The following guidelines are often used to display and sell the greatest amount of merchandise possible in a given amount of space for the most effective results;
- Do not clutter the entrance to the store. Open doorways promote incoming traffic flow, and visual barriers can be intimidating for the customer to enter
- Be sensitive to the maximum height of fixtures, for ease of shopping and loss prevention
- No product is to be dragging on the floor if hung in a wall fixture or no display below knee height
- Position displays and point-of-sale on the highest shelf to enhance the product and create attraction from a distance. These are best on a shelf directly above the bay that the product is hung on
- Change highlight displays frequently
- Balance the display on the wall (mirror one side to the other)
- Do not over-fill racks, shelves or tables
- Where other fixtures are supplied for dedicated brands, only use the related merchandise on display.
Tips on effective windows
- Carefully plan before commencing installation
- Create a strong theme and visible message
- Keep it simple – limit the number of products to just what is needed and no more
- Do not use excessive props – your product is the hero
- Vary product depth and height in the window with small to the front and larger to the rear
- Never overstock the windows – this is display space, not storage space
- Change the windows regularly to keep the passing traffic engaged with your store
- Keep the windows immaculate – maintain them daily and check them hourly.
Other methods of effective merchandising during a promotion
Dump Bins
Used to boost unit sales, often impulse items or a product at a fantastic price. The bin should always be full of stock and placed in a high traffic area during the main aisle.
Roller racks
A great temporary fixture that is easy to move around the store. Products are usually side hung, and the rack is placed close to the front entrance to entice customers into the store.
Bulk stacks
These have the same ‘power-aisle merchandising strategies as dump bins but are usually larger boxed products. They are often a ‘super’ special and need always to be full, creating a perception of lots of available products.
End Caps
One of the most powerful ways to merchandise product, generally the end of a gondola of product, the ‘hero’ product is ‘faced out,’ to catch the customer's eye. Supermarkets do this particularly well to enhance key promotional products.
When laying out the fixtures and manipulating the traffic flow in the store, plan for the highest number of customers to come in contact with the most number of products as possible. It is essential to consider the following guidelines to ensure you effectively direct customer traffic flow and ensure ease of access to all products.
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