Whether you are a running a pharmacy or a retail business, the way you display your products throughout your store is more important than you might think. Don't be mistaken into thinking that throwing your products on any old shelving will do the trick – it won't. The environment that your products are being sold in has a huge subconscious impact on your customers.
New retail shelving can help the products on them look newer and give customers more confidence that the products are of high quality. Old, shoddy shelving will have the opposite effect – even if the product is exactly the same.
For example, if you are selling a brand new model Mercedes, displaying it in a clean and elegantly designed car lot is going to give you a much better chance of making the sale than putting it in front of an overgrown lawn full of weeds and trash. This might be an extreme example, but it's a comparable one.
5 Reasons You Should Update Your Retail Shelving
- Better Organization Options
Old shelving may not have the organizational options that newer retail shelving offers. If your shelving consists of plain old shelving, everything is going to look the same throughout all of your aisles –meaning it's going to be more difficult for customers to differentiate between the many products.
Some retail shelving comes equipped with hooks and dividers, allowing you to section off products and draw more attention to certain displays. Retail shelving containing baskets and other hanging organizational systems also make it less likely that your products will end up in a disorganized mess for your customers, and things will be more likely to remain where you displayed them.
- Better Lighting Options
Did you know that some newer shelving options come with lighting installed into the shelving units? These are an excellent way to not only draw attention to specific products (such as products that are currently on sale), but also to make those products look much more attractive to your shoppers. Products hidden in the shadows of shelves are not only less likely to be noticed, but the packaging is also very difficult to read.
- Increased Product Appeal
Your products are going to look newer and higher-quality if they are properly showcased rather than just sitting on shelves. If your products are displayed on beat up, outdated shelves, the perception of the products is that they are outdated as well. In a way, your products are considered "guilty by association." By updating your shelving, you will ensure that your brand new products actually appear to be brand new.
- Safer Storage and Display
Safety matters. Depending on the materials used and the number of years of wear and tear the units have experienced, your older shelving could present more of a risk of falling or collapsing under the weight of your products. This is not only a hazard to the products that will hit the ground, but it can also be a danger to your customers or shelf-stocking employees.
- Attract More Attention
Shelving fixtures can help to draw attention to certain products. Using normal shelving in all of your aisles makes everything blend into one another, making it difficult to attract customer attention. Studies conducted by Shopper Gauge have shown that new display fixtures will not only attract the attention of more shoppers, but will also increase aisle traffic, engagement, and conversion. Using special shelving materials, such as custom millwork, also helps your store stand out from the competition as a place where quality matters.
Updating your retail shelving may seem like an unnecessary expenditure, but it can truly affect how customers interact with your products. Not only does the investment into new retail shelving provide a high ROI, but retaining older, more poorly designed retail shelving can actually hurt your bottom line. New retail shelving can allow you to better organize and display your products to give them a newer and more luxurious look that attracts more attention – and can provide safer storage and display as well.