Retail Displays: Getting the Most Bang for your Buck

Retail store owners are definitely interested in saving money. Whether the economy is down or not, the retail industry is always going through waves of selling a lot or not selling at all. There are certain seasons when we can expect things to be busy or things to stand still. Whatever the case, time or season, saving money on the things that you can’t avoid buying is always a good thing. Use these tips to help save money on retail space, retail merchandising, and effective advertising.

1) Make your advertising efforts more effective by sending out the right messages to the right people. Clearly define your target audience and stick to things that will only target them. Use mannequins and signage in your store windows to communicate what you offer and who you are offering it to. An effective window display will lure target audience members inside while encouraging others to stay away. You will save a lot of time and money if you are selective about who you market to.

2) Consider quality when you buy larger retail displays, like garment racks and counter displays. You can find good prices on some of these and you may be tempted to buy them. Before you do, check the quality. You may even decide to talk to other retailers about where they buy their retail displays. Check out their racks and see if they have sharp edges, shotty welding, or rickety casters. If you buy something that is not of a high quality, it may not last you very long. Even worse, it could be a liability, costing you more than you ever imagined.

3) After you’ve settled on a brand that you believe sells quality products, shop around for prices. Sometimes you can buy used items from stores that are going out of business. You can also save money by going directly to the manufacturer to purchase your retail displays. Ask about guarantees, return policies, payment plans, bulk rates, and shipping discounts. There are a number of ways to get quality products at reduced rates.

4) Another way to save money on retail displays is to bypass buying a lot of garment racks and go straight to a merchandising system. Slatwall is an excellent option for a few different reasons. One, it is inexpensive. Two, it can help you to attractively and effectively display a multitude of items all at once. Three, it is so versatile that you can always change it up, helping your store to stay ahead of the game.

Use these options to stock your store. Remember that slatwall and slatwall panels are considered the most inexpensive, quality way to save space an make your retail displays interesting.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the Vice President of S & L Store Fixtures, a leading online resource for retail displays, including mannequins, dress mannequin forms, female mannequins, slatwall and slatwall panels. For more information, please visit http://www.slstoredisplays.com.

Do I Need a Shop Fitter?

Shop fitting, or shopfitting, is the business of fitting retail stores, boutiques and other types of stores with the equipment, signage, retail store displays, and even merchandise. Shop fitters generally specialize in retail, merchandising, and interior design. They can help you make the most of the space that you have available. They will also purchase your retail equipment for you.

Because shop fitters purchase equipment directly from manufacturers, sometimes they can save you money on outfitting your store. Additionally, their expertise can be invaluable when it comes to marketing the largest amount of product in the smallest space possible. This is especially helpful if you are not trained or experienced in this type of work.

If you want to do things on your own, there are a few things to keep in mind. You can purchase your retail store fixtures directly from the manufacturer on the internet. Some shop fitters charge a fee for ordering your fixtures, so you end up paying retail anyway. Ordering equipment yourself can save you from paying the middle man.

Do your research and find out which manufacturers have quality products. Buying cheap racks and counter displays that fall apart, have sharp edges, or look tacky can cost you more money in the long run. Stick with quality merchandise from a company that offers a good return policy, customer service, and guarantees their products. Quality construction is a must.

When it comes to making the most of your space, don’t forget to include storage in your designs. You will need a manageable space that has the flexibility that you need to get you through different seasons, promotions and changes in inventory. Many shop owners and retail managers choose slatwall or gridwall for this purpose.

Shop fitting, or shopfitting, is the business of fitting retail stores, boutiques and other types of stores with the equipment, signage, retail store displays, and even merchandise. Shop fitters generally specialize in retail, merchandising, and interior design. They can help you make the most of the space that you have available. They will also purchase your retail equipment for you.

Because shop fitters purchase equipment directly from manufacturers, sometimes they can save you money on outfitting your store. Additionally, their expertise can be invaluable when it comes to marketing the largest amount of product in the smallest space possible. This is especially helpful if you are not trained or experienced in this type of work.

