Shelving is almost certainly an invaluable part of your business. You use it to keep track of and store inventory, and to display products for sale. Display shelving doesn't simply have to "house" products for sale, though. Instead, you can actually make display shelving work for your business so that customers will be attracted to what you sell, will go to investigate products on display, and will buy them.
- Use window displays to draw customers in
Are you using display setups in store windows? If not, you're missing out on a very important "hook" that can draw customers in. For window displays, use a color theme that represents your store and keep the display and any shelving in it uncluttered, showcasing just a few items that go together or somehow complement each other. In window displays, "Space equals luxury."
- Create entrance displays to give customers a favorable first impression
As customers come into your store, you can use displays and display shelving to catch their attention and make them slow down and take a closer look. Set up a seasonal display at your entrance, for example, with samples of the product showcased there taken out of its box so the customers can actually touch, inspect, and/or try the product you want to sell.
- Take advantage of customers' natural tendencies to look left, then right
Most people instinctively look to the left, then right when they first enter a store, and then move right and begin to walk around the store counterclockwise.
You can take advantage of this tendency with your displays and display shelving. Place a brightly colored display over to the right once past the store's entrance ( and after the initial display that customers encounter when they enter the store). The display should showcase something "fun" that will put customers in a good mood and enhance their shopping experience as they begin to move around the store counterclockwise. A flower display is one idea. Alternatively, place a department with bright colors and/or pleasant scents to the right instead of a display.
- Place shelving displays at the ends of aisles to give customers something to move toward
Place endcaps or other shelving displays at the ends of aisles to compel customers to move down the aisle; now, they have a visual goal to get to. This does not interfere with customers' shopping in the aisles themselves; however, it does gives them something interesting to look at while they shop instead of an empty, "blank," or otherwise uninteresting space -- and gives them one more reason to shop, as well. (Just make sure you leave plenty of space so customers can easily navigate around those displays.)
- Place displays in the midst of aisles to force customers to focus on merchandise
Your aisles must be wide enough for this to work, but many retailers create visual "breaks" with display shelving in the midst of aisles. This in effect "forces" customers to stop and look at the display (and nearby merchandise) before they continue shopping. Experts have found that when an aisle has long rows of product, customers simply skip over a lot of the merchandise in them. Specially placed display shelving breaks that "hypnosis," refreshing customers' attention so that they actually see the products you sell -- and they're more likely to buy them.
- Create "hugs" with U-shaped and round displays
Customers are drawn to U-shaped and round displays, and are more likely to pause and browse at them – or more accurately, "in" them. Use these display shapes for items like apparel to draw customers in for a pleasing "hug" as they shop.
