Jazmin Hupp 10/19/12 Jazmin Hupp 10/19/12

14 Keys to Great Retail Merchandising

Today, I learned how boring all my store display ideas are from Bob Phibbs, "the Retail Doctor", at the Apple Specialist Conference in Austin.

Why Merchandise?

It raises your average purchase amount by silently adding-on to every sale.
Turns mission shoppers into browsers and makes them curious about what else you offer.

Great Merchandising...

Is simple and fast to understand.
Slows down a customer's eyes
Is coherent and logical (you don't put diapers next to vodka)
It groups products that a certain type of customers are likely going to buy (you put products for seniors in one display, not mixed with products for parents and teenagers)

What is the message you want to send?

We have this in five colors?
We have sales stuff?
Here's the full picture of what you need.

4 Types of Bad Displays

Illogical groupings of products that don't work together.
Crammed displays with too many choices.
Half empty displays where the fixture stands out more than the product.
Add more signs (if the first signs didn't work, add more).

6 Types of Good Displays

Complimentary displays: paper towels with window cleaner or waffles with pancake syrup.
Coordinated displays: all the things you need to do "X" (all the accessories you need to paint a room).
Environmental/lifestyle displays: Shows the products in use or reasons to buy the product visually. Garden bug spray with big panels on what type of damage bugs do and how to use the spray.
One product type displays: Can be strong but are often dangerous. All the belts hung together are great if you're looking for a belt but you're going to skip it if you didn't intend to buy a belt.
Stand out displays: Intrigue the mind by putting something unexpected. Hang 30 light bulbs and turn one on.
Stop displays: Displays that make you stop to figure it out but don't have anything to do with the product you're selling.

How to Do Great Merchandising

Start at the Front Door: Make a front window display that makes it clear there is something new (or arrange the old product in a way that makes it look different).
Plan Inventory: Make sure you have inventory to support the sales of whatever you feature.
Find one Thing to Unify: A theme or purpose that everything works together on.
Build the Biggest Add-on: Accessorize a complete outfit.
Pay Attention to Color: Add more color or coordinate colors if possible.
Vary Heights: Put products at multiple levels. Products on counters encourage customers to touch them. Customers are more likely to buy anything they touch. Products on walls have less engagement.
Consider Something Different: A "pig in the window" is something that engages a customer with color, movement, or oddity. Put a moving train in your window and people will watch it. Put a toilet in your window to sell waterproof iPhone cases. Generic signs kill good displays. If the copy doesn't provoke a reaction, you've failed.
Lighting: Focus on what you want to sell the most. Show the customer where to look.
Proper Signage Helps Educate Your Customer: Make the customer feel smart. Anytime a customer has a question or feels intimidated they won't buy.
Sell the System: Put all the accessories you need together. All the ingredients for a recipe put together.
Keep It Sparkling: Clean all the your displays daily. Clean your front doors hourly.
Monitor Sales: Decode whether placement or product drove sales. Move a display every two weeks to different parts of the store and monitor the sales in different locations. You'll find you have hot spots and cold spots on the floor for placement.
Clear Pricing: Don't make anyone guess what your products cost.
Brand Your Signage: Young customers are likely to take pictures of fun displays, make sure your branding shows up with it.

Jazmin Hupp 8/14/12 Jazmin Hupp 8/14/12

4 Unique Retail Signage Examples to Increase Sales

Stair Signage Attracts And Informs

Videotron-flagship-store-Sid-Lee-Architecture-RCAA-Montreal-06

Unimax Tattoo Supply on crowded Canal Street in NYC, uses stair signage to attract people to walk up to their second story location. Once customers are walking up, the signs inform you of all the different items you can expect inside. Since most of their merchandise is hidden behind counters, seeing a category of items you'd like to buy on the stairs encourages you to ask a staff member to show them to you.If you have the big bucks, get an animated stair case. Videotron in Montreal claims to have installed the first one in North America at their flagship store.

Digital Signage That is as Functional as it is Beautiful

When Microsoft opened a store across the hallway from Apple in the Mall of America, I wondered how they would counter Apple's award winning store designs. A wrap-around digital wall slightly above eye-level allows promotions to flow effortlessly across the entire store. But the gorgeous displays aren't even the best part. The Xboxes throughout the store activate a window in the displays that allows you to play on the big screens. The prominence of the xBox displays encourages other customers to investigate.

Tell Your Customers How Much Your Values Are Theirs And How To Uphold Them

Part confirmation and part guilt-trip this table top signage from ultra-popular Pine State Biscuits in Portland, Oregon does it all. By phrasing all their information as a thank you to their customers they increase compliance without nasty "bus your own table, your Mom doesn't work here" type signage. They open the card by affirming their customer base for shopping local, which increases loyalty to their brand. Following up the affirmation are the house-keeping reminders for this busy counter-service restaurant. Although I'd recommend a more comprehensive customer feedback program, putting your email address out their is a great start.

Unique Coffee Cup Stickers Increase Revenue for Coffee Stand

I thought I'd seen every way to advertise on a coffee cup until Cowgirl Coffee in Whitefish, Montana served me an ad on my straw. Typically placed on the lid of hot drinks to keep liquid sealed in while you're driving, this ad placement is ultra-local and very noticeable. According to their website, they feature an advertiser for 2-3 weeks exclusively, serving about 4,500 customers. Stickers have included coupons, events, and classic branding ads. I'm just glad this women-owned business hasn't had to stoop to the lows of the competitive northwest coffee stand scene. Bikini and lingerie wearing baristas compete for your dollar at chains like Baristas Gone Wild and Lace n' Lattes throughout the northwest.