In-Store Merchandise Displays Support Impulse Purchases for Labor Day Weekend

The United States Congress instituted Labor Day as a means to recognize the working class of our nation. This holiday generally represents the symbolic end of the summer season. As a result, Americans will spend an inordinate amount of time outdoors attending picnics, barbequing and ultimately enjoying the final countdown before the neighborhood pool is shuttered until next year.

Needless to say, from a retail perspective, shoppers will be on a mission to enjoy the Labor Day weekend to its fullest extent. And while customers are busy grocery shopping and picking up last-minute supplies, it will be more important than ever for retailers to concentrate on the location and display of products to critically impact sales success during the three-day weekend.

At Nu-Era (www.nu-era.com), retailers have a ready resource right at their fingertips for fulfilling all their in-store display needs. The company has an entire section on its website devoted to a wide range of retail display solutions including countertop displays, point of purchase displays, tables, cubes, bins, shelving, garment racks and minigrid systems.

According to Jim Minard, vice president of sales and marketing for Nu-Era, nowhere is location more critical than at the Point of Purchase (POP) displays around your checkout counter. This is where last minute decisions are made, and successful POP management can mean considerable revenue for a retail store. Point of purchase displays are absolutely essential to the success of some products. An item that may not fair well in the aisles can oftentimes find a second life in the POP environment.

“Everyone falls victim to the impulse buy from time to time – probably more than we would care to admit,” said Minard. “As a result, it’s critical to constantly monitor and manage all of your in-store displays including your point of purchase area. Retailers should not limit themselves to candy, toys and knick knacks that most stores display by default. Walk through your store and look at products with a critical eye – from the perspective of the customer – to determine their POP potential,” he suggested.

Nu-Era specializes in providing a variety of displays, fixtures and supplies for retailers nationwide offering products to help retailers draw attention to and capitalize on their in-store products and promotions. A portion of the company’s website is dedicated to providing POP display solutions which include wire countertop displays, sunglass holders, mirrors, risers, easels and clip hangers that can showcase from 12 to 24 products such as batteries and individually packaged food products.

“It’s important to look at all of your display units with the customer in mind,” Minard concluded. “Product by product, ask yourself if this is something that would appeal to shoppers with a POP presentation, for example, or is it just taking up space that could be better filled with a different product? Think about which items, for example, work best at the cash register versus some other display location in the heart of your facility.”

Here are a few tips from the experts at Nu-Era for making the best use of in-store displays including Point of Purchase opportunities:

Remember What Most People Forget: There are some items that get overlooked during numerous trips to the store. Personal hygiene products like bug spray, sunscreen and lip balm are perfect examples. Using a display to remind customers that they need those hard-to-remember products, will likely lead to a spike in sales. And, don’t forget traditional holiday supplies like charcoal, lighter fluid, BBQ sauce, paper plates, napkins, cups and utensils.

Keep the Season Fresh: Think seasonal merchandise all year long. There are gloves and ice scrapers in the winter time, and visors and can coolers in the summer. Consider themed candy at Easter and Halloween, and greeting cards for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Seasonal merchandise is often an impulse buy, so keep that fact in mind when stocking your in-store displays.

Change is Good: Not sure which products will reach out to customers in a display format? Try a variety! Mix it up regularly, and keep close tabs on what works and what doesn’t for your customers. Just because every other store in town stocks their displays with the same items, doesn’t mean you have to (or even should)! Find your own secret to success with variety.
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Nu-Era and nu-era.com are services of The Nu-Era Group - the industry leader in store fixtures, supplies, and fulfillment. Nu-Era has been providing its customers with competitively priced quality products with customer-oriented service since 1949. Nu-Era features an entire section of www.nu-era.com dedicated to retail display solutions including POP displays. For more tips and related articles, visit Nu-Era’s Retail Supply Information Blog at www.retailstoresupplyinfo.com.