When it comes to managing a retail store, one of the most important things for merchandisers and store managers to monitor is how the store looks to customers. Creating a clean, welcoming environment where customers can easily find what they are looking for – and perhaps some fun extras on the way – is a great way to increase sales and build relationships with repeat customers.
The basics of making sure your store is welcoming, such as keeping your store free of dirt and sticky spills, are straightforward enough. This is true even if they aren’t always easy to keep up with. Setting up effective displays that appeal to customers and are easy to maintain, however, can be a bit more complex.
One popular way to maximize space and the visual appeal of your items is to use gondola shelves throughout the store. Gondola shelving is versatile, affordable, and maximizes space, just to name a few of the reasons we love it. It’s also easy to modify with the broad variety of accessories available. The options really are endless!
So, what are some ways you can maximize gondola shelving for your store?
Mix hooks into your displays
Depending on the products you sell, hooks can be a useful way to efficiently and beautifully store items. Some items hooks can be especially useful for include jewelry, pet toys, bags of candy, and cosmetics.
Another benefit of using hooks in displays is that they allow customers to quickly look through all of the items on display by gently pushing the front item or two to the side, then letting them swing right back into place. This can help keep displays organized and aesthetically pleasing, as the easiest option for the customer is to leave them exactly as they found them.
By strategically including hooks alongside shelving, not only can you fit more products in the same space without making them appear cluttered, but you also give your customers another element to explore in the display.
Adjust shelf height based on items placed there
A box of colored pencils likely won’t take up the same amount of space as an 18-pack of toilet paper, so why should the shelves they’re on be the same height?
By adjusting the height of each shelf to accommodate the items on it and just enough extra space for customers to peruse their options, you may find you can fit more shelves in a single aisle than you originally thought. This can also help prevent products from being stacked on top of one another when they shouldn’t be, simply because there seems to be enough room.
Just be sure there’s still enough room for customers to check how many of an item are left or if another color is available behind the first item!
Use clip strips to display relevant, lightweight items
Even if you aren’t familiar with the name, you have probably seen clip strips in action and know how effective they are. Clip strips are thin strips of metal or plastic with hooks placed at regular intervals and are often used for effective cross-promotion.
For example, have you ever noticed that there’s usually a column of disposable straws on a display like this right next to plastic cups and paper plates? Perhaps you’ve seen another popular example, hanging small containers of basil next to a display of tomatoes. By using clip strips for cross-merchandising in this way, retailers are easily able to add and switch out options without having to reorganize an entire shelf or aisle to make room.
Whatever you sell, clip strips can be a great way to make the most of your gondola shelving while also strategically using cross-promotional strategies to sell more items to customers already in your store.
Get creative with end displays
Why only display products on two sides of your shelving when you could display products on all four sides? With end displays, you can:
- Promote seasonal items that recently came back in stock, such as seasonal colors of your most popular products.
- Create themed displays featuring multiple products that may be used together, such as pencils and pencil cases for back-to-school.
- Promote any special sales or promotions that are currently going on.
These displays can be a fun way to make sure your customers always have something new to notice when they come to your store, either introducing them to new products or reigniting their interest in old favorites. Either way, end displays are a great way to encourage customers to explore your wares with a fresh eye!
Use grid trays to minimize clutter
While we all strive to keep our shelves looking neat and tidy, some items look messy more quickly than others. For example, people are far more likely to move around small, lightweight items to look for their favorite variety than they are, say, a 150oz jug of laundry detergent.
While most visual mess can be avoided by having some awesome stockers on your team, another great way to minimize shelf clutter is using grid trays to collect similar items together. For example, if you manage a fabric store and notice that customers are frequently rummaging through your remnant’s shelf to find just the right material for their next project, you might start grouping remnants together in trays by fabric type or color. That way, even after being rummaged through, the display still looks neat and tidy.
In conclusion
Gondolas are an extremely versatile and efficient way to store and display a broad variety of items for shops of any kind. From the largest shelf to the tiniest hanging display, gondola shelves can help you organize and show off your inventory. Plus, whenever a particular display seems to be getting stale, you can make it new again with a pop of color, a change in how they’re organized, or a new accessory. There’s always something fun and different to add!
If you’re ready to add gondola shelving to your store or perhaps upgrade the gondola shelving you already have, be sure to check out all the gondola shelving units and accessories available in our store
