Four tricks for effective customer flow management and increased sales

No matter what retail business you’re in, effective customer flow management offers huge benefits, with increased profits and a better customer experience that encourages return visits.

Customer flow management is about controlling the movement of visitors inside your place of business, and it begins the minute they enter the door. It involves arranging your space in such a way as to discourage crowding, preventing long queues from forming, as well as leading people to the items you want to sell. This helps to adapt a customer-centric approach that brings about a relaxed, calm atmosphere and enhances the overall experience.

The good news is that you don’t need to have a large staff to handle this. You can have effective customer flow management with a few common practices and versatile equipment.

Add barrier posts to reduce customer anxiety

Barrier posts have proven to be invaluable in retail spaces. This simple piece of equipment consists of a stainless steel post set on a wide, weighted base for stability. The top has a retractable belt fixed in that can stretch out to about two metres. This can be clipped into another post or a wall clip to form a continuous barrier. Each post has a 4-way clip at the top so you can form barriers in what ever direction required. These portable posts can be used in any set up whether it’s a public office, a fast food eatery, a supermarket or a retail establishment of any size.

Making sure that lines are moving at a good pace and customers are not getting impatient is important. To prepare for this, take into account the conditions during peak business hours and the madness of holiday shopping.

First, make sure that there is enough room to accommodate as many people as there are likely to be in the queue at any one time. Then, address one of the key reasons for queue anxiety: poorly managed queues. Setting up barrier posts is a simple way to keep lines organised, separate and with no risk of nefarious queue jumpers.

Keep customers engaged with product displays

Nobody likes standing in queues and a reliable method for reducing perceived wait time is to keep your customers engaged. Arranging product displays along the line can hold your customers’ attention and increase impulse purchases. Studies have shown that these displays encourage impulse buying by about 400%.

Have adaptable queues

Stainless steel barrier posts are not bulky and awkward. Your staff can move these posts around with ease so they can be set up wherever you anticipate a crowd to collect. Setting up a row of barrier posts can streamline any part of your set up. If you’re a supermarket with a sudden surge at the deli, or a retail store where you’re closing and opening tills, make sure you can move your barrier posts as needed.

Use signage to attract attention and increase sales

You can add ticket frames to advertise offers and new products. While they handily sit alongside barrier posts, you don’t have to limit them to your queue barriers. Use them to attract customer attention to bulk displays or bins. Have attractive displays at the ends of aisles, which have been shown to increase sales of some alcohols by up to 46%!

Freestanding ticket frame stand 800-1200, adjustable

Freestanding ticket frame stand 700mm, black

Ticket frame stand for barrier post

Ticket frame A5 in black, clear and carriers

Ticket frame A4 in black, white, green, red and carriers

Ticket frame A3 in black, white, green and carriers

Ticket frame A2 in black

Why buy barrier posts from Mills Display?

Our barrier posts are easy to store, durable and long lasting. They are made with stainless steel so they are extremely durable and can last for years. Unlike regular rope barrier posts, the retractable belts don’t get tangled. This makes the posts that much easier to store.

The pandemic has irreversibly altered a few aspects of our daily lives. Going forward, hygiene and safety will be top expectations of customers even in non-food related stores. These barrier posts are much easier to wipe down and sanitise at regular intervals that cloth ropes.

In light of the recent pandemic, effective customer flow management plays a crucial role in reducing contact between customers and ensuring adequate social distancing within your establishment. Improper management of customer flow can discourage potential customers from visiting and dissuade existing customers from returning. This can further impact your profits and negatively affect your staff’s productivity.

Despite the similarities retail stores share, every establishment sees some unique trends. To understand what works best for your retail store, study customer activity. Making decisions based on data that you collect will prove to be very effective.

Mills Display anticipates your requirements

Mills Display has amassed a comprehensive inventory of over 3000 products that can help you raise the bar for retail presentation by several notches. You can reach out to us for anything from product presentation to visual communication requirements.

