Your store’s appearance instantly conveys an impression to potential customers, starting the second they glance at your window or peek inside the door. That first take on who you are and what you sell can determine whether people will venture farther in or turn away, so it is essential to create a powerful impact that sends exactly the right message. With so much on the line – and so quickly – it’s important to remember that store fixtures have an inherent cachet that can make them an indispensable marketing tool.

Fixtures are furniture, so of course they play vital functional and visual roles. Those may be supporting roles – after all, your merchandise displays and items are the stars – but there’s a reason there are Academy Awards for supporting roles. The same holds true for store fixtures (for importance, not awards). So, treating store fixtures as if they should be invisible does in-store marketing an injustice.

Choose wisely and creatively, however, and your fixtures will set the stage for a customer experience that adds up to increased sales.

Retail store fixtures come in many flavors.

Fixtures help announce your store’s personality as well as products available for purchase, because they’re part of the décor. Materials, shapes, and colors should reflect that. Contrasts can be catchy, but visual dissonance confuses customers and makes them uncomfortable. Imagine exquisite jewelry spread out on metal gondola shelving or, conversely, a dollar store with just a few items displayed, each one carefully presented and individually lit.

You want to make a unique statement, because your store is unique. Or if you have multiple locations, you want to make a consistently replicated statement, reassuring shoppers about what to expect from one store to another. What will your prospective shopper find inside? How will it feel to shop in your store?

For instance, luxury retail customers expect a sumptuous atmosphere that assures them they will receive exceptional personal attention -- beautifully upholstered seating, substantial-looking wood or glass, understated colors. You may have lower-priced merchandise, but you must use the same level of care in creating an environment that is true to your products and clientele.

Beyond the counters, tables and shelving units that we might call “furnishings,” you have at your disposal wall-mounted racks and shelves, table-toppers, mannequins and even props to use in windows and throughout your store. Custom-designed with imagination, any of these can look elegantly sophisticated, cutting-edge contemporary, amusing or otherwise engaging to the eye, while still focusing attention on your merchandise.

How you arrange fixtures enhances visual marketing in multiple ways.

You can:

• Define a pathway (obvious or subtle) that leads customers on their browsing journey.
• Add appeal to displays with multiple levels in eye-friendly pyramid shapes and odd numbers.
• Make it easy for shoppers to find what they’re looking for – but also present them with must-have impulse items they didn’t know they wanted.
• Keep your entire store conveniently organized and pleasantly tidy.
• Secure especially valuable items while preserving their visibility.

What do your store fixtures say about your store? Maybe it’s time to upgrade them to a more prominent supporting role.

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.