Your store windows can attract or repel a customer – make them count.

They say that the eyes are the windows of the soul.  Similarly, your store windows are telling people who pass by (potential customers) what you’re all about.  Store windows are an important way your business interfaces with the public, for that reason.

Store windows should be much more than just spotlessly clean.  When passersby look in those windows, they should see something evocative, attractive and inviting.  If they don’t, they’re not going to come inside.

Your store windows can attract or repel a customer.  A recent study by research company Morpace, found that over 50% of consumers reject even the possibility of buying from a business which is physically unappealing.  That can mean everything from a disheveled display to windows that aren’t sparklingly clean.

But the point is that not maintaining your store windows as the marketing tools they are can cost you over 50% of potential customers.  Depending on where you’re located, that can be a huge number of people.

An open invitation.

The story you tell potential customers with your store windows should be a compelling one.  Break from conventional ideas about what it’s “supposed to” look like.  Take the idea of story-telling literally.

A display that evokes an emotional response is ideal for this purpose.  When a common human element is added to the mix, you’re suddenly doing something more interesting than simply displaying your wares.  You’re issuing an open invitation, from one person in the community to others.

Detail and variety in store windows is a tremendous draw, as it inspires passersby to slow down, look and perhaps come inside.  By commanding attention with a novel approach that addresses a life commonality you all share (work, the seasons, an unconventional approach to a holiday theme like Christmas or Memorial Day), you’re inviting people to connect.

Value-added features.

In competitive times, creativity isn’t an option.  It’s what you need to get your share of the market.  That means adding value for potential customers.  Literature which is displayed in the window, in an attractive holder is another way of inviting the public inside.  Making that literature readily available once you get them inside speaks of a generosity of spirit.

Avoid instructing people to “ask at the cashier”.  People who aren’t already your customers don’t want to do that.  They want to come in, perhaps look around a bit and take that brochure, menu, or catalogue and walk out.  Regardless of what your value-added feature is, make it easy to obtain and informative.  It’s another opportunity to tell your business’s story with a concrete, value-added freebie that people will remember when they’re ready to buy what you’re selling.

Signage and display tools.

Besides being attractive and inviting, your store windows should be well organized, with clear signage and display tools.

Your store windows can draw or repel a customer.  Tell your story with signage and display tools that make it even more compelling.

Clip Strip is a retail display expert, featuring professional point of purchase display supports.  Contact us for more information.

The post Your store windows can attract or repel a customer – make them count. appeared first on POP FUEL.

source http://clipstrip.com/pop-fuel/your-store-windows-can-attract-or-repel-a-customer-make-them-count/

Neat, organized retail and supermarket shelves make for increased sales

In a marketplace teeming with consumer possibilities, brands today are focusing on point of purchase more than they ever have.  Retail outlets and supermarkets clearly organize product to boost sales.  That much we know.  But did you know that neat, organized retail and supermarket shelves make for increased sales?

It’s a demonstrable fact.  In its July 10, 2014 article in Forbes magazine, Bain Insights (a global consulting company) revealed that marketing to consumer behaviour in response to well-organized shelves can enhance sales outlooks by anywhere from 5 to 15%.

But the trick is that consumer habits and responses to point of purchase strategies are mercurial – they need to be constantly monitored to derive maximum benefit.  Brands are answering that need by adjusting their marketing to favor mining the potential of retail-based strategies.

By knowing what consumers are doing in response to retail displays, brands can tailor point of purchase marketing to drive purchasing decisions.

A marketing shift.

Product-based marketing is no longer the most effective way to reach consumers.  Brand loyalty is rapidly becoming a thing of the past, as shoppers make more and more of their purchasing decisions in the aisle.

Brands are learning that the dizzying variety of the marketplace is changing consumer behavior in profound ways.  They’re now looking for more effective strategies for reaching shoppers right there, in the moment their decisions are made.  What drives their decisions?  Placement and optimization.

Strategies for success.

Shoppers encountering an environment in which their choices are clearly defined are likely to buy products they haven’t in the past.  Why?  They didn’t know they were.  Neat, organized retail and supermarket shelves make for increased sales by piquing consumer interest and encouraging spur-of-the-moment decisions to buy.

Even the most attractive branding won’t sell if the product isn’t displayed in the right place, drawing attention to its presence.  Brands are learning this and so are retailers, as retail display and optimal placement become increasingly important.

Consumers are the driving force behind in-store presentation as a marketing imperative.  Its their response to this factor that has created the need for retail strategies that drive sales, both for brands and retailers.

Setting the stage.

Answering consumer demand for market clarity becomes easier when POP display supports are deployed to cater to that demand.  Shoppers need to be shepherded in their retail experiences with visual cues, revolving around effective signage, attractively and professionally displayed.  But that’s just the tip of the retail experience iceberg.

Displays that draw consumer attention to products they may otherwise not have considered buying are an effective way to improve sales.  As we’ve explained in this post, it’s the consumer who’s leading the way, defining how the stage is to be set for optimal impact on buying decisions.

Clip Strip is a retail display expert, featuring point of purchase supports.  Neat, organized retail and supermarket shelves make for increased sales, because they speak directly to your buyers.  Our products help you extend your retail reach.  Contact us to find out more.

The post Neat, organized retail and supermarket shelves make for increased sales appeared first on POP FUEL.

source http://clipstrip.com/pop-fuel/neat-organized-retail-and-supermarket-shelves-make-for-increased-sales/

Are you doing all you can to prevent shoplifting?

Shoplifting happens.  It’s a sad fact of retail life that accounts for losses of over $30 billion every year, in the USA alone.  But there’s a lot you can do to reduce the impact of shoplifting on your business.

