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Despite the groans and tweets about hot cross buns and Easter eggs at the supermarket, 2018’s seasonal consumer cycle is already well under way in all sorts of shops and stores around New Zealand. In this Blog post we will share with you 5 seasonal merchandising ideas.
Importance of seasonal merchandising ideas
The sales and spending figures from Christmas 2017 show exactly how important marketing and merchandising is. According to Paymark data spending in December was up 8% on the previous year. The consumers were handing over $5.493 billion during the month. This data is the network which covers more than three quarters of the country’s Eftpos terminals. Some regions saw double digit spending growth of 10.1% over the previous year. Also, the number of transactions throughout New Zealand was up 8.2% on December last year. Some of those regions are Bay of Plenty, Marlborough, Auckland, Northland and Southland. In short, Kiwis are spending more and buying more. Retailers need to be smart about how they can tap into that consumer confidence. We’re all aware of the typical seasonal marketing drives:
January – New Year Sales and Public holidays
February – Back-to-school Sales
February – Valentine’s Day Sales
March/April – Easter Weekend Sales
June/July – Winter Merchandise Sales
October – Halloween Sales
December – Summer Merchandise Sales
December – And, of course, Christmas Sales!
But it’s all very well understanding that these events are going to reappear like clockwork each year. It’s another having the right retail displays, merchandise and targets to make the most of the extra consumer demand. And no one enjoys filling the bargain bins with unsold stock at the end of each festival or event. At Mills Display we’ve had 30 years’ experience of sourcing point of sale, display and signage from around the world. Furtheremore we provide a custom-manufacturing site and industry-specific displays. Also, we are working alongside a broad range of Kiwi retailers to make the most of all sales opportunities. Over the years we think we’ve learnt a thing or two about what makes successful seasonal merchandising ideas. So here’s our 5-point guide to ensuring your store is able to roll through each annual cycle profitably.
1) Plan
It’s true of any industry and any campaign: you can’t just wing it. Of course your lead in times will depend on whether you’re directly servicing the consumer. Or sometimes you’re providing goods to be on-sold to retailers but generally if your campaign is for Halloween in October. But then again your planning needs to begin in June with purchases made in time for delivery in September. Planning isn’t just about finding the right on-trend products either. You should research the latest display trends and plan how you intend to show your products in your store. This is one of our seasonal merchandising ideas.
2) Don’t limit yourself to familiar festivals and holidays
New Zealand’s diverse population means that you should consider a wide range of annual festivals on which to base marketing campaigns. Also, should give you a lot of inspiration to create eye-catching retail displays. Matariki (Maori New Year) takes place in late May or early June and is tied in to the appearance of the Pleiades constellation in the night sky. Chinese New Year occurs between January 21 and February 20 each year and is celebrated as the start of the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival. Hindu religious festivals occur throughout the year but the main two are Diwali in October or November and Holi in February or March.
You can also use unfamiliar Hispanic festivals to create unusual marketing displays. Examples are holidays Cinco de Mayo and Dia de los Muertos. Just don’t expect the same mad rush as for Easter and Christmas! And, because New Zealand is sports-mad, don’t forget the beginning of each sporting season too. Super Rugby, trans-Tasman netball, the A-league football, NPC rugby, the cricket season, basketball. Also, occasional international events such as the Olympics and world cups all offer great ideas for seasonal merchandising ideas and marketing campaigns.
3) Display, display, display!
At Mills Display we’re duty bound to focus on creating eye-catching retail displays throughout your stores. These range from entrance to point of sale. But your customers don’t want to try too hard when they enter your store. So how you show off your merchandise has to do all the work for them. The golden rules to seasonal merchandising ideas are to get the message across quickly (ideally via shop-front window displays); create a dedicated space for your seasonal merchandising idea and keep it well stocked throughout the buying period; provide a mix of familiar and innovative products and display techniques; and push the local New Zealand angle as much as possible.
4) Create a community atmosphere
One of the key ingredients to any festival, event or holiday is that it brings people together. And that means that your seasonal merchandising ideas should stretch out of the store and into the wider community. Thankfully, social media makes this simple and by sharing your store’s displays around your customers. You can spread both the idea of what you have in store but also the message behind the seasonal event. As well as social media, tried and trusted campaigns such as holding in-store entertainment or events are also good ways to attract interest. Furthermore they are gathering information on your customers.
