You may believe that products sell themselves, but in reality clever merchandising makes the difference between them leaving your door and sitting on the shelf. There are many types of visual merchandising displays that are appropriate for different spaces and types of products. From special shelving to large format graphics, here are some of the most effective types of merchandising displays.
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Types of Displays in Retail
The type of retail visual merchandising displays that you use is dependent on the type of item you’d like to sell. It’s important to pick the type of display that fits best in your store and the items you wish to sell.
1. Entryway Display
Displays placed right in front of your entrance doors are great for displaying current sale or bargain items. During special times of year, entryway displays are great for holiday promotions and for showcasing seasonal necessities. Placing these items at the front of the store shows your customers that you are there to help them and the best deals and be prepared for seasonal needs.
2. Freestanding Display
Free-standing displays are great for heavily trafficked areas. These displays are typically shoulder-height, but can be higher, and can easily attract customers. They are great for areas that cannot have large displays, such as aisles in a supermarket. These displays are easily moved around and can be updated quickly.
3. Dump Bin
Although the name may be deceiving, dump bins are actually places that customers shop frequently. Dump bins are basically very large containers full of various items. They could be filled with candy, books or stuffed animals. Dump bins are especially good for sale or clearance priced merchandise. People are able to look through items easily and search for products that they desire.
4. Display Case
Display cases are most often seen in department stores. The best example of this is a typical store jewelry counter. These glass cases allow customers to look at higher-priced objects that you don’t necessarily want to have out in the open. This is a way to keep your stock away from the public but still display all that you have to offer. Display cases are also great for electronic items as well as certain types of sporting equipment.
5. Gondola Display
Gondola displays are not boats, however they are easily movable display shelves. They allow you to display several different types of items all at once. Gondola displays are extremely popular and very large discount retail stores. This is because they can show many different types of products simultaneously and are easy to restock.
6. End Cap
The end cap display is a great way to utilize the end of an aisle in a store. End caps can help draw your customers into an aisle as well. They are great for displaying sale merchandise as people have to walk by them to get into an aisle. Many big name stores use end caps as a way to display their clearance merchandise while making room for newer items in their regular aisles.
7. Window Display
Window displays are arguably the most important type of display any store can have. Brightly-colored or ornate window displays draw new customers into the store. They are also capable of helping stores retain their current customers. Any type of large-scale graphic window designs will help a retail store to advertise current sales, seasonal merchandise, or help to cement their brand in the consumers mind.
8. Banner Display
Banner displays are an ingenious way of advertising a product without actually having to have more product on the sales floor. Banner displays can also highlight products that aren’t in their typical sales location. This will add some novelty to older products without costing much more money. Banners can be easily moved around the store and are made to last a long time.
9. Shelf Talker
One of the best low profile ways of advertising certain products in a store is the shelf talker. This type of display consists of simple, small, brightly colored vinyl signage. Shelf talkers are wonderful because they attach to existing aisle shelves and take up no floor space. For smaller areas, shelf talkers are the best way to highlight certain products for customers’ review.
10. Display Table
Commonly used to display folded clothing items, the display table allows your customer to easily pick up and handle merchandise. They are especially effective for items like accessories, such as costume jewelry, watches, and purses. This type of display is better suited for larger areas in a showroom, though they can also be effective with smaller tables.
11. Mannequin Display
There is certainly no better way to display clothing then to place it on a mannequin. This way your customers can have a better idea of how the clothing will look on a person. However mannequins can be a visually stunning display for other items as well, such as jewelry, scarves, or other accessories. Mannequins can also be an easy way for merchandisers to create unique, large-scale store displays of items typically not sold using mannequins.
12. Point-of-Purchase Display
A great way to utilize space in your store is to create point-of-purchase displays near your checkout counters or lines. These types of displays can result in impulse buying. It’s also a good idea to place practical, common items near the checkout such as batteries, lip balm, or chewing gum.
Each one of these types of displays will help your store to sell and move more merchandise. Some of these types are better suited to stores with lots of area, such as large department or warehouse stores. But a few of these displays, particularly banner displays or shelf talkers can be used in any size or type of store. All of these displays can be made more dynamic through the use of large graphic signage. Once you know the type of displays that you want for your space, you can begin to design your perfect store layout.