I was talking with a newsagent yesterday who was complaining that their customers don’t notice their displays and the items they have on special. Their view was what the customer was to blame.
I asked whether the business itself was to blame. Were there too many displays? Were the displays close together? Were displays left up for too long? What else was competing for attention with the displays.
If customers are not noticing your displays it is likely that the problem lies with the business and not the customer. Observe customers as they enter and browse the store.
- Where do their eyes look at what are they drawn to?
- Is their destination diverted in any way?
- Do they notice displays?
- What do they pass by?
- What products do they browse and for how long?
- Where do they move to next?
- What is the success of major displays in driving incremental sales?
Answer these questions and you start to develop a feeling for the effectiveness of the visual noise in the store.
Sometimes in retail less is more. I saw an excellent example of this in one of my shops last week. We decided to quit a line of products and move them to another store. The smaller stock had been taken down and a customer noticed the two larger items remaining and purchased botch at close to $90.00 each. They thought we had just got them in. In fact, they had been on the shelves for more than six months.
Customers tell us a lot by their actions. I take their lack of attention to a display to be a message to the business to fix it rather than a fault on the part of my customers.
Off topic – but has anyone had any problem with NDC files coming through for monday , i have not received anything for mondays deliverys yet
Shaun S,
Me too.
NDC told me it would/should be fixed yesterday. Still waiting, nothing on their website, no faxes………..
No files here either
oh well that stuffs up any sales for monday morning dosn’t it, as they won’t be open untill 8 to even take the phone call
off topic once again . had a mother come in today to have a winge about what fell out of the crusty demon magazine pack , a packet of condoms , i had a chuckle but apparantly she was not amused as it was her 8 year old sun that was running around with balloons . and i am still laughing about it .
it wasn’t this issue but the last 1
gee i should have went to school a bit longer , that would be SON not SUN
Maybe the start of a new galaxy? lol
Getting back on topic, I think a newsagency is the most difficult outlet to present effective visual merchandising. So many customers come in with a completely single minded attitude. Walk in, grab a paper, drop a dollar on the counter and leave. If they got served by a pink gorilla they wouldn’t even notice. Having said that, in a store our size, one themed main display seems to be the way to go. Trying to have too many different sales pitches all competing for the customers eye seems to bee too “noisy” and therefore drown each other out.
Mark I apologise for my colleagues who do not understand that comments should be on-topic. I like your tips about visual merchandising. Like many I am sure my newsagency is too visually noisy as you put it. I want to cut it back but it is hard to know where to start.
“If they got served by a pink gorilla…”
Sounds like a fun halloween idea.
The average newsagency, IMHO, positively shouts at you when you enter the store, posters for magazines are everywhere, lotto, specials, group branding etc etc etc. The wife and I took a concious decision about one year ago now to reduce the noise. All spinners went, all posters went, we only kept the compulsory marketing and even relocated some of those.
We have noticed that we can actually see the shop now. We only hang posters for special events and make also the decision to have a time lapse between events so that the customer notices the difference.
We find the space is now more peaceful, customers linger longer, gift sales are up. Best of all however is that the customer can see the sign that we want them to see.
Mark,
That is a very valid list of questions that most newsagents don’t ever ask themselves.
Not everyone has the visual merchandising gift. Good retailers will determine which of the team has it and use their skills. When we do visual merchandising we’ll go around the store and ask every staff member what they think of the display. Its just become habit. We’ve become pretty good at it but sometimes one or more of the team will point out something that doesn’t appease them … and we’ll evaluate why and change it (even if it means re-merchandising the entire display).
Retailers, newsagents in particular, often seem to be under the delusion that the underperformance of a store is the fault of customer. It most often isn’t. The same applies for retailers finding fault with their staff … when often it is the operational systems of the business that have failed.
Brett,
Too right. Visual noise is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, merchandising problem in most newsagencies. It’s an epidemic.
If customers get bombarded with too many messages they subconsciously shut out everything.
We made the same decision about 2.5 years ago (when we done a refurb) to cut out the VN. Best decision we ever made. No magazine poster has ever graced the inside of our store. We occasionally use seasonally themed posters and only if they compliment the display. The only time of year the store becomes a little crammed is Xmas (so many seasonal opportunities and so little space).
Products, not posters, should tell the story.
Kieth do not apologise on my behalf as i will change topic as much as i wish to .If i could make up a topic i would . if you don’t like a comment that i write then don’t read it just keep on scrolling down the page untill you have found something that you may think is an appropriate comment
I just think the shopping public have become accustomed to seeing newsagents (visually) as second class retailers. I mean, how many agents do you see that where everything looks just thrown together. You see a shiny, gleaming lotto counter, then the rest of the store looks dim, cluttered, mismatched. Turns you cross eyed.
It’s a pity even general locations of agents can’t be given but – 4 in one single street, not one looks good. The best if at all, moved into a new building six months ago; and darkness reigns supreme in that one.
John I agree re the public having become accustomed to seeing newsagents as second class visual retailers. On a positive note however … it makes those newsagents whos stores are sleek, uncluttered and visually appeasing all the more noticable to those same consumers.