Mills Display is a Kiwi owned enterprise and our local knowledge helps us to help you choose the right products for your retail needs.

We have short lead time roll outs for a whole range of products to sweeten the deal. Our experienced team works hard to assess your retail needs and set you up with products that will translate to a better customer experience. Contact us today to discuss what you need- by phone on +64 9 634 5962, email us at sales@millsdisplay.co.nz, or visit our display room at 327A Neilson Street, Penrose, Auckland.

According to the WHO, there are over 200 diseases that are foodborne. These could occur at any stage of the food production and consumption chain. This is why it is vitally important for retailers to take food safety seriously.

These days, customers are more mindful than ever before of food safety. A strong commitment to hygiene could be all that you need to set yourself apart from the competition.

Why is it important to maintain hygiene in food ticketing?

Food ticketing is an important part of your fresh food displays. Research indicates that customers are more likely to buy products when the information and price of the product is displayed clearly.

Traditionally, this information is written out by hand. Some retailers try to laminate labels so they last longer. But there are still multiple issues associated with this method, including illegible writing and unprofessional script that takes away from the appeal of your display. These also lower hygiene standards and do not last well in cold or moist conditions.

Signs written by hand can’t be easily cleaned and can attract a host of germs. When they are washed, they retain moisture which provides the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and mould. With this, you risk the outbreak of a food borne illness that will damage your business and reputation. Outbreaks of foodborne illnesses happen more often than you think, so it’s important to stick to strict standards at all times.

Edikio printers now offer you the ideal solution to all these problems. This cleverly designed system provides you with all you need to produce professional and hygienic labels.

Printable food ticketing cards

An Edikio printer is a compact machine that can print out cards with all the necessary details about your produce or fresh food. The software is standard and easy to use. You can also customise your prints and have the cards ready in seconds.

Food contact compliant signage

The food tickets for Edikio are credit-card sized, PVC signage that is food contact compliant. These cards are simple to clean and dry as their design is free of any joins or texture. Since you can clean them regularly, you can reuse them without fear of breeding germs in your display. These cards are also resistant to cold conditions and moisture so they can be placed in delis or the frozen food section without having to worry about their durability.

The food safe cards come in three sizes:

• 150 x 50mm
• 120 x 50mm
• 85 x 54mm

Food labelling compliant display

There are certain details that need to be mandatorily showcased on food ticketing, such as allergens, country of origin and nutritional information. These cards are prepared with this in mind and can hold all the information you need displayed. The clear print ensures that customers can easily read them. Any time that the price or other details of your produce changes, it is simple to update the tag by just printing a new card in seconds.

Versatile cards to strengthen branding across departments

With the ability to customise these cards, you can ensure a standard print throughout all your departments. Not only will this reinforce your branding, but it complements fresh produce and ingredients beautifully. Rather than look like signage at a run-of-the-mill supermarket, these cards lend an air of sophistication to your display.  Whether it’s for freshly baked goods, deli salads, frozen fish, meats or fresh produce, these cards give customers all the information they need in neat, crisp print.

Edikio printers are compact and don’t take up much room in your store. Its only consumables are ribbon and cards to print on. This one product gives you the ultimate solution to hygienic food ticketing in a cost-effective package.

Specialists in retail needs

A New Zealand owned and operated business, Mills Display uses their local knowledge to your advantage. By understanding local customer needs and concerns, we are able to outfit your retail shop with functional products that improve customer experience.

We are specialists in retail display needs and product presentation with a diverse inventory of over 3000 products to suit nearly every situation and department. Our products are on-trend and current so you can choose from the best to impress your customers, increase your sales, and improve functionality of your store.

To ensure that you find exactly what you are looking for, we have an experienced team that has thorough knowledge on all our products. They can suggest solutions that suit your business set up and ensure that your store is fitted with just what you need.