If you want to do things on your own, there are a few things to keep in mind. You can purchase your retail store fixtures directly from the manufacturer on the internet. Some shop fitters charge a fee for ordering your fixtures, so you end up paying retail anyway. Ordering equipment yourself can save you from paying the middle man.

Do your research and find out which manufacturers have quality products. Buying cheap racks and counter displays that fall apart, have sharp edges, or look tacky can cost you more money in the long run. Stick with quality merchandise from a company that offers a good return policy, customer service, and guarantees their products. Quality construction is a must.

When it comes to making the most of your space, don’t forget to include storage in your designs. You will need a manageable space that has the flexibility that you need to get you through different seasons, promotions and changes in inventory. Many shop owners and retail managers choose slatwall or gridwall for this purpose.

Slatwall and gridwall displays give you a lot of versatility for displaying a lot of different types of products in a small space. It really utilizes the vertical space in the store and allows you to feature accessories and complimentary items around your merchandise. It keeps all of your merchandise facing out towards the middle of the store, making it easy for shoppers to see what you have to offer.

When you get everything up on the walls, you free up plenty of floor space. When you have room, you can be picky about product placement and create more elaborate and effective promotional displays.

Installing a slat wall or a grid wall can require a professional contractor, so consider that cost when you purchase. Other than that, the upkeep of the system is reasonably priced. You will want to invest in some hanging bars, hooks, shelves and other types of display accessories, and you can add to them at any time. Moving the hooks and bars around is so easy that you’ll love to rearrange your store and update your displays.

Hiring a shop fitter may still be beneficial, but you could save some money by doing part of the planning yourself. Do your research and you’ll stretch your dollar as far as you need to get your store up and running.

Shop fitting, or shopfitting, is the business of fitting retail stores, boutiques and other types of stores with the equipment, signage, retail store displays, and even merchandise. Shop fitters generally specialize in retail, merchandising, and interior design. They can help you make the most of the space that you have available. They will also purchase your retail equipment for you.

Because shop fitters purchase equipment directly from manufacturers, sometimes they can save you money on outfitting your store. Additionally, their expertise can be invaluable when it comes to marketing the largest amount of product in the smallest space possible. This is especially helpful if you are not trained or experienced in this type of work.

If you want to do things on your own, there are a few things to keep in mind. You can purchase your retail store fixtures directly from the manufacturer on the internet. Some shop fitters charge a fee for ordering your fixtures, so you end up paying retail anyway. Ordering equipment yourself can save you from paying the middle man.

Do your research and find out which manufacturers have quality products. Buying cheap racks and counter displays that fall apart, have sharp edges, or look tacky can cost you more money in the long run. Stick with quality merchandise from a company that offers a good return policy, customer service, and guarantees their products. Quality construction is a must.

When it comes to making the most of your space, don’t forget to include storage in your designs. You will need a manageable space that has the flexibility that you need to get you through different seasons, promotions and changes in inventory. Many shop owners and retail managers choose slatwall or gridwall for this purpose.

Slatwall and gridwall displays give you a lot of versatility for displaying a lot of different types of products in a small space. It really utilizes the vertical space in the store and allows you to feature accessories and complimentary items around your merchandise. It keeps all of your merchandise facing out towards the middle of the store, making it easy for shoppers to see what you have to offer.

When you get everything up on the walls, you free up plenty of floor space. When you have room, you can be picky about product placement and create more elaborate and effective promotional displays.

Installing a slat wall or a grid wall can require a professional contractor, so consider that cost when you purchase. Other than that, the upkeep of the system is reasonably priced. You will want to invest in some hanging bars, hooks, shelves and other types of display accessories, and you can add to them at any time. Moving the hooks and bars around is so easy that you’ll love to rearrange your store and update your displays.

Hiring a shop fitter may still be beneficial, but you could save some money by doing part of the planning yourself. Do your research and you’ll stretch your dollar as far as you need to get your store up and running.

