Store owners have relied on creative displays since the first businesses opened. Creative store displays draw customers in, provide an exciting experience, and keep shoppers browsing for as long as possible. But it takes skill and planning to create compelling presentations, and professionals depend on some basic principles to guide their efforts.
Experts allow customers to feel and touch items and ensure that displays evoke specific emotions. Cross-merchandising draws shoppers’ attention to new discoveries and boosts sales. Stores use portable displays so they can easily change exhibits, and merchandise specialists ensure that products are properly lit.
- Design Immersive Displays
One effective way to keep shoppers in stores is to engage their senses. With that in mind, many businesses now create displays that offer immersive experiences.
For instance, a winter clothing display area might include a unifying theme that provides a “chilly” experience when the temperature outside is 75 degrees. Creative merchanding experts might design a wintery backdrop that proclaims, “It’s cold outside,” and use stark whites and grays in surrounding areas. Shoppers entering the area not only find cold-weather clothing and gear but experience a sense of coolness.
- Encourage Customers to Touch and Feel Products
Shoppers like to pick up, touch, and feel products before buying them. Whenever possible, displayed items should be easily accessible to buyers and not left in packaging.
Not only do customers like to experience the feel of fabrics, but most like to touch products such as appliances. That is why many successful businesses put items like hair dryers on displays where customers can handle them.
- Harness the Power of Cross Merchandising
Cross merchandising means drawing customers’ attention to items that complement things they are already examining. One way to cross merchandise is to display several items together, such as jacket, shirt, and slacks. Stores displaying blouses might exhibit accessories like bags or scarves. It’s a powerful technique that allows shoppers to discover new products.
Effective cross merchandising can boost revenue because it increases the chances of impulse purchases. It also makes it simpler for customers to make decisions, which leads to a more pleasant shopping experience.
- Consider Portable Displays
Many businesses use portable displays in addition to permanent racks. Portable displays make it simple to change designs quickly and can be moved around the store easily. They are ideal for small stores. Using portable displays also helps businesses focus since limited space means stores need to display the most high-impact products.
- Ensure Displays Are Properly Lit
No matter how attractive or interesting a display is, it will not be effective unless it is properly lit. Merchandising professionals use an array of methods to draw attention to products via lighting. In addition to carefully placed overhead lighting, stores often add subtle, hidden lights to highlight specific products.
Displaying merchandise effectively makes all the difference to retail success. Effective displays provide an immersive experience and often include cross merchandising. Many stores use portable displays that make it easier to remerchandise when necessary. Effective presentations also use lighting to draw attention to product features.
