4 Tips for Setting Up Your Shop Display Cases to Draw Customers

The manner in which you set up your shop will make a difference on how many customers you're able to draw in. Click here for some tips for setting up your shop display cases so people will see what you're selling.

Whether it's nature or nurture, for psychological reasons or because of what we've experienced, the way a store is set up influences our consumer choices. When you're setting up a shop display, you need to ensure that your customers feel comfortable and understand things intuitively.

Here are 4 tips to make sure your display not only makes sense but can attract new customers to you.

1. What Does Your Customer Want?

Before you dive head first into building your display, you need to do a bit of profiling on your customer base. You should have an idea where to set up, what your customers want from your products, and what success looks like.

If you have photos from past events, you should be able to determine what your customers want to see from you. Take a look at how easy it was for your customers to interface with your display and who they were. For example, if you were marketing to kids, your display shouldn't just be at the eye level of the average adult male.

Go through any feedback you have from previous events and make a note of what customers were happy with. More importantly, pay attention to what they didn't like about what you did in the past. If there is any wasted space in your shop display or a section that went unnoticed, strategize on how to make 100% of the space more useful.

At the end of the day, what do you want to walk away with? Are you just looking for more customers and more profit or is there something less tangible? If you're researching for a new batch of products and services, make a list of the data points that you need.

You'll be able to better service your customers next time with that information.

2. What's Your Theme?

After you've nailed down the demographic information, you can start brainstorming on the details of your display.

You need to start by outlining a clear visual message or a story. Even if your idea is a concept like "rebirth" or "love", you can still give yourself a framework that all of your choices will need to fit with. Just like you would do with any kind of brick-and-mortar shop or even your e-commerce site, the display needs to stay on message.

If you already have a brand, use complementary colors or stick to the palette that you've got in place. This will help your pre-existing base to identify your brand and to help your display stand out. When choosing colors, use a color wheel to start identifying which could work together.

If you choose opposing colors, you could end up making your display a jarring experience. However, if you overdo it with complementary tones, you could create a blase monochromatic world.

Choose colors to match the kinds of products you sell. If you trade in natural, handmade, or organic products, natural colors will suit you well. If you do things with kids, primary colors or the standard colors of the rainbow will do.

3. Are You Maintaining a Balance?

Whether you're filling a glass display case or adorning the space around one, you need to make sure that everything is visually balanced. You should be able to stand out with a strong focal point in your display but also have a few pieces that grab the attention of your audience and draw them in. Knowing when to make something an accent or when it would be a distraction is a delicate dance.

One of the best tips for making sure you're always balancing things out is to follow a rule of three. This is kind of a vague term but apply it vaguely.

Choose three different colors, no more, for your display. If you've got one centerpiece, either make it balanced with two pieces at its side or place two at its side and a third in front or behind.

In your three item display, your middle item will always be the focal point. Your middle product should be the one that's bigger, brighter, larger and attention-grabbing.

4. Find a Balance

Now, it's important to note that not everything can be a focal point in your display. You must be able to create a balance between the attention-grabbing pieces and accent pieces.

To do this, remember one of the most common visual merchandising tips: the rule of three. This rule is all about creating symmetry (or balance), based on research that suggests the human eye tends to consider symmetry more attractive.

For example, having three items in a row with the middle up a bit higher creates a balance between the three products, allowing the middle product to be the focal point and the two on each side to accent it. In this case, the middle product should be a brighter color or a larger item to help grab attention in key areas of your display.

Don't just plop your sign down wherever it fits. You need your sign to fit the balance that you've created. If you place it in front of your display, it could disrupt the flow of things in your display. Avoid overwhelming your customer by keeping it simple and minimal whenever possible.

Your Shop Display Speaks for Your Brand

When customers encounter your shop display, even if they're familiar with your brand, they could get a new perspective on what your company is about. If you don't give them 100% and set up some parameters for your shop display, it could be chaotic or anemic, depending on the approach. Set out rules and goals then share them with everyone on your staff.

If you're looking to maximize the role of glass cabinets in your shop, check out our guide for tips.