Stand Out, Sell More: Powerful Convenience Store Display Techniques

How displays can drive sales for convenience retailers

Convenience Store Display Techniques - Till point barebells fsdu

Investing in in-store theatre and standout displays will help boost customer engagement, increase footfall, and drive sales – all of which is a core part of running a convenience store.

“It’s vital to the day-to-day running of my store,” explains Bobby Singh, owner of BB Nevison Superstore & Post Office in Yorkshire. “In-store theatre is about enhancing how customers see my store and helps deliver a full service.”

The right in-store theatre display should have the following elements:

  • Product relevance – if the display doesn’t showcase products that are right for the customer and deliver a good margin, it’s not be the right move.
  • Eye-catching imagery and text ­– if it doesn’t stand out, customers will walk right past it.
  • Matching PoS – a display is only half the battle, promotional material around other areas of the store can help impact sales.

“Additional displays and in-store theatre helps boost availability and overall visibility, as you’ll have two locations for the one product,” Singh adds.

Building the right display

Stand Out, Sell More: Powerful Convenience Store Display Techniques - Misfits FSDU

Every area of your store needs to pay for itself, which includes PoS and in-store theatre. If there’s a display that isn’t helping sales, consider if it should be there at all.

First, determine the right location. If you’re introducing a new snack line, think about linked purchases, like drinks. This not only boosts visibility of a new product, but also sales of additional products.

Alternatively, place the display in a high-traffic area, like the entrance, near food to go or by the till, to drive visibility. Then monitor its success through your sales data. If you haven’t noticed an uptick, consider changing the location.

The challenge – or balance – is not going overboard with your displays, as this can hinder sales.

“Be sensible,” Singh adds. “In-store theatre and its displays should enhance your business, rather than impact sales. Consider why in-store theatre is important to you and adapt your offering accordingly to make it work.” 

Working with suppliers

No-one knows your business better than you, but there are plenty of suppliers big and small out there who are keen to support you in return for opening their brands up to new customers. While larger suppliers have bigger budgets to make these relationships work, speciality and challenger brands often bring the energy to reward early stockists and work collaboratively to drive mutual success.

Goran Raven, owner of Raven’s Budgens in Abridge, Essex, has discovered the benefits of working with smaller suppliers.

“We build displays on an ad-hoc basis, as we like to utilise the work we do with local and challenger brands,” he says.

Most recently, Raven redesigned a chiller to highlight his work with brands that can only be found in his store. “We stock a range of handmade cakes, pies, sausages, sausage rolls, etc, and it’s something customers see the moment they enter the store.”

This display has helped change the store’s reputation of being a “standard convenience store”, instead showing the team’s passion for helping other businesses.

Tidying up your displays

The clearer your displays are, the more likely they are to drive sales. This is why Raven has invested in electronic shelf edge labels (ESL).

“We invested in ESLs for the whole store, which was quite the investment,” he explains. “But we’re already seeing the benefits. The display looks tidier, cleaner, and more professional.”

Raven used Vusion, a company that specialises in ESLs, as it connects to his EPoS system, allowing him to gather more data than ever before. “It allows us to understand our shoppers’ buying habits, as well as cut down on staff time updating price tickets manually,” he says.

Building an impactful display doesn’t always need to be a big show of posters, banners, and shelf-edge barkers, even the simplest of changes can help a shelf stand out. Don’t forget the basics, such as bringing items to the front of shelves and double facing bestsellers to minimise the risk of gaps.

Theatre goes beyond your four walls

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One area where challenger brands are particularly great at supporting retailers is in digital marketing.

“In-store theatre is great for when customers visit your store, but you need to entice them in store to buy that product and witness your displays,” explains Singh.

“Our creativity is important to us, and the right digital assets help us deliver that creativity.”

In his work with suppliers, Singh always asks for digital assets which, he says, challenger brands are always responsive to. When building your displays or reaching out to suppliers, see if they have anything readymade for you to use.

Videos and reels are also a great way to drive engagement – and a more unique concept than a post. Video your display and add three good things about the product, like ‘it’s new’, or ‘on sale now’ or its price. You can also monitor current TikTok trends and reflect these with your displays.

Your displays are your store’s personality, so why do the same as everyone else? Stores that create impactful displays around brands that customers aren’t used to seeing every day can position their store as an exciting source of new and interesting products, capable of meeting a board range of needs.

Get in touch to find out how we can help you alongside our network of brand partners.


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