Honestly assessing your best practices with respect to inventory theft is a good place to start.  Are you doing all you can to prevent shoplifting?  We’re willing to bet you could use a few friendly tips to make your business less vulnerable.

High vulnerability days and times.

It’s reported that Wednesdays and Saturdays are the most popular days for visitors with sticky fingers to grab something from your shelves without paying.  Starting there, identifying times of high vulnerability is key and that’s where additional vigilance comes into play.

Research points out that shoplifting is most likely to occur in the afternoon or evening.  These are times when employees may not be at their sharpest.  We suggest an employee roster that specifically assigns staff members to “shoplifter watch”, in rotation.  When employees are tasked with this role, it’s likely they’ll intensify their focus and vigilance.

Stereotyping can hurt you.

Falling back on stereotypes about what shoplifters look like is not only a dangerous way to view some of your customers, it’s also misleading.  There is no demographic group more likely to shoplift than any other, save the very loosely-defined one of middle aged, employed people.

The trick here is not to allow stereotypes to inform your practices.  Profiling leads people to jump to incorrect conclusions.  It can not only cost you valuable customers, it can get you embroiled in lawsuits and nobody needs those.

Find a balance.  Protecting your business from shoplifting doesn’t mean alienating customers.  It means keeping your eyes and those of your staff open.

Tidy store – tight ship.

A tidy, well-organized store sends the message that you know exactly what’s on your shelves.  Keeping your merchandise free of dust and well-presented reinforces that message.  It tells potential shoplifters that you’re not a good target.

Shoplifters love a little bit of disorder.  Disorder speaks to a staffing shortage, or even disengaged employees.  When employees are in short supply, or not interested in their work, shoplifters have a unique opportunity to lift your merchandise, unimpeded.

Through the eyes of a shoplifter.

Shoplifters are looking for items which are easy to grab surreptitiously and slip into a pocket.  Small items are favored, as well as merchandise that’s accessible, or less likely to be noticed as missing.

Moving smaller items to prominent locations which are easily visible to you and your employs is a good deterrent.  Keep small merchandise in plain view and higher up.  Even placing these things behind the counter at the cash register is a good idea.

If you are doing everything you can to prevent shoplifting, you’re a loss prevention genius.  If not, these tips are a good start for becoming one.

Clip Strip is a retail display expert, featuring point of purchase supports.  Our products extend your retail reach.  Contact us for more information.

The post Are you doing all you can to prevent shoplifting? appeared first on POP FUEL.

source http://clipstrip.com/pop-fuel/are-you-doing-all-you-can-to-prevent-shoplifting/

Your retail floors are being damaged from wooden pallets!

Wooden Pallets are a tool many brands and retailers use as a base for on-the-floor promotional displays.  But they come with their challenges.  Wood splinters and nails randomly protrude from pallets and large, sharp chunks of wood can disengage from the pallet structure, all gouging and damaging a store’s floors.  You work so hard to keep these floors looking their best but many organizations have not realized this potential danger, it’s been overlooked – until now!  Even pallets which have been painted can leave an unwanted pattern on your floor when the paint bleeds, which absolutely happens, and becomes very evident when you begin paying attention.

When you’re running a retail business, there are so many reasons you need it to look its best.  Customer experience is a big one.  Loss prevention, another.  Attractive retail spaces invite customers to come in and shop.  They deter shoplifting by making it clear that the owner and employees are attentive and on guard against theft.

Are your floors damaged from pallets? Even store fixture installations use pallets and cause the same potential damage. If there is damage, you may be thinking about replacing your flooring with something more durable.  That’s a good start.  No doubt about it.  But you’re still going to use pallets, right?

And why not?  Because now, there’s a preventative measure you can take to nip pallet damage in the bud.  This simple measure can protect replacement flooring, or the existing floors of your retail space from sustaining further damage.

Pallet Floor Protector™ (PFP-3).

Clip Strip Corporation is a retail display expert.  We’ve discovered a way to keep pallets from having their way with your floors.  The patented Pallet Floor Protector™ is an easy fix that shouldn’t cost retailers a dime.

Clip Strip started out providing these to one major client.  But now that we’ve seen how effective they’ve been in preventing damage to our client’s floors, we’ve released the PFP-3 to the market.

Made of a durable, high density plastic, the PFP-3 is simple to install.  By putting it between your floors and the pallet, they protect them from damage.  All you need to do is have your suppliers agree to use the PFP-3 as part of their business transaction with you. You mandate their purchase of the   PFP-3 to add to the bottom of pallets, creating “Feet for the Pallet™”.

A fraction of the cost of stack bases.

The Pallet Floor Protector™ costs your supplier between $1.72 and $2.15 per pallet (depending on dimensions).  Compare that to the use and cost of plastic stack bases – $35- $135 each.

When you advise vendors that you expect them to use PFP-3’s to protect your floors from damage their pallets cause, that little piece of information will certainly kill any objections they might have about it.

PFP-3’s are an economical way to protect the investment you’ve made in your retail store’s flooring.  It’s smart business that shouldn’t cost you anything and keeps your floors looking customer-ready.

Free sample?

We’re so stoked about the Pallet Floor Protector™ that we provide free samples so you can see how incredibly effective they are.  Just reach out.  We’ll share the wonders of PFP-3s with you, free of charge!

Clip Strip Corp. is in the business of point of purchase display merchandising.  We help retailers, brands and the organizations supporting them, like printers and co-packers to maximize the total potential for effective merchandising and in-store marketing.  Clip Strip can show you how to take full advantage of every inch of available space to boost sales and create an outstanding customer experience.

The post Your retail floors are being damaged from wooden pallets! appeared first on POP FUEL.

source http://clipstrip.com/pop-fuel/your-retail-floors-are-being-damaged-from-wooden-pallets/