Do and Don't: THEME-ing Sells!

As the holiday season nears, most retailers will be readying their seasonal decorations.

To create a unique look custom tailored to your products, try using the very products you are selling to display– or take toy miniatures of it. Nothing is far fetched. I remember doing 64 themed trees one holiday season and each one was tailored to the retailers. Coffee beans in a teacup for a coffee shop; plastic fishes swimming on a blue stream of iridescent fabric for a fish store; and miniature sport toys for a sporting goods store.

 

After 3 wonderful years of blogging, this will be my last blog for awhile, until I amass more do and don’t retail photos. Have a Great Holiday Season!

 

 

Do: Testers are Always Welcome

Ever been to stores that sell perfume wherein all the bottles are locked up in a glass cabinet? How do they expect customers to be attracted to the products when the displays are uninviting? 

 

The photo in this week’s blog shows one that caught my attention. All the products displayed below have a corresponding tester on the top shelf. The shelf height is a little below chest level and thus easily invites one to try the products. The absence of a sales associate in this case made the displays more welcoming as I knew I could play to my heart’s content without any interruption— and PLAY I did!

 

Do and Don't: RMU Romancing the Customer

I often see the sad state of displays whenever I shop. I feel sad for the beautiful products that are just placed haphazardly as if the owner didn’t care. Even marked down pieces deserve a nice set-up.

 

DO: Retail Merchandising Unit Display (RMU)

The display is given structure and several design elements are utilized. There is direction, there is shape and there is an appeal to customers to interact with products. Items are also grouped by design.

 

COULD BE BETTER:

Nice ceramic bathroom accessories are just placed on a shelf without thought for design and display appeal.

Do and Don't: $500 Sitting Atop a Box?!

Shocked I tell you, I am shocked to see a $500 item sitting atop an inventory box. Is retail space in such a premium that a shelf could not be spared? When I buy something that costs $500, I almost expect my heels to sink in some lush carperting with nice ambience surrounding me.

DO: The display informs customers of what price to expect to pay. In this case, mid price point is what I guessed these dinnerware to be and indeed, they are. Besides price, the display also gave me ideas on how to display them at home and the different items I can add to make my dinner table more appealing.

DON'T: $500 for this set? That's highway robbery! That is what most people will almost say when seeing this set sitting atop its carton box. Now if only it was displayed properly, I may find the $500 set a good value.

Do and Don't: Cosmetics is STILL a Mini Luxury, Isn't It?

I subscribe to the belief that merchandise should be supported by the platform it is displayed on to ensure product values are uphelf and most of all, to make them appealing. Isn't that what retailing is all about? Making things begging to be bought?

DO: The right point of purchase display makes the difference between products sold right away and those that remain sitting in the shelf for a long time. Although this is an extremely popular price point, the display continually sells to the customer.

DON'T: I feel bad for the seller of these celebrity endorsed lipsticks. They do not deserve to be presented in a brown corrugated box. Infallible? I think not in this case.

Do and Don't: Housekeeping is MAJOR

I understand how store can be busy and when delivery comes in, it adds to the chaos. However, is it acceptable at any one point to line boxes along an aisle, thereby blocking access to merchandise? Isn't that lost sales?

DO: Clean clear aisles are inviting and does not deter customers from coming in despite the line up at the cash desk.

DON'T: No room to store just delivered inventory? Maybe stacking them up closer to the back will minimize hindrances and allow more access to products being sold. Besides, these are trip hazards and the last thing retailers need is a lawsuit.

Do and Don't: Amazons Viewing Windows

When displaying merchandise in a window, what is the ideal height? I always thought that its always best when the eye hits the chest area of the mannquins or close to the main feature of the clothing being promoted. Now the question is whose eyes? Someone who is 6 ft. tall or someone less than 5'5"?

DO: I like how the mannquins are just the right height, with my eye hitting the chest area. The lighting also hits this very area, hence drawing the eye to the spot. The strategy of repetition is successfully implemented and indeed makes an impact.

DON'T: I do like the repetition but my eyes hit near the knee area of the jeans. Viewed from afar, this height may be ok, however at that distance one cannot see the jean details. Besides the negative space below is too jarring isn't it?

Do and Don't: A Window is NOT a Stockroom

It never ceases to amaze me when retailers fail to treat their shop windows with the respect it deserves. What a wasted opportunity– a chance to attract attention and sell the very merchandise on display. Too bad!

DO: With space at a premium the window is used as an introduction to what customers may expect inside the store. What an inviting display!

DON’T: This picture says it all– how the retailer simply must not care anymore. It does not matter whether one is a discount retailer or even a resell shop. Merchandise must be treated with dignity or else customers fail to appreciate its value.

Do and Don't: Which Sells Better?

There are so many display techniques and styles around but at the end of the day, I think the one that wins is the one that sells the most.

Which of these two display styles do you think will sell more?
DO: Each shelf is merchandised exactly the same way with small items flanking taller items creating a triangular effect. I prefer this display in that as customers shop, moving from left to right, they are offered a new product (still within the same category). Talk about silent multiple selling!

DON'T: This isn't really a don't, more of "can be improved". The good thing is that smaller items are placed eye level for easy visibility. However, the drawback is that more customers may purchase the smaller lower margin items than the large bottles displayed on the bottom shelf.

