Did you know that you could actually improve your store's sales just by updating your retail shelving, and by using it in specific ways? Here's how:
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Update your retail shelving
Is your retail shelving old, chipped, worn, or simply out of date? Maybe it stands out like a sore thumb and no longer fits your decor. Regardless, it's certainly not presenting your merchandise in the best light, and that can make it less attractive to customers. Fortunately, there's an easy fix. Replace old shelving with new, modern shelving that comes in a variety of colors, materials, and styles.
Shelving should do one of two things:
1. blend right into the background so that your merchandise is beautifully presented but the shelving isn't noticed much at all, or
2. be a star in its own right, presenting your merchandise beautifully and effectively while it provides an aesthetically pleasing backdrop.
Either way, replacing your old shelving with new that fits your decor will modernize your look without changing anything else and will make your merchandise much more attractive to your customers, too.
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Change your store layout to "direct traffic"
Unlike older shelving and fixtures, new shelving units/fixtures can be set up and broken down quickly and easily. It's simple to change your store layout on a whim, as you wish – and it's a good idea to do so, too, since a particular layout can direct traffic and actually make it easier and more pleasant for your customers to shop.
Set up your shelving so that it creates a path for foot traffic through your store. The path should start at the front door and go around the entire perimeter. Customers naturally enter your store and first look left, then go right, so the path should also be counterclockwise.
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Footpath width matters
The footpath should be wide enough so that customers can pass each other without difficulty, and it should be set up so that customers can "break away" easily to visit various departments as they wish to browse. When they're done browsing, they can easily rejoin the path's easy traffic flow and continue their journey through your store.
When you create a footpath of this type, the traffic flow actually encourages customers to shop. That's because they can comfortably meander through the store without bumping into each other, and because their attention can still take them where they want to go. They can easily get to the merchandise in each department, and they'll be relaxed and having a pleasant experience, encouraging them to shop longer.
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Place product displays strategically throughout the store
Because they're so easy to set up and break down, modern retail shelving and fixtures allow you to set up seasonal and "hot item" displays throughout the store that will entice customers to buy. Place displays near the entrance of the store, near checkout lanes, and in each department in areas that are clearly visible from the aforementioned footpath through the store. That way, customers can see and investigate further, or get what they need quickly and rejoin traffic to continue their shopping experience.
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Update your displays often
New shelving and fixtures make it easy to change displays often. If you leave the oldest place in place "permanently," your customers simply quit seeing them. Keep your merchandise visible by changing displays often.
It's easy to drive retail sales with a simple shelving strategy that caters to your customers. Modern shelving makes it easy to present your merchandise attractively, and it makes shopping more pleasant and convenient for your customers, too: It's a simple investment that can garner big returns.
