merchandise has high margins and virtually sells itself without a salesperson’s assistance.
Clip strips are perfect for holding budget-friendly impulse items and new product releases that may go unnoticed when placed alongside oversized products.
Dump Bins are just what the name implies. These large bins are typically used to sell impulse items, packaged products, bargains, and closeouts. They can be placed strategically at any location in the store. Dump bins can range from essential boxes to eye-catching visual ambassadors that promote specific brands.
Best Practices to Get Customer’s Attention
Those stores that fly above the radar and capture the imagination are the ones that customers remember and talk about to their family and friends. One element that sets them apart from competitors is the amount of work and creativity they devote to visually merchandising their business.
- Create focal points that draw in customers and enable them to interact with the product.
- Be creative to make people feel happy or well-informed when they look at the display
- Refresh displays throughout the season to keep customers excited
- Create an urgency to buy with signage. Examples include Limited time offers, Buy one Get one Free, and, This Week Only
- Limit the number of options on display to avoid confusing shoppers and help them make quick decisions
While it’s alright for a visual display to look random, it should be well-planned and strategic. It is essential to know which products are being promoted, the display’s location, and the date they will be refreshed or discontinued. Remember, you communicate with customers and tell a visual story that elevates your store and the products you sell to achieve positive results.
