Retail displays are essential in any brick-and-mortar store. Not only do displays disseminate important information about specific brands and products, but they also direct foot traffic and create visual interest to enhance the overall shopping experience. Nobody wants to spend time in dull, boring retail environment. According to Entrepreneur.com, the importance of retail displays can be compared to the “presentation” of fancy food. Sure, food should taste delicious, but it should also look appealing to entice all of the senses. When they’re well-designed, displays bring color and vibrancy to retail environments, turning a mundane chore into a multisensory shopping adventure.
We know that the appearance of retail displays can directly affect purchase decisions. However, the way a display is manufactured can also make or break its overall impact, especially with more complicated, cutting edge interactive displays. Interactive displays are popular with technology brands that sell big ticket items like smartphones, TVs, appliances, and computers. Interactive displays allow shoppers to test products in action before they purchase them, which means the displays themselves must always be in tip-top condition, ready for public interaction. And, unfortunately, if your displays are not functional, they can negatively impact your entire brand image.
The Negative Impacts Of Poorly Designed Retail Displays
The human brain is hardwired to process visual data faster than any other medium, and a retail display is usually the first interaction a consumer has with a brand in-store. If a shopper walks into a retail environment and comes in contact with an interactive display that’s dirty, broken, or missing components, what message does that situation convey about the brand or products it’s trying to promote? Not only do broken displays look sloppy, but they also impact the sale since consumers are less likely to touch, feel, and look at the products on a non-functioning display. And chances are, a brand’s competitor will have invested money into a display maintenance plan, which means their products will automatically look more appealing even if they’re not intrinsically superior.
According to Vend HQ, the ability to see products in action is one of the main advantages a physical retailer has over e-commerce sellers: “creating displays that show your products in use or allow shoppers to try them out will help with engagement and conversions.” When it comes to technology products, consumers like to test out key functions for themselves. For instance, if you don’t like the way a phone’s camera takes pictures, you might not want to purchase that model. The only way to know for sure that you’re purchasing the right product is to try it out beforehand and compare its components to other competitors on the market. Visual merchandising in the form of retail displays works to draw consumers in, so it’s essential to make sure that first impression is a good one.
If an interactive display is well-designed and properly maintained, it will have a positive impact on the overall shopping experience. After all, retail displays do the job of telling your brand story and giving consumers a sneak peek at your quality as a company.
The Positive Impacts Of Well-Designed Displays
Well-designed displays usually involve some type of unifying feature, whether it be an eye-catching font, a vibrant color scheme, a demo video loop, or an exciting image series. In addition, they also need to be functional. This may seem obvious, but its importance cannot be overstated. By “functional,” that means retail displays should be intuitive, easy to interact with, and simple to understand, displaying all price points and specs in one place so the consumer doesn’t have to go searching for information. Displays should also provide some type of visualization that shows how to use the products they’re promoting, including video clips, tutorials, or infographics. If visual cues are missing, the consumer will not benefit from the full experience of that display.
If a multifaceted technology brand is looking to promote a full suite of solutions, such as a smart home security system, they should consider investing in a display that can showcase multiple demo units in order to demonstrate the complete capabilities of that specific system. Take Nest, for example, Google’s popular smart home product that connects to a home’s WiFi network. Nest’s suite of product offerings includes thermostats, cameras, doorbells, alarm systems, and locks. To showcase how all of its devices connect together, a well-designed interactive display for Nest would need to show how they all communicate and are accessible from the end-user’s personal smartphone device.
Since interactive displays are increasingly considered to be a “silent salesperson,” they need to be built in a way that allows them to do their job without constant intervention from store associates. In other words, they must be durable and designed to last.
How To Properly Build A Retail Display
When building any retail display, you should always begin the process with a comprehensive design and high-quality materials. Displays experience a lot of wear and tear, especially interactive displays that invite consumers to physically engage with a brand’s products. For example, if a display is assembled from low-grade cardboard, it will likely begin to break down within a few weeks of use, if not days. Another thing to consider is how easy your retail displays are to clean. More so now than ever before, consumers are concerned with the cleanliness of public environments, especially in spaces like grocery stores. According to Retail News Insider, nearly a quarter of all shoppers say they shop at a competitor versus their local grocery store due to cleanliness issues, and another 18% say they reserve their local store for quick in-and-out trips only. If your displays require special cleaning products or procedures, they might have to go longer between maintenance visits, which means they’ll become dirty and disheveled.