5) Keep it moving
Ideally, you should have an annual list of rolling campaigns. That will help you to always attract something different for your customers. And don’t be put off by those who whine on Facebook or write letters to the editor about Christmas decorations going on sale straight after Halloween. Or Valentine’s Day cards being on sale as soon as the New Year sales are over. Retail is a constantly evolving process with new innovations in merchandising, displays and products. And to make the most of these innovations it pays to understand and plan your campaigns to run throughout the year.
Enquire Now with Mills Display
For more inspiration about how Mills Display can help your business organise its seasonal campaigns create successful merchandising displays, download a catalogue, email us or talk to one of our salespeople on Live Chat. Follow us on Facebook and Google My Business for our latest products and NZ Retail updates. Also, take a look at our 8 innovative retail merchandise display ideas for you.
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No sooner are retailers over the Christmas, New Year and back-to-work-and-school rushes. The whole cycle of annual marketing and merchandising campaigns starts up again. The first major event, Valentine’s Day, has been and gone, meaning the next important date for small business calendars is Easter. Which stretches from Good Friday on March 30 to the Easter Monday public holiday on April 2nd.
Traditionally Easter is a family-orientated holiday which in the Northern Hemisphere heralds the start of Spring. Therefore celebrated as the first holiday of the year connected with outdoors activities and good weather. In New Zealand, Easter still carries all the significant themes of family, Easter eggs and hunts, the Easter bunny, and, of course, the Christian festival. Celebrating the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, on which the holiday is based.
But because New Zealand is heading towards autumn at this time of year (Daylight Saving ends the previous weekend on March 25th). Retailers are able to draw on traditional Northern Hemisphere themes for their merchandising and displays. As well as pointing their customers towards products more suitable to autumn and winter. So to make sure your small retail business has an egg-sellent Easter (sorry for that), here are a few Mills Display tips and ideas to attract customers and transform your store.
1. Be prepared and start early
Your planning for specialised displays and Easter-specific items should be under way already – plenty of stores already have hot cross buns and Easter eggs for sale and the sooner you get them on the shelves the sooner they’ll end up in shoppers’ baskets and trolleys. The same goes for any displays you’re planning – make sure you’ve already got or ordered additional signage, props or display cabinets before your Easter stock arrives.
2. Plan and create a window display
The first impression your business makes is via your shop window so it has to reflect both what you have in stock and the type and style of business you run. Some retailers might choose to run a religious theme over festivals such as Christmas or Easter but the more typical theme – even in the Southern Hemisphere – is centred around spring using themes of Easter eggs, the Easter bunny, egg hunts and flowers.
3. Staging and styling your shop window is an artform but some golden rules include:
Tell a story rather than simply display your products (eg take elements of an Easter egg hunt and create “hidden” items as part of the display.
Don’t clutter the display and be clear with you message (if you have an Easter sale, make it very clear)
Be bold and use bright colours, strong lines and eye-catching props and products to attract customers.
4. Think about customers’ buying patterns before the long weekend
New Zealand trading rules over Easter might mean that your business isn’t able to open through the weekend so it’s important to stock up on items (especially food and drink) which people buy in bulk ahead of Easter Sunday. Long-weekends are also traditionally times when Kiwis do work on their homes and gardens or get away to baches and holiday homes – you might want to theme your Easter weekend displays along those lines too.
5. Devote an area of the store for Easter products
If you are using Easter as the reason for a large merchandising campaign, gather all the related products into one area of the store so customers don’t have to work too hard to make decisions. You might be using Easter to sell chocolate and buns, DIY products or fishing gear, or you might run an end-of-summer Easter sale – but if it is all tied to one campaign, it makes sense to devote a specific part of the store to how you display it.
6. Choose merchandise which points towards family
Overall, Easter is a family holiday typified by presents (mostly chocolate, admittedly) for the children, large get-togethers over meals (possibly the last time to crank up the barbecue before Daylight Saving ends), and journeys to visit relatives or the family bach. When you’re merchandising your store – even the areas not designed just for Easter-related products – consider extra stands or strip clips which push related items for family meals, gifts or travel. High-volume retail periods such as Easter ae great opportunities to cross and up-sell products.