Do and Don't: Window NO NOs

When small stores need the window space to merchandise products for sale, one way to create this set-up is to group things by colour within a category to make it look like products belong in a single theme.

DO: With multiple items from different suppliers, this window still maintains its integrity simply by being grouped by colour. The large clear vases on the right most of the top table was filled with coloured water that matched the overall colour theme.

DON'T: Avoid displaying item together that have no relation to its use. For example, footwear with Canadiana souvenirs, or baseball caps with formal wear brooches together in one window.

Do and Don't: When Signs Devalue Merchandise

DO: Not only is this sign's fabrication appropriate for the product being sold, the photo of the very merchandise "in use" makes it more appealing.

DON'T: So sad for there pretty jewelry pieces. They do not deserve to be treated this way, nor do they deserve the selling tags attached to them.

Do and Don't: When An Empty Space is A Wasted Opportunity

DO: A great focal display informs customers not only of what to expect inside the shop, but also makes a statement on price and value.

DON'T: A wasted focal display space! The statement this area is trying to make is incomplete and draws the eye to the wide empty wall space.

Do and Don't: Is MESSY Part of Your Retail Identity?

How much mess is acceptable? Some people say when a bin is messy, its a sign that business is good and there are tons of customers in the store. I agree- it is sometimes ok for bins to be messy- especially during busy times. However where does one draw the line? What about feature displays? Power wall displays? When does it become detrimental to sales?

DO: A nice inviting towel display is always a welcome sight. It conveys a well organized business who prioritizes upkeep of displays.
DON'T: Yes, I realize it can be busy at times, but on a Tuesday afternoon?! It is most likely from the weekend rush, and yet nothing has been done since then? When is cutting too much staff hours that it compromises business identity ok? Talk about devaluing products.

Do and Don't: When Replenishing Means Sales or NO Sales

Retail IS in the details. I wonder how many times I've stressed the importance of the simple things that could make or break a retailer's sales for the day. Replenishment is never romantic, nor is it something everyone looks forward to doing. However, replenishing inventory is key to sales. I wonder how many retailers are losing sales because they fail to do this very thing.

DO: I can understand that during the course of a busy day, keeping a full display can be challenging. However ensuring that shelves are filled conveys a positive impression, not only of product dominance but also of a healthy business.

DON'T: Last I checked these boxed chocolates were at full price. I was expecting that they be at least 50% off they way they are presented. Lack of attention to detail is detrimental to merchandise turnover and therefore business performance. Worse, not only was it a busy Saturday, this display is located in the main traffic aisle, in a major interesction or what is also referred to as strike zone.

Do and Don't: Retail Carts Need Visual Merchandising Too!

Most retail carts sell price point goods, hence most operators do not bother with creative displays. Don't they realize that carts are selling spaces too and thus need to maximize all opportunties to sell?

DO: Handbags displayed with their faces out attract more attention than if they were displayed sideways. Besides, customers purchase handbags for their face design, not how they look on the side.
DON'T: What a mess! Unattractive, unappealing, need I say more?!

Do and Don't: When Height Matters

DO: The bust forms displayed atop the table is just the right height to relate to the products displayed in front of it.

DON'T: Removing the wooden stand will make this bust form display better. Not only will it fall within the lit area, the display will be easier to view as well. The way it is currently displayed highlights the stand more than the body form.

Do and Don't: IF You Have to Really Use Slatwalls

DO: Did I ever mention I like slatwalls the least? However I do understand retailers preferring them for their versatility. However I believe there are several other fixture options to attaining the same versatility without sacrificing the look. At any rate the photo above is a DO if ever slatwalls are used. Not only is it in wood veneer, it also uses metal slat inserts that reinforce the wall and at the same time lessen the impact of horizontal lines. Filling the wall with merchandise also make the repeated patterns of line less obvious.

DON'T: This wall is a no-no. The white slats make the repeated pattern of horizontal lines more pronounced and thus I feel that it catches the eye more so than the products. Here, the wall actually devalues the very products merchandised on it. What else can be improved aside from too much negative space? Pots and pans with framed pictures? What kind of an adjacency is that?

Do and Don't: Customers Pay Attention to Details

DO: This window display shows attention to detail. Everything is well laid out and the back graphics support the overall theme.

DON'T: Right across the mall hallway from the window shown above, is this window below. An otherwise beautiful window display is ruined by the backdrop. Do they think customers will not see this detail?! The implications do not stop here, what about supporting product values or rather, enhancing them?

Do and Don't: Am I Too Fat?

DO: Allow enough room for customers to browse through merchandise on the back wall. After all, there are more merchandise displayed here than on the front feature table. At least three feet of space between fixtures is good.

DON'T: I realize that space is at a premium, however who can ever fit in between this feature table and the wall to comfortably browse through the wall merchandise selection? I can't even imagine how anyone, skinny or otherwise, access this section.

Do and Don't: When Backlighting Backfires

DO: Backlighting is a great strategy to attract customer attention and drive them to a specific area. However, additional lighting in front is needed to balance the bright back wall.

DON'T: See what I mean if the front is not lit and only the back is?  While this may marginally work for items such as eyeglasses/sunglasses, other merchandise displays fail when the product face becomes dark especially solid items such as the branding sign seen here.