By nature, interactive displays have some type of technology component. And as we all know, technology is far from foolproof. When designing and building an interactive display, it’s a smart move to make sure its components are easy to access in case it needs to be serviced for troubleshooting. If possible, make your interactive displays remotely accessible so associates can perform “health checks” and update messaging from afar, no matter what your brands’ campaign of the day might be. The ability to be agile by way of technology advancements and innovation is what will ultimately separate the mediocre retail displays from the amazing ones.
Lastly, a display needs to have an easy interface. It must draw the attention of shoppers with identifiable branding, and then highlight relevant messaging about the category of products it’s promoting. Likewise, always make sure your product’s components won’t be affected by the display itself. For example, if you’re selling high-end headphones, make sure the display’s power cord is long enough that a consumer can comfortably try on the headphones and experience their unique noise cancelling system with ease. Additionally, make sure the display’s design prompts an intuitive interaction. Direct consumers seamlessly to which button they should press to start demos, how to turn a camera on, the best way to access a playlist, and so on. When it comes to retail displays, form and function are of equal importance.
After you build the perfect display, the fun doesn’t end there. Now, you must consider what it takes to keep that display working as well as it did on Day 1. There are many moving parts involved, and no item should go overlooked.
How To Maintain Retail Displays To Enhance The Retail Experience
Often, when high-end or expensive products are on display, such as electronics, there is a chance of theft or vandalization from in-store shoppers. It’s unfortunate, but it’s a reality that brands and retailers alike face on a daily basis. According to Vend HQ, “the average shoplifter walks out with$438 per theft, and the chance of being caught is only 1 in 48.” For that reason, it’s essential to design retail displays in a way that optimizes security and minimizes product lift. A few best practices include placing security stickers on demo products that will trip an alarm system if they’re removed from the store, or even connecting products physically to the display with zip ties. Old school, but it works! You might have to get a little creative, but just make sure the overall aesthetic doesn’t change too much due to your necessary security measures.
In addition to designing for security, brands, retailers, and display manufacturers must also consider how a display’s design might impact ongoing maintenance. If things go down – say, for instance, a wire gets dislodged – how easy will it be to get that display up and running again? And for faulty parts, what does the ordering, fulfillment, and supply chain process look like? It’s always a smart move to hope for the best and prepare for the worst, and that’s especially true when it comes to maintaining in-store retail displays. Since displays are the first interaction consumers typically have with a brand, they need to function properly at all times in order to be effective.
To attain that level of always-on service, many brands, retailers, and display manufacturers choose to partner with third-party retail companies who can act as their eyes and ears on the store floor, performing routine maintenance checks and updates as needed.
Why Hire A Third-Party Retail Partner?
BDSmktg is a third-party retail partner, and we have a long history of retail display experience. Our boots-on-the-ground teams spend an incalculable amount of time in stores, observing industry trends, and making expert recommendations accordingly. Additionally, we also have long-standing relationships with big-box retailers and display manufacturers, which makes it easier to know the lay of the land when it comes to performing in-store audits, display checks, product demos, and training sessions. If you’re looking for a third-party retail partner who can act on your behalf to improve your brand’s presence in retail environments, look no further than BDS.
With our industry-leading display Break/Fix team, we can quickly troubleshoot technology issues and report back to our clients that same day with image links and custom dashboards. And with our ability to manage parts inventory and expedite shipping, our partners are never left worrying about non-functioning display components. Today’s retail landscape may look a little uncertain, but with our assistance, you can always be sure that your brand’s displays look their best and perform under pressure. If you have questions about the importance of building great retail displays, or if you want more information about our Break/Fix program, don’t hesitate to reach out at sales@BDSmktg.com or 800.234.4237.
Sources:
-https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/78992
-https://www.vendhq.com/blog/store-retail-displays/