7. Use Easter as a marketing and community opportunity
Easter is the ideal season to run community or family-minded events and to reward customer loyalty. You can promote your displays by bringing in entertainers or arranging themed competitions and by promoting your business through social and local media. And, remember, whenever you are engaging with new or familiar customers, it’s an opportunity to get feedback and information from them – and that data is vital to help drive your business forward.
8. Keep track of your sales data to help prepare for next year
Take photos of your displays and keep notes on how you planned this Easter campaign. You’ll be able to compare this data and sales data both year-on-year and alongside other seasonal marketing and merchandising campaigns to see what works and how your displays and products can be improved.
Enquire Now with Mills Display
If you want Mills Display to help your business get a unique look by sourcing the best retail display products from around the world, message or LiveChat us via the website or call us on 09 634 5962.
Mills Display can supply all the point of sale accessories you require for your retail shelving, display cabinets, signage for your retail products. We can even produce customised products to help enhance your brand. But merchandising takes more then simple hardware. Read our top tips for effective merchandising displays.
Make the most of your store with these effective merchandising displays
The golden rule is to be innovative…
Customers are bombarded constantly by new products sold through superlatives (the best this, the most that…). It’s up to you as retailers to make them stop and think. This is crucial for effective merchandising displays.
Talk to your suppliers
What works for you is going to benefit them too? Ask your suppliers what has worked for other retailers or what they can do to help your merchandisers.
Talk to your customers
Find out how they are using the products and incorporate that into your merchandising. Alternatively, find out any issues your customers have and try to find solutions from your existing stock. Then market those solutions direct to the customer.
Test and measure
Trying new ideas might not work at first. However, if you have a way of gauging how well a merchandising idea is working then you can drop it quickly, adapt it, reinforce it or grow it. Accurate measurement and analysis allows you to be flexible. For effective merchandising displays, you definitely have to obey this rule.
Have long-term strategies
Don’t focus on what’s working or not working right now. Use point of sale data alongside information canvassed from suppliers, employees and customers. This is how you can create easy-to-access databases on each of your products. You need to know how many items are sold, at what price and when to have a grip on what’s working. Do that and you can have seasonal merchandising strategies rather than knee-jerk reactions.
Appeal to the senses
Nearly all the latest trends in in-store marketing and merchandising revolve around the five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing. This is because of the reaction to impersonal shopping practices of the past. Another reason is the growth of interactive and social media, which helps the effective merchandising displays.
Mix your merchandising strategies according to your products
Your key areas are:
Promoting frequently purchased items to increase customers
Increased margins on high-quality products to push profits
Push impulse purchases to increase value of transactions
Generate better cash flow by pushing greater turnover of top sellers
Back up your store’s “narrative” and what you stand for by strategizing around specifics like price, customer service and variety.
Create authority and loyalty with aggressive pricing, comparisons to other stores, loyalty programmes etc.
Generate urgency among customers by pushing seasonal, impulse and media-savvy products.
For more information about how Mills Display can provide you with the right retail display products to support your sales staff, email us or talk to one of our salespeople on Live Chat. Also, take a look at our 8 innovative retail merchandise display ideas for you.
Enquire Now with Mills Display
If you want Mills Display to help your business get a unique look by sourcing the best retail display products from around the world, message or LiveChat us via the website or call us on 09 634 5962.
Among all the merchandising and sales techniques; all the online, social media and community interaction tips; and all the in-store promotional displays and signage, little is more important to a business than its store-front window. This is why we prepared 12 Tips for Window Display Ideas.
Quite apart from its ability to draw in casual customers and make bold statements about what’s on offer, the way you face the outside world says huge amounts about what type of business you are. Research describes shop-front window displays as “silent salesmen”. Those can communicate your store’s characteristics and draw people into the sales area even if they hadn’t intended to. Some research even shows that people who tend to have a negative view of window displays are still drawn into shops by their effect.
Powerful stuff, you have to admit. So, how do you make the most of your window display? Here’s our 12-step guide to creating an ideal showcase for your business and to get potential customers through your door.