Slatwall and gridwall displays give you a lot of versatility for displaying a lot of different types of products in a small space. It really utilizes the vertical space in the store and allows you to feature accessories and complimentary items around your merchandise. It keeps all of your merchandise facing out towards the middle of the store, making it easy for shoppers to see what you have to offer.

When you get everything up on the walls, you free up plenty of floor space. When you have room, you can be picky about product placement and create more elaborate and effective promotional displays.

Installing a slat wall or a grid wall can require a professional contractor, so consider that cost when you purchase. Other than that, the upkeep of the system is reasonably priced. You will want to invest in some hanging bars, hooks, shelves and other types of display accessories, and you can add to them at any time. Moving the hooks and bars around is so easy that you’ll love to rearrange your store and update your displays.

Hiring a shop fitter may still be beneficial, but you could save some money by doing part of the planning yourself. Do your research and you’ll stretch your dollar as far as you need to get your store up and running.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the Vice President of S & L Store Fixtures, a leading online resource for retail displays, including mannequins, dress mannequin forms, female mannequins, slatwall and gridwall store fixtures. For more information, please visit http://www.slstoredisplays.com.

Gridwall for Retail

Gridwall is a versatile, sturdy, cost efficient choice for many types of retail stores. Gridwall is comprised of metal grids that can be attached to the wall or each other to create unique store displays. They can be configured into display areas that fit almost anywhere. You can be creative in the way that you use your gridwall, changing up your displays to match the space that you have, the season, or the amount of inventory that you are displaying.

Versatility is the number one reason that retail stores choose gridwall. Sturdy tabs connect the metal grids together. You can create shelving, tables, wall displays and more with different sized sections of gridwall. When it is installed on the wall, you can use accessories, such as hanging bars, hooks, shelves, racks and more to display your products in ways where they will be easily seen by your customers or people passing by.

Space utilization is another reason that gridwall is so popular. You can display, carry, stock and sell more items on gridwall than you can on garment racks. You can have clothing facing outward where it is easily seen. Customers won’t have to sift through racks to see what you offer. You can utilize the vertical space that your store has to offer, instead of just the floor.

Gridwall is also a cost effective choice in retail display. It is inexpensive compared to other forms of displays and is incredibly strong. Gridwall can hold a lot of weight, which makes it popular for displaying heavier items, like power tools. Simply zip-tie the products directly to the gridwall, or use one of the many gridwall accessories that there are on the market. You can also showcase your items by displaying them on mannequins or mannequin forms that hang from the gridwall. Or, if you’ve saved floor space, you will have more room for interesting mannequin displays that can help you to sell smaller items as well as your main attractions.

Longevity is an important thing to consider when you’re purchasing retail displays. Gridwall has sturdy construction and can last for many, many years. The accessories are often solid metal without small parts that can break off or require maintenance. Grid wall pieces are standard sizes that you can add to or take away from for years. You don’t have to worry about needing new accessories and then finding out that nothing fits your gridwall anymore.

If you rent, consider the space that you will save by using gridwall. You can rent out a smaller space for your store, saving you money every month on rent and utilities. You may also save money by protecting your merchandise from theft.

Stores with racks placed closely together give thieves easy access to your items. By spreading out your floor displays and hanging items, you increase visibility. You may even choose to display more expensive items up higher so that customers need help from an associate to handle the merchandise. People are a lot less likely to steal if the employees know that they have the item in their hand.

If you love all of the advantages of gridwall but would like something else to showcase your store, check out slatwall slatwall. Slat wall sections look like painted wall when installed and covered in merchandise. No matter which way you decide to showcase your store, you will still enjoy all of the benefits of using vertical wall space.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the Vice President of S & L Store Fixtures, a leading online resource for retail displays, including mannequins, dress mannequin forms, female mannequins, gridwall and slatwall store fixtures. For more information, please visit http://www.slstoredisplays.com.