Shelf Obsessed

Whats Hot (and Whats Not) in Retail Shelving and Fixtures

Written by Robert Walthall | Sat, Dec, 27, 2014 @ 02:30 PM

Is your retail shelving out of date? Although it can last you for years, it's worth taking stock of what you have, then upgrading as necessary. Today's newest "hot" offerings can freshen your displays and make them pop.

What's hot – and what's not – in retail shelving and fixtures today?

What's hot:

  • Customizable, easy to configure shelving

No longer do you have to buy "one size fits all" shelving in beige or gray, and make it do. Instead, you can choose shelving in a variety of types, sizes, materials and colors. You can also easily reconfigure most types as you need to for instant "customization," without looking like you are simply making do.

For example, you can set up and break down gondola shelving easily; set up various configurations so that you get exactly what you want for your particular situation. Even though gondola shelving is multipurpose, it doesn't look like it. Customers will never know that your shelving isn't "customized" especially for you.

What's not hot:

  • Bland institutional shelving that you can't customize

Today's retail shelving gives you the ability to "customize" again and again, without paying a lot to do so. Out goes bland, clunky institutional shelving that can't be customized to make the best use of your space.

What's hot:

  • Gondola shelving – and a whole lot more

The tried-and-true workhorse of the retail industry, gondola shelving, is still around and isn't going anywhere. Today's gondola shelving comes in a variety of colors, styles and materials to fit your decor, and can be set up and broken down as needed to reconfigure your floor layout, and storage and display options.

But it doesn't stop there. Take a look at just a few other choices in retail shelving you might also consider:

  • Slatwalls

Slatwalls are the sleek cousins of the gondola unit. Lightweight and mobile, these versatile shelving units come with a variety of accessories that make customizing displays quick and easy. Use floating shelves, brackets, hooks, bins, baskets, faceouts and waterfalls to display lighter weight merchandise of varying sizes, and move displays whenever needed to make the best use of floor space.

  • Tabletop and countertop display fixtures

Place tabletop displays at the entrance to your store to sell "hot" items, and/or in various departments for seasonal sales. Countertop display fixtures work well at the checkout counter for last-minute impulse buys your customers need.

  • Wire racks and baskets

Freestanding wire racks can also be used for displays at the entrance to your store, at the ends of aisles, at department entrances, and at the checkout. Racks and baskets are especially useful at the checkout for last-minute impulse buys like gum, candy, and magazines.

What's not hot:

  • Making do without the shelving and fixtures you need

If you haven't looked at the variety of retail shelving and fixtures available to you lately, take a moment and do so. The choices here can give you many more display options than what you may already have in your shelving inventory. When you invest in new retail shelving and fixtures, you can truly customize product displays so that customers can see and access merchandise easily – thus improving their shopping experience, and your profitability.

If you haven't looked at both the new and (existing but) updated offerings in retail shelving and fixtures that are available today, take a moment to do so. Tried and true standbys like gondola shelving have undergone fashionable facelifts so that they are both easy to customize and fit right in with your decor, while newer shelving and fixture options let you create unique displays to showcase your merchandise perfectly.