Here are our 12 Window Display Ideas
1. Don’t be limited by space
Of course, having a whole block of pavement-fronted window displays is going to catch passers-by. However, there are plenty of bold statements you can make regardless of the size of your window. Whether you want to hang signs, mount displays or create customised fixtures and fittings, there are always innovative ways in which even the most challenging space can be made to work.
2. Innovate
The way shoppers view your store will improve the more innovative your window display. Researchers have found that a shop’s overall image benefits from having a storefront display and the more innovative the display, the more likely passers-by will think it’s worth going in.
3. Think interactive
The way shoppers respond to your store and their first impressions are guided by how interactive your window display is. This doesn’t have to be physical interaction. Just a mix of signage which talks directly to them or displays which surprise them or make them react in some way.
4. Differentiate between image and objects
Some businesses will let their products do the talking while others will want to push brand and identity.
5. Storytelling sells
It’s all very well theming according to season or putting your new products on pedestals. Nevertheless, your display will be more gripping (and more interactive and innovative) if you can tell a story through your display. For example, Easter is typified by eggs and bunnies. Still, your display could be themed more around an Easter egg hunt with “hidden” treats and outdoorsy props.
6. Planning and consistency
Draw out your design for your window display and make sure everyone involved is on the same page. For example, it would be good to carry any themes started at the front of the store, throughout the shopping experience. Moreover, it goes without saying that you’ll need to be fully stocked up on any items you’re pushing via a window display.
7. Get the basics right
The golden rules of window dressing are making sure key elements are at the same eye-line as passers-by (and that might mean using cabinetry and display cases to get the right amount of lift); keeping the display clean (no one wants to look at clutter and the same item replicated dozens of times is often more appealing and understandable than dozens of different items next to each other); and lighting the display properly (highlighting messages and key products with spotlights is a great way to grab people’s attention).
8. Be bold and don’t hold back on the props
There’s nothing wrong with having your window display shout out with bright colours and strong shapes. And there’s always ways to find eye-catching props regardless of budget. Just make sure they fit your store’s image and help “tell the story” you’re going for in your window.
9. If you’re showcasing products, let them do the talking
When it comes to clothes, full-length mannequins will let would-be customers see how they will fit and appear on them. Equally, if you have a number of products which might go together (for example, camping equipment and outdoors clothing) set them up together so customers can see you offer a full shopping experience. You can use large, expensive items to help promote smaller, less expensive items.
10. Try to catch the eye
Two good ways to add interest to a display is to add movement (either through video or animated displays and props) or to use window graphics to highlight information relevant to the display.
11. Keep your window display moving
In order to be eye-catching, it’s easiest to be surprising so don’t let your displays get stale. You can update window displays according to seasons or seasonal marketing campaigns. Also, you can tie them in with new products or store innovations.
12. Keep a record of your displays
Take photos of each of you window displays and measure how well they performed in terms of attracting customers and promoting specific sales. You can use this data to pinpoint successful merchandising campaigns when you’re planning future displays and hone your talents to maximise your sales.
For more inspiration about how Mills Display can help you turn you window display into a successful merchandising campaign, download a catalogue, email us or talk to one of our salespeople on Live Chat.
Customers are now so attuned to seeing characterful and innovative food display solutions. On the countless TV shows devoted to both food and travel, that it’s become vital to any food retailer to come up with different ways to attract their attention. Of course, the basics of health, cleanliness and easily understood signage and labelling still apply. However, you can really push the boat out when it comes to finding adventurous. Also, by coming up with surprising ways with food display solutions to produce in your deli counter.
8 impressive Food Display Solutions
1. Be bold and showcase new on-trend produce:
TV shows like Masterchef and US baking shows have a huge following in New Zealand. This means you have to keep an eye out for what’s hot and on-trend around the world. Equally, food and travel shows featuring celebrity foodies. Examples are Rick Stein and Peter Kuruvita. They have introduced customers to cuisines from the likes of Korea, the Pacific Islands and Sri Lanka.
Innovative food display solutions can reflect novel dishes and ingredients from recent shows. Furthermore, they help customers feel part of the total food-as-entertainment experience. For example, a recently finished Masterchef show had episodes featuring contestants having to name many different types of herbs. Also, they have to use peculiar NZ ingredients in a dish. Why not use this as the basis of a NZ-themed deli display?
