Whether you’re running a brick and mortar store or operating strictly online (or doing both), an effective retail display is a must. Shopping these days is all about the consumer experience and how products are presented. Exhibiting your products is the key to moving merchandise and keeping customers coming back for more. This post will further examine the importance of religious retail display in online and brick and mortar environments, offer tips on what you can do to enhance display, and improve the customer experience.
BRICK & MORTAR
Display is arguably more important for brick and mortar stores today than ever before with the convenience of online shopping. But a great display can give customers a greater incentive to get up to your establishment and do their shopping in person rather than online.
- Tip #1: It's all about the windows: You’ve certainly heard of “window shopping,” so be sure that you’re putting colorful, attention-grabbing products on display in exterior windows. Just as how the exterior of a vehicle should be catching the attention of a would-be buyer and enticing them to learn more about it, your store’s windows should be aimed at attracting would-be shoppers and enticing them to enter your establishment.
- Tip #2: Attention-grabbing displays: Walmart has increased its DVD and Blu-ray sales with video displays – is there something that you could be doing along these lines to draw more attention to something new and/or popular to increase sales when it comes to religious jewelry?
- Tip: #3: Good lighting: Many retailers overlook the importance of proper lighting when it comes to their displays. Simply put, don't be one of those retailers. Why? Because lighting doesn't just draw attention to a display, but also makes products appear warm and appealing if done right. So invest in some LED lights or light boxes to give your retail display proper attention.
- Tip #4: Get innovative: Twitter. Instagram. Facebook. Snapchat. There’s a multitude of social media channels out there that you could be using to complement your displays. For instance, encourage customers to post the locations where they’re wearing their jewelry with a hashtag you create. You can even set up video screens near the display to show would-be customers what your previous customers are doing on social media with the products.
ONLINE
You might think that it’s a little silly to be listing suggestions to increase online retail display, but a good online retail display can be more of an ally than you might initially think. Unlike brick and mortar stores, good retail display in online environments is all about making a site that is user-friendly, easy to navigate and not overbearing. Here's a look:
- Tip #5: Make sure the shopping cart is always visible: In order to convert online sales, people have to know how to buy and whether or not the product they want to add to the cart has actually been added. That's why it's important with any online platform that the shopping cart is always in view of the user. Make the shopping cart stand out in colors and font that are noticeably different from the rest of the page.
- Tip #6: Have a search box: You should certainly have categories on your website that separate your merchandise into various categories. But you shouldn't stop there. People shopping online want to find what they need quickly and take care of business, so include a search box as well. This way, consumers can enter terms to describe the type of product they're looking for and locate it faster.
- Tip #7: Be as descriptive as possible: One disadvantage to shopping online is that the only thing you really have to go off of when it comes to purchasing a product is sight. That's why you should be as descriptive as possible with each individual item. Tell the customer exactly what it is, what it does, what it is made of and more. This will help the consumer make a more educated buying decision.
- Tip #8: Make the online shopping experience as easy as possible: If the shopping experience is anything buy easy and convenient, it's likely that the customer won't be revisiting your site the next time they need religious jewelry. And you don't just want to move merchandise online, but create long-lasting relationships with customers. So when designing your site, make sure it's easy enough for even novice computer users to access.
BONUS TIP
Tip #8.5: Innovate by combining online and offline: It's said that nearly half of all offline sales are in some way driven by the web, so if you have a brick and mortar store as well as a website, there are ways that this sort of retail presentation can feed off of the other. One of the simplest ways to create harmony between the two is to plaster your website address everywhere, whether it's an online or offline display. This helps create brand awareness. It's also important to match the look, feel and design of how you display products online with how you display them in store.
So whether you're an online store, brick and mortar shop - or both - there's a lot you can be doing to maximize product displays to, in turn, maximize your sales.