Our core areas of expertise include retail safety equipment, ticketing and promotional display accessories, display hooks and shelf management accessories, food and produce displays along with food handling equipment. Contact us to discuss what you need—we are happy to help find the perfect solution.

As a result of plastic bags being phased out, supermarkets are facing an unexpected consequence – missing shopping baskets. Customers often carry their groceries home in these baskets, forcing retailers to spend time and money on replacing their supply.

Having to frequently replace shopping baskets is an avoidable expense that continues to eat away at profits. But there is a cost-effective answer to your baskets growing legs. Security tags are becoming a popular measure to prevent handheld shopping baskets from leaving the premises.

What are security tags?

Security tags are a form of Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS). They are small devices that can be attached to existing baskets, and when a customer takes them through the security gates, the alarms go off. This gives retail owners and managers an elegant solution to an unexpected problem. These tags are a discreet and effective method of keeping your baskets in your store.

A simple solution to shopping basket theft

Security tags are often used by retail stores to keep theft prone products safe from shoplifting. Extending this security measure to shopping baskets doesn’t take that much extra effort. The tags are easy to procure and often, their presence alone is sufficient to deter thefts.

All you need is to attach the lanyards and ensure your security gates are running, and your baskets will stay in store, a considerable cost saving.

Strong, simple design

In this lanyard security tag design, the lanyard and the tag are together so you don’t have to worry about purchasing them separately. These tags are secured with a three-ball lock (super strength) system and are available with an AM or RF frequency (AM -58kHz and RF -8.2 MH). The antennae to receive the signals are placed at the doors so you can be alerted when they cross the boundary.

Easy to operate

The one-piece design makes tagging so much easier and less time consuming. One end of the lanyard is fixed into the hard tag while the other end has a pin which is inserted into the tag and then locked. This sits securely on your shopping basket just as it would with any other product. It’s a task that takes seconds to do, and your entire basket stock can be protected in hours.

A cost effective investment

Investing in these tags can save you plenty of time and effort. These tags are durable but if they are damaged it is cheaper and more cost effective to replace the tag than to keep buying new shopping baskets.

Difficult to bypass

Without the right tools, it is extremely difficult to remove these hard tags. Customers will find it much easier to return the baskets rather than attempt to remove the tags. Happily, the managers at your stores will find it easy to fix in and remove the tags with the right equipment.

Every retailer is dealing with the issue of lost shopping baskets in their own way. Some have implemented a system where instead of offering plastic bags, they pack the shopping in paper bags and charge the customer for it. The only issue with this is that customers can refuse the charge as well as the bag. Others have staff members standing at the doors, to pick up baskets before customers leave the store.

The advantage of the security tag solution is that it puts the onus on the customer to return the basket. It is also more economical than having your staff use hours of their shift just to keep baskets in the store. Like most security systems, just the sight of it is sufficient to dissuade thefts.

Mills Display also has 20 and 26L shopping baskets in stock

If you do need a top-up of baskets, we have a full range of options. Our sturdy, recycled plastic baskets come in a range of colours, reinforced rims and base and comfortable double plastic handles.

20L shopping baskets in black, green, blue, red, dark green, orange and yellow

26L shopping baskets in black, green, blue and red

A one-stop solution for all your retail needs

Mills Display has everything you need for your retail set up. We are a Kiwi owned enterprise and our inventory is over 3000-product strong. Our range is diverse and includes both classic pieces and current, on-trend products so you can be sure that you have the best collection to choose from. We keep up with the latest developments in the sector so we are always ready to deal with new problems that you may be facing (such as walking baskets).

Our core areas of expertise include promotional display accessories, ticketing and pricing, retail safety equipment, food & produce displays, display hooks, shelf management equipment, and general literature displays (among others).

Our experienced team are happy to help you navigate our inventory and ensure that you go home with products that are best suited to your business. With a huge range of products in stock and ready to ship today, contact us to discuss what you want – we look forward to hearing from you.