6 Merchandising Display Ideas for a Retail Store

There is more to the layout than meets the eye, especially when you walk into a retail store. Everything has been beautifully arranged with a purpose, and this is why. There is a thing called visual merchandising. Ah yes, everything on the shelves that you see has been arranged purposefully. There is a reason why certain items are displayed right at the front and why others are toward the back of the stores. This is all thanks to visual merchandising.

Visual merchandising is a creative process. Those in charge of visual merchandising in stores are responsible for designing, planning, and finally displaying the products in the stores. Items are chosen and their specific features highlighted, so customers are immediately drawn to the benefits of each product.

Everything from the lighting, the colours, the layout, and the product positioning is no accident. Everything in the store has been carefully prepared to maximize sales, all thanks to visual merchandising. If you display your items in-store just the right way, this increases product turnover potential. Visual merchandising boosts brands and draws attention to new products that might need some help building brand recognition.

Here are six merchandising display ideas for a retail store:

Idea #1: Design with your retail customers in mind

Displaying merchandise in your store is not just about making it look pretty. You need to design the display with your customers in mind. Think about the way they shop and how they would make decisions. Consider the display shelving location and how they are positioned. The design you set up needs to speak to your customers as soon as they walk through your front door.

Ideally, depending on the products you’re selling, your display should help the customers visualize how the items will look in their homes. When they can see a visual depiction of how the products or items will fit in their home, this will increase the odds that they will walk out the door with the item in their shopping bag.

Idea #2: Work with the current layout of your retail store

Your store’s layout will have a lot to do with how the finished display turns out. You could have a lot of fantastic ideas, but if your store is not big enough to accommodate such a display, it’s not going to work either. Consider the dimensions you’re working with, and then plan your display around those dimensions.

Idea #3: Make your retail display interactive

Interactive displays are possible with the help of technology, and your customers will love them. Since interactive displays are not something you see in every store, your store will stand out if you do something like this.

Create displays that your customers can see, feel, and touch. Create displays that allow your customers to shop, play, or even eat (depending on the products you sell). Create displays that let your customers touch and feel the product to connect with it. Customers love it when they can be a part of the experience, and what better way to do this than with an interactive retail display.

Idea #4: Create retail displays that tell a story

If you can create a display in your retail store that tells a story, you’ve almost won over the customer already. Customers love a good story, and when a store’s display makes them stop to look, they start to pay attention to what you’re selling.

Retail displays that tell a story are an excellent opportunity to subtly cross-sell merchandise. This subtly points customers toward other products that will complement what they are already planning to buy in the first place—more sales for you.

Idea #5: Excellent lighting is the key

Beautiful displays will not do you much good if the lighting isn’t bright enough to get the customer’s attention. Retail displays should be brightly lit so every little detail can be seen. Would you be attracted to a brightly lit display or something dim and dull if you were the customer? Accent lighting is one option to consider if it works well with your display ideas.

Idea #6: Use signs to tell customers what each product is about

Depending on the setup you have in mind, consider including a poster board or signs that tell a little story about what each product is about. This works best for newly launched items and looking to get a little brand recognition.

A retail display could be just the boost that new products need. Signs and boards that explain the products on display help the customers understand how and why they might need this product in their life.