With shoppers spending an average of just five minutes in a convenience retail store, compared with 38 minutes in a supermarket, convenience retailers have to make their displays work hard to attract the attention of shoppers and grow basket spend. 

In this article, we explore how to make your in-store displays worth your customers’ time and investment.  

Plan ahead 

Looking at the year ahead, make a plan of all the events that matter to your customers which you can support. Then cash in on these events through product displays e.g. strawberries and cream for Wimbledon or Heineken for the Rugby World Cup. Putting together a rough plan will mean you’re better prepared and your displays aren’t an afterthought.  

Take the walk 

Put yourself in the shoes of your customers, ask a member of your staff or even a trusted friend to walk through your shop with you.  and note what they see and sense. Do they feel compelled to pick up more items than they originally intended to? Take a note of what they liked, didn’t like or what they missed altogether and make tweaks to displays accordingly.  

Display type 

You want customers to pick up items as soon as they enter your store. So, create displays that can’t be missed, and really consider the importance of product placement. Perfect examples are impulse displays at the end of aisles or by your tills in high traffic areas. Make sure they are all at eye level for optimum engagement. After all, eye level is buy level!  

Ensure your displays are eye-catching and colourful, and be creative by using free materials such as delivery pallets. Displays can support local events, new seasons or new products.  

Work with suppliers 

Make the most of suppliers’ marketing initiates and rotate your promotions around the shop after two weeks. Work with your suppliers to find out what they think works, what doesn’t, and learn as much as you can about the products so that you can answer any questions that customers may have.  

Measure and learn 

It’s wise to set a target for your displays. Use an inventory management system to track your best sellers and lines that aren’t performing. If you can see from your weekly dashboard that certain items are flying off the shelf, be prepared to reorder these best-selling products immediately.  

If you have sold through your inventory and you have no stock in your store room, change your visual merchandising plan to something you have plenty of. Equally, if an item isn’t selling, try moving the same display to another location or incorporate different product placement before giving up on it. 

Through trial and error, a little creativity and forward planning, you can really influence your customers purchasing decisions. Showstopping in-store displays can really play a crucial role in driving conversions.