No one heads off to work hoping that today is the day they get to scrub store fixtures from top to bottom. Unfortunately, though, looking sharp is key to attracting and keeping customers, so clean you must. Retail end cap displays are sales gold mines, so you want to pay particular attention to them.

For any retail store, a scrupulously clean appearance makes your store more approachable. Did you know somewhere between 40-70% of shoppers don’t make shopping decisions until they are inside your store? Studies also show customers who pick up an item are more likely to buy it. You want shoppers to feel comfortable enough to linger and interact. 

Since it’s a smart merchandising practice to frequently refresh retail end cap displays, you have plenty of ready-made opportunities to clean during change-overs, without disturbing your carefully-arranged products.

Keep it simple.

An end cap might consist of shelves, bins, grid-style hanging racks, mannequins, or even be stand-alone interactive kiosks. Regardless of the configuration, it has to be clean. Keep light fixtures clean, too. Accumulated dust dims light, ruining the visual effect you’ve worked so hard to achieve.

You don’t have to invest in expensive cleaning supplies or fancy gadgets to do a top-notch job. A simple 50-50 mix of white vinegar and water is inexpensive, easy and gentle on any surface, yet it’s entirely effective. Use it when you need to seriously clean grubby areas such as lower shelves and the bottoms of fixtures, and use it to give your display units and other surfaces a quick wipe-down.

Clean says you’re ready to open each day.

Making a regular effort to do light cleaning can keep you from having to spend more time and muscle on deep cleaning. Doing a few tasks at the end of each day makes for less pre-opening work the next day. And while some things are better done after hours, there are plenty of things your sales associates can do as they have time during their shifts.

Make a checklist of tasks for cleaning your retail end cap displays and the rest of your store. That way, even your newest employee can pitch in and nothing will be overlooked. Just like your mother-in-law visiting your home, customers notice much more than employees, so be very specific in your instructions.

Disorder turns customers off, too.  

The companion to cleanliness is tidiness. Straighten your end cap displays frequently. Remove expired or damaged items and trash. Restock missing merchandise and move items forward on shelves or racks so each display looks plentiful.

Whether you call it “recovery” – an especially apt term after the holidays or an ultra-busy big sale day – or you just think of it as straightening up, properly cleaning your store is critical to maintain your reputation and image.

There’s no such thing as too clean. So let your retail end cap displays be your inspiration, then think top to bottom, from cobwebs in the corners to spotless flooring that says walk this way throughout your store.

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.