Keep your store safe for employees and customers by following these tips.

Retail display safety is critical. The last thing you want to happen in your store is an accident of some kind. Customers or employees could be injured, and merchandise could get broken or otherwise damaged. In a shopping environment where creating an outstanding customer experience is your top priority, accidents can erase all your othper efforts in a heartbeat.

What can go wrong?

Fixtures and display units come in all types and sizes – from slatwalls and shelving units to mobile or fixed display cases such as counters, gondolas and tables, to free-standing racks, kiosks or sunglass racks. Displays can also incorporate digital signage units. These products can be constructed of wood, plastic, wire, metal, cardboard or glass.

The sheer variety of display options adds to the list of potential accidents:

• Improper assembly or overloading your display with too much merchandise can cause it to collapse.
• Uneven loading can also cause a display to tip over or collapse.
• Empty endcaps and low-level stacks of merchandise can cause shoppers to trip and fall, since they’re most likely focused on your products, not the floor.
• Display hooks with sharp ends can cut or scratch.
• Damaged display components can cause failure or injuries.
• Employees can fall as a result of using back room shelving or even lighting fixtures to climb up or brace themselves when retrieving merchandise.

Encourage your associates and customers to consciously think about safety.

Retail display safety starts with training for all employees. Your training program should cover sales floor and back room protocols, including:

• Proper assembly procedures, always following the manufacturer’s instructions and knowing the specified weight limit for each unit.
• Correct methods for loading or stacking merchandise on each type of display fixture, taking special care with units that involve electronics, glass or other more fragile materials.
• Importance of putting tall, heavy or otherwise awkward merchandise on lower shelves, so customers won’t have to reach overhead or across a display to get a closer look at easily disturbed or potentially toe crushing merchandise.
• Reminders that endcaps should be kept full or have their empty shelves removed, and that stacks of bulk merchandise should come up to waist level so they’re easy to see and pick from.
• Regular safety inspections and documentation.
• Never climbing on shelving or other display units in the warehouse or back room, instead use an appropriate – and far safer – ladder or step stool.

Before opening your doors on a new display, give it a “bump test” to ensure it’s really as stable as you want it to be. If the display wiggles or shifts, you can rearrange it before customers enter your store.

Post signs that say “please ask for assistance” where customers can easily see them. And if children are frequent visitors in your store, you may also want signs warning both kids and adults not to climb on your displays.

Failure to ensure retail display safety can bring you a number of unwanted consequences.

Injured customers could bring legal action against you. Injured employees could miss work, and your insurance carrier may raise your premium. But your business reputation is also at stake. Even a relatively minor mishap can easily spiral out of control if a customer decides to share a “you’ll never guess what happened to me today!” photo and comment with their numerous social friends and followers.

It’s simply smart business to focus proactively on retail display safety.

If you have additional questions about retail solutions, connect with us on our website at www.palmerretailsolutions.com. Keep current with industry discussions and product information on Twitter: @PalmerPRS. Palmer derives great satisfaction from designing unique interactive kiosks that incorporate maximum functionality, ergonomics and offer long-lasting service. Click here to receive a USB FLASH DRIVE containing great examples of retail store design, display fixtures and mall kiosks.

Palmer Retail Solutions strives to offer our clients the absolute best combination of innovation, quality, service, and value for our diversified custom store fixtures and merchandising displays. For more information about our designs, retail fixtures, cash wraps, kiosks, or point of purchase displays, visit our website at http://www.palmerretailsolutions.com.