Optimising every inch of your space can influence your bottom line in the busy retail and hospitality world.
For example, how you arrange your food displays will make a huge difference in attracting customers and driving sales. Whether you're running a bustling café or a small convenience store, we are going to explore the intricacies behind the placement of your food displays and how they can influence customer decisions (for the better).
Customer Behaviour and the Role of Visual Merchandising
Have you ever wondered why some stores seem to have a natural flow, leading you to explore more products, while others feel chaotic? It’s not by accident.
Taking the time to understand how your customers move through your store is key to creating an inviting and efficient shopping environment.
What Makes Customers Buy?
When customers walk into your store, their decisions are often driven by what catches their eye – visual merchandising leverages this phenomenon.
It’s all about arranging your products in an appealing way and encouraging purchases. Sure, you want everything to look fresh and delicious, but a well-placed food display must also instantly grab attention and spark interest.
Did You Know?
Research shows that around 82% of purchase decisions are made in-store. That’s right—how you present your products matters a lot more than you might think. Furthermore, 69% of shoppers admitted that attractive displays have influenced their buying choices.
Simple Tips to Boost Visual Appeal
- Make It Pop: Use bold colours, interesting layouts, and well-lit areas to attract customers.
- Keep It Fresh: Rotate your displays regularly to feature new or seasonal items; keep things interesting for returning customers.
- Light It Right: Proper lighting can make your food displays look more appealing and highlight the freshness of your products.
- Embrace Competing Brands: By placing the same products by multiple brands next to each other, the choice isn’t whether to make a purchase or not – it becomes which brand to select.
Why Commercial Display Fridges Are Essential
If you sell perishable items like sandwiches, drinks, or dairy products, a commercial display fridge does more than keep your products cool. It can also serve as a marketing tool to increase sales.
What’s So Special About Display Fridges?
Unlike regular fridges, commercial display fridges are designed to show off your products while maintaining the right temperature. Customers can see what you have on offer without needing to open the fridge, which helps maintain the temperature and saves energy.
Key Features:
- Glass Doors: Allow customers to easily see what’s inside without opening the door.
- Open Access: Some fridges do not have doors, making it easy for customers to grab what they want.
- Compact Options: Benchtop fridges are perfect for smaller spaces and can be placed near checkout counters to tempt last-minute buyers.
Engaging Customers with Strategic Food Display Placement
Where you place your food displays can significantly affect how customers interact with them. Strategic placement isn’t just about filling up space; it’s about guiding customers through your store and subtly encouraging them to buy more.
Tips for Smart Placement
- Entrance Areas: Placing an attractive display near the entrance sets the tone for the shopping experience. It’s the first thing customers see, so make it count!
- Endcaps and Aisles: Endcaps are perfect for high-margin or seasonal items. Customers are naturally drawn to these spots, so use them to highlight special offers.
- Checkout Zones: The area around the checkout is ideal for smaller, impulse-buy items. A well-placed display here can encourage extra, unplanned purchases.
Making the Most of Your Space
Think about how you can use vertical space. Shelving units and stacked displays maximise the number of products you can show off and help clear the floor area. This makes the store feel more spacious and easier to navigate.
Different Types of Commercial Display Fridges
Choosing the right food display for your business helps to showcase your products and drive sales.
Let’s dive into the various options available, from ambient displays to refrigerated units, and how each type can benefit your store.
Ambient Food Displays
Ambient food displays are perfect for items that don’t require refrigeration but still need to be presented in an appealing and accessible manner. These displays are ideal for baked goods, packaged snacks, and other non-perishable items.
- Benchtop Ambient Displays: Compact and convenient, these displays sit on your counter, making them perfect for small spaces. They’re great for showcasing pastries, cookies, or pre-packaged snacks right at the point of sale.
- Free-Standing Ambient Displays: Free-standing ambient displays are an excellent choice if you have more floor space. These units can hold a larger volume of products and are often placed near the entrance or in high-traffic areas to draw customer attention immediately.
Hot Food Displays
Hot food displays are essential for keeping ready-to-eat items at the perfect serving temperature. These units maintain heat and showcase your hot food offerings in a way that entices customers.
- Hot Food Bar: Ideal for buffets or self-serve areas, hot food bars allow customers to serve themselves from a variety of hot dishes. These are perfect for delis, cafeterias, or any setup where variety and accessibility are key.
- Benchtop Hot Displays: Compact and efficient, these are great for keeping items like pies, sausage rolls, or other quick-serve items hot and ready to go. They’re typically placed near the checkout area to encourage impulse buys.
- Self-Serve Hot Display: Designed for convenience, self-serve hot displays allow customers to help themselves with hot items like pizza slices, baked goods, or sandwiches. They are often used in fast-casual dining setups or convenience stores.
- Pie Warmers: Specifically designed to keep pies, pastries, and similar items warm and delicious, pie warmers are a staple in many bakeries and cafes. They’re usually placed on counters where customers can easily see and select their favourites.
- Open Hot Display: For high-traffic areas, open hot displays provide easy access and visibility, allowing customers to grab hot items quickly. These displays are ideal for pre-packaged hot foods in convenience stores or cafeterias.
Refrigerated Food Displays
Refrigerated displays are essential for keeping perishable items fresh while making them easily accessible and visually appealing to customers.
- Countertop Glass Displays: These are perfect for smaller items like desserts, sandwiches, or drinks. The glass design allows customers to see what’s available without opening the unit, which helps maintain the correct temperature.
- Floor-standing Refrigerated Displays: These are larger units that can hold a variety of items, from beverages to dairy products. They are ideal for areas with more space and where a greater variety of items are offered.
- Refrigerated Bain Maries: These are commonly used in delis and buffets for displaying cold dishes like salads, seafood, or deli meats. They keep items chilled and fresh while allowing customers to see exactly what’s on offer.
- Sushi Display Fridges: Specifically designed for displaying sushi, these fridges maintain the delicate balance of keeping the sushi cool without drying it out. The sleek design is often used in restaurants to showcase fresh sushi options to diners.
- Pastry and Cake Towers: Ideal for bakeries and cafes, these tall, glass-enclosed towers showcase cakes, pastries, and other desserts in an eye-catching way while keeping them fresh. They’re perfect for tempting customers with a variety of sweet treats.
Each type of display serves a specific purpose, so choosing the right one for your needs can make all the difference in how your products are perceived and purchased.
Getting the Most Out of Your Space with Strategic Positioning
Effective space utilisation ensures every square metre of your store is working hard to sell more products. One way to do this is by strategically positioning your food displays to naturally guide customers through your store.
Space-Saving Tips
- Create a Flow: Think about the customer journey. Arrange your displays in a way that leads customers through your store, exposing them to as many products as possible.
- Group Similar Items: Place complementary items together. For example, if you’re displaying salsa, put tortilla chips nearby. This encourages customers to buy both.
- Use Height to Your Advantage: Don’t forget about vertical space. Tall shelving units can display more items without taking up extra floor space.
Ready to Boost Your Sales with Food Displays?
Proper placement of your commercial food displays is more than just an aesthetic choice; it’s a business strategy. By understanding customer behaviour, choosing the right display units, and placing them strategically, you can create an inviting environment that encourages purchases and boosts your bottom line.
If you’re looking to enhance your store’s efficiency, Flexikitch offers a variety of food displays to fit your needs.
Take the next step—explore Flexikitch’s range today and start maximising your store’s efficiency!