5 Store Supply & Display Solutions for Father’s Day & Beyond

Father’s Day is one of the biggest shopping events focused on men.  According to NRF’s 2010 Father’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, the average person will spend $94.32 honoring Dads this year, up from $90.89 last year.  Total Father’s Day spending is estimated to reach $9.8 billion.

What do people think are on Dads’ wish lists this Father’s Day? According to the report, shiny new gadgets/toys will be one of the biggest hits this year, along with special outings, gift certificates and clothing. The survey found 39.9 % of those celebrating Dad this year will treat him to a special outing such as dinner or brunch, spending $1.9 billion. With 36.7 % planning on spending a total of $1.3 billion on clothes, Dad can expect a few more work shirts and ties to add to his collection as well. Others will shell out $1.2 billion on electronics, $749 million on greeting cards, $578 million on tools or appliances, $550 million on home improvement or gardening tools and $400 million on automotive accessories. Three out of 10 (31.2%) will give Dad a gift card, spending an estimated $1.2 billion on those purchases.

When it comes to where people will buy their gifts, discount stores (34.4%) and department stores (34.1%) will see the most traffic. Specialty stores such as greeting card or gift stores (26.4%), online (20.5%) and specialty clothing stores (7.6%) will also be popular shopper destinations.

Are you ready for Father’s Day sales and beyond? Here are five terrific store supply and retail display items to have in your merchandising tool-kit: 

1. Paper Shopping Bags in masculine colors like navy, chocolate, hunter green and black offer a great way for customers to take home purchases.  Don’t forget to stock up on matching tissue paper!
2. Tie & Belt Racks are available as hooks for your gridwall or slatwall as well as countertop and standing displays.  Don’t forget belt hangers and neck tie riders.
3. CD/DVD Displays show off your titles using countertop CD/DVD displays to spur impulse purchases or use free-standing or island displays if you have larger quantities to sell.
4. Eyewear Displays are ideal for showcasing a single pair or multiple pairs of eyewear.  We have several spinning eyewear displays that can hold anywhere  from 38 to 72 pairs of eyewear at a time.
5. Grid Merchandisers  Do you want to add a display quickly? Grid Merchandisers are easy to assemble and fit perfectly in many areas of your store.  You can even mount grids to your wall or fit merchandisers around columns or beams!  Grids combined with any number of versatile hardware and accessories can be used to set up an effective display of complementary merchandise giving customers plenty of add-on buying opportunities.
   

Retailers It’s Time to Gear Up for Summer Sales!

Retailers, it’s time to start preparing for your summer sales.  While things are heating up outside, you want to create a cool and inviting atmosphere to lure shoppers inside!  Following are some smart ways to make your store a bright spot for customers this summer:

1.  Window Displays – Your window display is your free advertising space!  It offers you the opportunity to catch  your potential customer’s attention, enticing them to find out more about what is inside your store.

Create a bright and visually interesting window display for summer.  Keep it balanced, simple and colorful.  Use cool bright summer colors.  Note that the hot color trends for summer 2010 include greens, reds, soft pinks, mauve and neutrals, along with bright almost neon accents.  Also, white and indigo blue make great anchor colors for your summer window displays.  Consider fun colorful promotional rope lights or bold reusable window letter clings for added impact.

Choose your focal points for your display by selecting the product(s) that will most appeal to your target audience.  Make sure these products are displayed at eye level.

Be creative! Summer is the perfect time to be whimsical and fun with your displays.  Use summer props, but, don’t overdo it.  You don’t want to create a cluttered display which makes it hard for customers to focus.

2.  Use mannequins to display your summer merchandise.  In addition to being eye-catching, mannequins show your customers what your merchandise will look on them.  You can use your mannequins to display various merchandise at once such as beach wear, hats, sunglasses, footwear, jewelry, watches and more.

Budget-friendly forms can also be used to display summer merchandise such as t-shirts and bathing suits.  In fact, light-weight shell forms can be displayed hanging from ceilings.  Air conditioning or any air movement will actually spin the forms giving it motion and added visual appeal.

3.  Place summer merchandise near the front of the store or in an area that can be easily spotted right away as your customers enter your shop. Keep in mind that some people can be turned off when they can’t spot what they saw in your window display in your store fairly quickly.  Place other desirable summer or sale items in different areas of your store and use signs to point out them in the right direction.

4. Place sale bins with older inventory you want to move in strategic locations near registers to encourage impulse buys.  Portable sale bins are also great for outdoors sidewalk displays. Every bargain hunter loves a sidewalk sale.

5. Place signage, banner and even balloons outdoors to advertise your sales.  Red, white and blue flags, bunting and pennants help to create visual excitement outside of your store.

6.  Hang summer clothing on portable clothing racks and move them outside or place in different strategic locations in your store.

7.  Set the right mood with good lighting, fresh summer scents and music.  Play summer inspired tunes in your store like The Beach Boys or Caribbean themed songs.

8. Finally, be sure to let your customers know about upcoming sales and any new merchandise that you have planned for the summer!  Invite them back with coupons, discounts or other rewards.  At www.DiscountShelving.com we regularly offer promotional discounts and coupons.  To sign-up to receive our latest offers click here.

What are some of your summer merchandising tips? Let us know in the comment section below!