Visual merchandising is a great way to group products together for sale or attract attention to items that recently came in. If done properly, visual merchandising not only helps increase your sales but helps your customers create an association of products that keeps them loyal to you and your company. If you’ve been needing fresh ideas for your visuals or don’t know where to start, we have you covered.

  1. Plan monthly changes of your displays. Holiday displays only hold their glory for a period of time and a promotional good tends to hold a short shelf life. Try to feature the newest arrivals first. If merchandise comes in paired with another item, keep the items together otherwise you run the risk of diluting its first appearance. Lastly, if you ordered different items from different vendors allow all items to arrive before creating a display. Don’t put one item out solo and lose the other potential sales.
  2. Display desires not needs.  Customers are already coming in for their needs; that’s why they walked in the doors. They will respond better to things they want. For example, don’t display the cheap cookware when the fancy Calphalon is what every Food Network wannabe star desires. Just because they may NEED a new sauté pan doesn’t mean they won’t choose the more expensive model if it is displayed well.
  3. Find the one thing that a group has in common. Arranging products by use has often times led to higher sales. For instance, put all items related to brewing and drinking coffee or tea next to each other. Or if a group of items that is the same color make sense being sold side by side then go for it but place them next to other color-grouped items. Our eyes quickly move on in a monochromatic display.
  4. Start from the entry. From the moment a customer walks in they should begin seeing displays. Start with the display area closest to the front door and put your newest and most expensive items in the spotlight. Create varying levels of height and product so the customer can access the items without ruining the display.
  5. Needle in the haystack. Place a completely unrelated item in with your organized display. Its purpose is simply to serve as a prop and grab attention and lead them to notice the surrounding items. Do not do this with every display as this can create overkill but the idea should be there. You want the customer to ask, “Why is that there?”
  6. All of the lights.  Light up your display like the 4th of July. Light signifies importance. Adjust overhead lighting to compensate this. If you happen to have a rather dark display with no way to highlight it from above consider change location to accommodate your display lighting needs.
  7. Say it out loud. Well-placed, well-worded, easy to read signs can make a big impact. If your customers are older try using larger fonts. Avoid handwritten signs as much as possible- they scream amateur. Also, do not touch DO NOT TOUCH signs. You might as well ask them to touch away and not buy.
  8. Follow the 90 degree rule. Move existing displays around as new products come in. Try putting newer items to the front and putting older items in the middle and back.
  9. Data and analytics are your friend. There’s no use in putting so much effort into your displays if you don’t track the result on sales. Read computer printouts and inventory levels weekly. If an item is hot reorder as soon as possible, if you have a display of something that is no longer in stock change the display. Lastly, if you have a large stock of something that’s not selling, try moving the display.
  10. Tag it. Price makes the product. If they have to ask it’s already a no. 
  11. Customize it. Customizing a display is a great way to bring attention to a specific brand or product. Add a unique graphic to a refrigeration unit. Create a bright image on a merchandising sign.

Excellence Industries is a complete service commercial refrigeration company based in Tampa, Florida. All of our units come with optional custom graphics and many feature light up merchandising signs. Our units help you create big sales in a small footprint. Call us today for pricing and quotes by visiting http://excellenceindustries.com/contact-us/.