The most common shelving errors and how to avoid them
Shelving is one of the most important aspects of product presentation in the marketplace. It greatly influences the way customers interact with an item, and can be a determining factor in the success or failure of its marketing. That's why it's vital for companies to understand how to avoid the common mistakes that can be made when putting products on the shelves.
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Mistake No. 1: Designing a layout that is inconsistent with its positioning
A common mistake when shelving is not taking into account the positioning of products in relation to other items sold in the store. If positioning is not consistent with your layout strategy, it can lead to confusion among your customers and a drop in sales. This is for a simple reason: they'll be less likely to buy what they're looking for if the product is out of place.
To avoid this mistake, it's important that each item is put in the right place according to its type and category. The aim is to make it easy for customers to spot what they're looking for as they wander through your store's shelves. In addition, make sure all your items are clearly visible to encourage maximum interaction with them. Using displays or signs can be very useful for highlighting certain products or special offers and drawing the customer's attention to them.
Mistake No. 2: Not highlighting bestsellers
Another mistake frequently made when stocking shelves is to under-emphasize best-sellers, i.e. those that generate the most sales and have the greatest commercial potential.
These items should be placed in strategic locations, such as near the checkouts or in the immediate vicinity of the store's main entrances, so that they are visible to all your prospects. In addition, don't forget to use good techniques such as facing to ensure a harmonious and coherent product layout.
Mistake #3: Fear of emptiness and overloading shelves
Another common mistake that can be made when shelving is to fill shelves with too many products, giving your store an overcrowded, disorganized look.
It's important to strike the right balance between the quantity and quality of products on display, so that your customers can easily locate what they need without being overwhelmed by too many items. A well-ventilated space gives the impression that your store is clean and tidy, encouraging customers to stay longer and buy more.
Mistake No. 4: Neglecting the customer experience in favor of aesthetics
A common mistake is to focus on aesthetics rather than the customer experience. Of course, an aesthetically pleasing display is always appreciated by customers, but this should not be at the expense of their overall satisfaction.
It's important to adopt a customer-centric approach that allows shoppers to find what they're looking for quickly and easily. For example, well-placed displays help guide customers to their favorite items, while giving your store a professional, organized look.Mistake #5: Using poor-quality furniture
When stocking shelves, it's important to use the right equipment to ensure optimum product presentation. Furniture that is cheap or in poor condition is less eye-catching and doesn't allow for optimal presentation of the items being sold.
Inferior-quality furniture is not durable and can cost more in the long run, as it won't offer the strength needed to store your products for a long time. That's why it's essential to invest in sturdy material specifically designed to withstand maximum load without the risk of sudden breakage or collapse.
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What are the shelving techniques?
Once you've chosen the right furniture to optimize your customer experience, you'll also need to adopt certain techniques to ensure that your layout is effective and appealing to your prospects. These techniques include
- Creating an attractive shopping path : this technique involves planning a specific itinerary for each type of product, so that your items are visible at different strategic points in the store.
- Hierarchical arrangement: this technique involves arranging your products by category and sub-category so that your customers can easily find what they need.
- Highlighting certain products: it's important to highlight the products that sell best, so that they are visible to your customers and encourage them to buy.
- Playing with POP: this technique involves using advertising displays to promote certain products or special offers in an attractive way.
- Opt for aesthetic shelving: it's important to adopt an aesthetic approach to give your store a professional, organized look.
- Combine products to sell better: this technique involves combining complementary or similar products to make them more visible and more likely to be purchased by the customer.
- Integrate the right items near the checkouts: placing certain items near the checkouts can be very useful, as it allows customers to quickly see what they're looking for and encourages them to make an additional purchase before leaving the store.
How do you properly face your shelves?
Facing is an important aspect of shelving, since it allows items to be arranged harmoniously according to category, while highlighting best-sellers. Here are a few tips for successful shelf facing:
- Each item must have its own place according to its size, type and category.
- Make sure the layout is orderly and consistent, without too much space between each item.
- Don't overlook the importance of POP to increase the visibility of certain items or special offers and attract the customer's attention.
- Linear tagging, which consists of bringing items from the bottom of your shelves to the front to ensure that your organization is always clear and well-stocked.
- Facing can also help boost your sales! Make sure you put the products with the shortest best-before-date in the foreground, using the first-in-first-out (FIFO) method.
- By positioning competing products close together, customers can easily compare the price difference. This technique can encourage customers to choose the retailer's brand over the market leader or the brand they are used to consuming. Generally, the private label is placed to the right of or below the leading product.
- Customers tend to move faster at the beginning of the Shelving than at the end (around 1.5 to 2 meters per second), to the benefit of the central part of the Shelving (0.5 to 1 meter per second). This is where you'll need to place high-margin or best-selling products to boost sales.
- By placing the first prices at the bottom of the shelf, you add difficulty to the purchase. You have to intentionally want to buy the lowest price to bother stooping.
What is sales facing?
Facing is a method used by companies to optimize their commercial activity through the optimal arrangement of shelves according to their respective categories, colors, prices and/or sizes. Facing consists mainly in organizing items so that consumers can easily locate what they need without being overwhelmed by too many different products.
This technique can also be used to highlight certain items or special offers with displays or billboards.
How can I get to the shelves faster?
To be more efficient and reduce shelving times, it is advisable to use a solid organization and control system to ensure that all products are well placed in their respective places, and that the arrangement of items is coherent and harmonious.
In addition, make sure your store is always clean and tidy, so you can easily spot items that haven't yet been put on the shelf. You can also use technological tools such as scanners or mobile apps to optimize the process and save time when shelving.
To save time when stocking shelves, it's essential to use the right equipment. By avoiding unnecessary trips to the Pallet of products to be shelved, and combining safety and efficiency during public opening hours, you can be sure that your shelves will always be well-stocked and attractively organized to entice customers to browse them. Take a look at our range of rolls to simplify your shelving processes.
