Sunday, October 18, 2009

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.

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Thursday, October 15, 2009

Retail Showcase and Display Ideas

Use these display ideas to make the most of your slatwall, gridwall and showcase displays. Learn what benefits these store displays have over other forms of product merchandising.

Using slatwall in a retail setting can be really beneficial. Once the slatwall panels are installed, you can quickly and easily change up your displays. There are just about endless accessories that can help you to be creative and grab attention with your arrangements. You can feature higher priced or new merchandise at eye level to grab the attention of customers that may only be passing by your store.

Slatwall can hold a lot of weight and is the choice of retailers that sell power tools and other heavy products. It is also very popular for making the most of a retail space that is insufficient. You can use circular garment racks and other floor displays along with your slatwall set-up and fit a large inventory into a small space. You can accomplish this without cluttering or cramping the space.

Gridwall is useful in a lot of the same ways that slatwall is. You can easily move around hooks, shelves and display bars to accommodate changing seasons and inventory. You can also buy sections of grid wall that clip together to create custom retail floor displays. You can make a wall of cubes that fit in odd spaces. For example, underneath a staircase. This unique feature helps you to utilize what would have otherwise been wasted space.

Gridwall and slatwall both help customers see what you have to offer. You can hang mannequin torso forms at the front of your inventory to show customers what clothing looks like when worn. You can use gridwall and slatwall in your retail window displays to showcase accessories like shoes, hats and bags.

In addition to your gridwall or slatwall displays, you will need garment racks and glass showcases. Your retail showcases can help you to control the flow of traffic through your store. Showcases that are lighted attract customers to areas where you want them to shop. They also help to control what customers are allowed to handle and touch. Most showcases have plunger locks that require key entry. This will allow you and your employees to monitor merchandise while customers are looking at them. You can keep a nightly inventory to prevent employee theft as well.

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.

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Monday, August 24, 2009

Retail Slatwall Questions

How much weight can my slatwall hold?

It is best to check with the manufacturer before you hang heavy objects. Ask about the internal bond strength. The internal bond generally ranges from 50 pounds to 150 pounds per square inch. The higher the internal bond, the more weight your slatwall can hold. In general, ligt slatwall can hold around twenty pounds for things hung close to the wall (within 6”). High pressure slatwall can hold around one hundred pounds. The further away you hang things from the wall, the less weight your slatwall can handle. High pressure laminates are the strongest, melamine and paint grade hold less weight.

Can I increase the weight that my slatwall can handle?

Yes, you can increase your slatwall weight capacity by installing inserts in the slots. Again, check with your manufacturer because most have to insert them during production, and they cannot be added later. Plastic or acrylic inserts increase the weight capacity by only a little, but metal inserts increase it by a lot. MDF slatwall with no insert can hold between 15 and 40 pounds per bracket, while a metal insert increases the load capacity to a range of about 40 pounds to 120 pounds.

Can slatwall be attached directly to studs?

Yes. Slatwall can be installed directly on studs or through drywall. Check with building codes before you install, because some walls are required to have drywall between the studs and the slatwall.

How do I know how much slatwall to order?

Talk to a representative of the company that you are ordering from. Be aware of their standard panel sizes and whether or not you are accommodating vertical or horizontally measured panels. Also, consider whether you want slatwall from floor to ceiling or just at a certain level.

Does slatwall require professional installation?

Not necessarily, but professional installation is recommended. Some insurance companies, especially ones insuring retail stores, require that a professional licensed contractor install the slatwall. There are building codes and fire codes to consider. Plus, you need to be sure that the slatwall is properly installed so that it will hold the weight that you plan to put on it without posing a liability or injury hazard.

How versatile is slatwall?

Slatwall is one of the most versatile products on the retail display market. There are so many accessories, that you will never run out of ideas on how to present your merchandise. You can use hanging bars, hooks, shelves and special accessory displays to keep things fresh and changing in your store. You can attractively display impulse items next to other, more standard items. You can easily and quickly switch from summer to winter merchandise, adjust the amount of inventory in the store, and set up promotional displays without changing the look and feel of the store. Buying slatwall for your store could be one of the best investments that you make.

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

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Benefits of Retail Gridwall and Slatwall

Slatwall and gridwall are very versatile display options for retail stores. They allow you to change up your displays quickly and easily, without spending a lot of money. Replacement costs are just about nothing if you get a decent quality gridwall or slatwall. They look great and maintain their quality and appearance very well.

You can maximize your use of these store displays by utilizing slatwall or gridwall accessories. Just about any product you need to display has an accessory designed to showcase it. Shelves, bars, hooks and more are easily moved around to make the most of your space.

Slatwall and gridwall are especially popular in smaller retail stores where space is limited. You can utilize the vertical space that you have available and free up some room on the floor. Your merchandise can be displayed facing out or hung on mannequin forms to really showcase the items that you’re trying to sell. Displaying clothing in this way has a lot of benefits that you may have not even considered.

Customers can see your clothes and what they look like on, even if they are not in your store. Having merchandise up high draws the eye into your store. Customers can see many articles at once and quickly determine if they would like to shop in your store.

Another benefit to having things up high and having the sales floor more spaciously arranged is reduced shoplifting. Garment racks that are crowded with clothing not only keep customers from seeing everything that you sell, but also give shoplifters a lot of cover to do their business. One of the most common ways that a shoplifter steals is to reach between clothing on a clothing rack and drop articles into their bag, purse or stroller, completely hidden from sight. Additionally, if customers have to interact with sales associates to get their sizes down from the wall, then they are less likely to think that they can get away with stealing it.

Slatwall and gridwall help you to come up with interesting displays, but they also help you to camouflage certain things from customers. Let’s say that you are discontinuing an item. Well, we all know that it is a big no-no to display a less than full rack, or customers will not buy. Being able to cleverly rearrange hooks, shelves and racks will help you to move a once full bar on to and inconspicuous shelf.

Using slatwall and gridwall for merchandising can help you to increase your sales, reduce loss, and keep your store looking top notch. It is durable, inexpensive and a great addition to any retail store.

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

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