ARTYSMITH2: A BIT OF AN EDGE

a white edge to this display

I sometimes think there is a desire with some retailers to cram as many products in their shops and shop windows as possible. If this is because they think customers will get a better idea of the variety of products they sell then they are very wrong!

Firstly, we humans sometimes find it hard to process what we see. We’re always looking but invariably we don’t see. This is mainly because we’re given too much visual information in one hit and our brains become overloaded so it’s easier to ignore it and move on to something else. Not exactly the sort of shopping experience we want for our customers.

Creating a bit of empty space around displays or product ranges will have a positive effect on what customers see. This technique is used all the time in the luxury sector where single products sit alone demanding to be looked at. To a much lesser degree this principal can be applied to many other retail sectors too.

If you want your products to be noticed you need to allow them space and, if you really want to draw attention to a product or range of products a bit of empty space around the edge will help the customers to see what they’re looking at. This principle is much like pictures hanging on a wall, it’s the empty wall space around the picture or group of pictures that draws your attention to what’s sitting in the middle.

When it comes to merchandising products on shelves then shop fittings with wider than average uprights will create an automatic edge which will help differentiate between each product drop. If you don’t have this luxury you can still achieve this by simply merchandising your products a couple of centimetres in from the side of the unit. The same principle should be applied to table top merchandising too and this method will also make the products look more comfortable on the table rather than teetering on the edge, which is one sure way to stop customers from picking things up, and you don’t want that!

My advice is don’t overcrowd displays, particularly in shop windows and key sales areas. Try to separate product ranges by using empty space and create a clear edge, it will make a huge difference to what your customers see and the more they see the more likely they are to buy…