Marketing is a management style that requires much more than just knowledge of what to sell and who will buy it. Consumers will purchase things many times that they never intended to purchase, just because items are appropriately placed in point of purchase sales points that are carefully and intentionally planned. A consumer might come in during a holiday season like Halloween prepared to buy only canned drinks and a gallon of milk but carefully merchandised on a counter top display is a delectable assortment of Halloween candies along with a magazine that advertises Halloween merchandise that is offered in another place in the store. Because of this, many consumers will walk out with an extra bag full of Halloween merchandise and a satisfied smile and merchandisers will have increased sales.
One method of this type of marketing is the strategic placement of counter displays. This type of display is known with many different names, including merchandise racks, tabletop stands, and countless others. The most important point about these types of displays is that they are placed on counters where consumers are walking through stores and are visibly available so that consumers would be encouraged to buy things that they might not have intended to purchase when they entered the establishment.
Counter displays offer many different advantages. Besides presenting high sale merchandise at point of purchase places in the store, they provide a way of selling merchandise when sales persons are not available, perhaps because they are tied up with customers or other similar tasks. They also promote impulse purchases – those purchases of items that are probably beyond what could be considered a ‘need’ and more of a ‘last minute wish or want’ item. This type of item might include candy, miniature sizes of things like hand sanitizer or breath freshener, or other similar items. Magazines are also sold on counter top displays which makes it convenient not only for consumers, who can comfortably shop without feeling like a salesperson is looking over the shoulder or pressuring them but also for salespersons who can attend to other tasks in their job description.
Another huge advantage of merchandise displays is that they are created and developed specifically with certain items in mind that might otherwise be hard to organize for easy access to sell. Sunglasses, for example, would require a specific type of sales rack to organize a large amount of items for a consumer to browse and peruse before purchasing, but without a rack specifically designed for this item, it would be difficult to look through them without possibly damaging some of them. Magazines are another example. Specific display racks make it easy for merchandise to be displayed neatly and in an organized fashion.
Counter top displays are a cost efficient way to offer merchandise in ways that would not otherwise be available. Salesperson and consumers benefit from the many different advantages offered by this convenient and incredibly strategic sales tool. If you are in sales and are considering selling a variety of items, consideration of this tool is a definite must.
