Retail display racks have come along way since I first got involved in the business. Back then, retail store display was all about getting things a sedate, professional appearance. We didn’t have any of the chaotic, fancy retail store displays of today. Instead, things would be neatly shelved by category and section. We would have some flashy display in the window, of course, but inside the store would be strictly business. The philosophy was that we wanted to inspire confidence by giving a look of professionalism to everything. Flash and flair were concepts we had never thought of.
When you compare things now to how they were then, you can see how much of an effect advertising has had on the industry. Retail store displays are flashier and brighter than ever. The whole point is to get people excited about shopping. In the past few years, consumer research has shown that people don’t make intelligent, rational decisions when they are shopping. Instead, they are easily swayed by emotional reactions to things. You want to give them different reactions to different products.
For example, a retail store display for electronic consumer products should look high-tech. It should have flashing lights, futuristic logos and fonts, and perhaps electronic music playing in the background. Retail store displays for clothing, however, have to have a completely different look. The idea for clothing is, broadly, that you will have a great time and look beautiful in the clothes. This is why so many retail stores have big panoramic photos of people smiling, laughing, and spinning around together dressed in bright colors.
Of course, some retail store display ideas remain constant no matter where you are. For example, the retail store display on the counter at the gas station will look pretty similar to the one in the grocery store, which will in turn look the same as the one in the clothing store in the mall. All of them are geared to inspire you to make whimsical, last-minute purchases of some knickknack or gadget. They will have colorful items, haphazardly thrown around the counter. The idea is to inspire the same kind of whimsy in you. Your thinking itself should be bright and flashy. You should buy something without thinking about it because it has a nice color and only costs a few dollars. Obviously, this retail store display method works. That is why you see it all over.
|
