Take a look at your shelving inventory. Has much of it has seen better days? Is it old, chipped – even rickety?
If so, it's time to replace. Even if a lot of your shelving inventory is still "perfectly good," you can still replace what needs to be and then mix-and-match the old with the new for a fresh new look, and safe display of your merchandise.
Today's retail shelving is better than ever
If you haven't bought shelving for a while, you will be surprised. Today's shelving is:
- Available in a variety of materials, colors and styles
Metal, glass, plastic, wood – take your pick. You can mix and match as you please, and you don't need to focus on just utility. All of today's retail shelving is as sturdy as that made in the "old days," but importantly, it also focuses on aesthetics. In other words, you don't have to settle for utilitarian or institutional. Instead, choose shelving that both looks good and does its job well. When you choose attractive shelving, your merchandise looks better, too, and that can mean a boost in sales for you.
- Adjustable
Today's retail shelving systems use brackets, slots, and other quick and easy adjustment systems so that you can change configurations with little effort and few to no tools.
- New and different
The old standbys, like gondola shelving, are still here and will continue to be the mainstays of retail shelving. However, there are also new and different fixtures available so that you can have even more flexibility in your display setups.
Some interesting choices include:
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Slatwalls
Slatwalls are a lot like gondola shelving, but lighter weight, movable, and more easily adjustable. Sleek and refined, you can configure them without tools: Simply slide shelving into slatwalls without using extra brackets, and move them as you need to, fully assembled, if you wish.
In addition, accessories like waterfalls, baskets, faceouts, hangers, and hooks allow you to display oddly shaped or bulky items that won't fit on shelving easily, and you can hang clothing, as well.
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Tabletop displays
These lightweight displays are best used when you want to highlight "hot" or high-volume products, or when you want to bring customers' attention to "impulse buys" they might otherwise overlook. These displays sit easily wherever you have a little extra room, and can be changed out at a moment's notice with new product.
One of the best places to put a tabletop display is at your store's entrance. This area is best used for "hot" items or high-volume bestsellers. You can also place them at the end of aisles, for a double profit punch. When you place tabletops at the ends of aisles, you draw customers directly to the displays because they are interested in the products housed there. However, you also entice them to look over to the next department, which then effortlessly draws them to products there and "helps" them continue their shopping.
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Countertop displays
Although countertop displays are often used at the checkout for obvious reasons, anyplace you have a little extra flat space works well. Place displays of magazines, gum, candy, or other small "quick pickup" items anywhere there's a countertop – great for customer convenience and your profitability.
If you have not had a look at the latest offerings in retail shelving, perhaps it is time that you do. Replace some (or all) of your old shelving with new, and take advantage of new materials, colors and styles that will fit or complement your decor. Once bought, your new retail shelving can display merchandise as you choose – and for years to come.