2. Use skilled staff to become a food authority:
The growth of foodie culture has led to a rise in customers who see themselves as self-taught chefs and “experimenters”. These customers soak up as much information as they can and really respond to advice from authority figures. Your deli counter is the ideal place for them to find advice so don’t hide food preparation away behind the scenes. Have your staff on hand to show off their knife skills and creativity; give them the authority to answer questions and offer advice; have them skilled to be able to hand-make deli items to order if required. For example, pre-prepared salads are always popular deli items. However, why not have staff on hand to supply recipes to interested customers and then have the ingredients nearby for purchase separately? Engaging the customer at the counter is a great way to both instil loyalty and provide the chance to upsell items.
3. Push total experiences:
Food customers – especially those at deli and produce counters – enjoy thinking not only about ticking items off their shopping list but also about working out how they’re going to use their purchases. When you’re grouping items or writing signage consider telling a story about how that produce might be used. Good examples in New Zealand – especially at this time of year – are grouping items which might be good for a picnic suitable for an Easter trip to the beach, a big family get-together, or planning a long-weekend visit to the bach.
4. A “market” theme can bridge a number of different cultures:
Almost all food and travel television programmes these days include a visit to a typical market. There you can see how people buy and sell produce in different parts of the world. The idea of showing this is that it helps construct a narrative in the viewer’s mind leading up to the recipe. The actually cooking and eating part of the show – and the human brain is actually hard-wired to find storylines (especially completed storylines) is particularly attractive. Organising food display solutions to show off foods which go together geographically is a good way to start this storytelling process. This means you can start to inspire customers’ creativity right from the display cabinet.
5. Make use of sampling stations:
The foodie customer is especially attracted to the whole “hands-on” experience. Predominantly with new or interesting produce and ingredients. So, it’s important to give them a taste of what’s on offer. Their inspiration may have come from a recipe book or a TV show. However, it can also be boosted by how you organise your retail display and then clinched by testing flavours. And samples don’t have to work alone. Try testing out customers’ tastebuds with different combinations, or food-and-drink matches, or innovative preparations of familiar ingredients. These sampling stations are also ideal places to bring in guest-chefs, producers or suppliers. If customers become used to visiting your store to discover new tastes, skills and methods, they’re more likely to see you as an authority in the food industry; not just the place to buy ingredients.
6. Guide choices with matches and recipes:
Use signage and display to let customers know which wines to serve with different ingredients. Also, try to supply recipe cards and booklets to promote new or promoted items. Even a sign with a recipe or “match of the day” creates intrigue in the customer’s mind. This gives your deli counter a sense of authority.
7. Use tickets and display signage to tell stories about sourcing:
The more knowledgeable customers become, the more they want to know about the source of what they’re putting in their shopping basket. Particularly when it comes to food. Not only is there a food miles, ethical sourcing, eco-friendly aspect to this information, but it also pre-arms them with the information to tell those they’re cooking for or feeding where their food originated. And, again, foodies really like their story-telling. Cheeses have traditionally been sold with information about place of origin. Still, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to do the same with all sorts of fresh produce. And if you can show food display solutions with a story which goes from farm gate to deli counter, you’ve already started a story in a foodie’s mind.
8. Consider added attractions:
With so many different types of food store vying for attention – and the customers’ dollars – you can gain an edge over the competition by offering an alternative shopping experience. In-store dining, floral displays, live music, events which show off favoured or new suppliers and producers are all ways in which you can theme your food display or deli and produce counters to specific times of the year or to highlight specific ingredients. More and more customers see food shopping as an outing. You can play to this trend by offering them a destination as well as a store.
9. Personalisation and customisation are the new freshness and quality:
Throughout retail, customers are demanding a more personalised experience. This is something that hi-tech and online retail can respond to easily. Nevertheless, that instore food presentation and retail is fast catching on to. Freshness and quality, of course, are primary sales points (and a big advantage over online shopping for food) but a store which offers personalised butchery, preparation, sourcing, recipe ideas, planning for large groups or specific events, or themed educational or display events can gain a winning edge when it comes to a hands-on bespoke service.
For more inspiration about how Mills Display can help transform your deli counter or produce display, download a catalogue, email us or talk to one of our salespeople on Live Chat.
