Most of us have succumbed to the odd spontaneous spend when it comes to a cheeky chocolate bar. In fact, chocolate bars and sweets topped the list of items shoppers bought on impulse in 2018, according to a study into unplanned purchases by MyJar last year. The money-saving site also found that UK shoppers spent just under £200 on average per month on sweet treats, and were more likely to part with cash in-store rather than online.
One thing is clear; confectionery brands have a leg-up on point-of-purchase sales, but it doesn’t mean you should sit back and be complacent. Supercharge your sweet, sweet profits with these tried-and-tested shop display ideas:
1. Keep it cheap
You can have the most stunning products, perched on brilliantly-designed wooden shop display cabinets - but if the price isn’t right, they won’t sell. Confectionery products displayed close to tills should be able to be purchased with loose change alone - expensive products aren’t going to be bought on the fly. The cost you choose can go up or down depending on how well they sell, so constantly monitor sales in order to set your pricing sweet spot in the future.
2. Get creative with your confectionery
This is where the term ‘eye-candy’ really comes into play. Confectionery aisles have a tendency to rely on long rows of sweets for customers to pace up and down. Shake it up. The confectionery category at the POPAI Awards 2018 showcases some of the most brilliantly creative displays over the past year, including a giant Ferrero Rocher and a ‘Malteaster’ campervan. You don’t necessarily need far-out shapes and sizes for effective sales, though: other award-winners included a simple freestanding unit for a new Mars Wrigley product launch and smartly designed shelving unit selling Mini Egg bags. The latter was successful due to its durability; it was able to withstand long periods of storage and was easy to transport and setup in store. It’s this versatility and quality that we pride ourselves on at Admiral Display - our innovative, bespoke wooden shop shelving units deliver results for even the most challenging retail briefs.
3. Be crystal clear
Your target customer might have had a day from hell. They may be tired, a bit moody, and can’t be bothered to navigate a complicated store. Even deciding what to buy is hard work. So, make it easy for them. Make sure the branding on your wooden shop shelving units can easily be read from afar, is immediately recognisable and doesn’t need its selling points explaining in detail. Prices should be easy to read. Don’t jeopardise any chances of willpower coming into play.
4. Bring out the bargains
70% of those surveyed in the MyJar impulse buying survey said they were more likely to make an unplanned purchase when a product was on offer. Promotions will always grab shoppers’ attention, whether it’s a BOGOF bargain or a seasonal sale.
5. Be a handy reminder
Never underestimate the power of a day-to-day item. Often, it’s not until shoppers physically see an item that they remember they need it. Take chewing gum for example - no one is going to put it on top of their shopping list. But if they get to the till and spy it on the shelves as they wait for the next available cashier, they’re more likely to throw a packet in their basket.
6. Trigger a sense of urgency
One of the most vital purposes of signage on our wooden shop shelving units is to spur customers into a super-fast, no-thinking-required decision. Creating a time-limited offer is an effective way to do this. No one wants to regret leaving a product behind once they leave the store, so give them something they can’t refuse.
7. Harness seasonal snacking
And not just the obvious seasons. There are marketing calendars galore on the web which detail the far-flung list of significant dates to come. Whether it’s seven-day sale on gluten-free snacks to celebrate Coeliac Awareness Week or the release of a dreamy new chocolate just in time for Valentine’s Day, creating a brilliant display for a special event can do wonders for sales. Read our point-of-sale strategy guide to see an award-winning example of Christmas confectionery sales by Pringles in 2018.
8. Place confectionery with similar attributes together
The way you fill up your wooden shop shelving units is crucial to sales. For example, placing all of the vegan chocolate on one shelf will make it easy for anyone who doesn’t eat animal products to browse a wider range of products relevant to them, without putting too much thought into it.
9. Think about different customer needs
The range of confectionery you sell doesn’t just factor in what’s inside. As well as ingredients, there are three types of customers to consider: those who are grabbing a bar of chocolate to treat themselves, those who are buying a big-eat bar to share, or those who are buying a beautiful box as a gift. Having all of these on display can help drive wider sales.
10. Bestsellers to the front, please
Make sure you show off your top-selling products in the very first spot customers see as they walk in. American confectionery company Hershey's did this well when they created this ‘store within a store’ in the area with the highest in-store footfall - right at the front and right next to the tills. The circular display units also make shopping for sweets a more convenient and memorable experience.
Visual merchandising goes far beyond setting up wooden shop shelving units. The creation of these point-of-sale displays needs to be strategically planned from design to store placement. From the colours you use to the exact spot you place products, our qualified team will work with you to create wooden shop display cabinets that genuinely improve sales, every step of the way. Get in touch to see how we can help your confectionery business make the most of those ‘sweet treat’ impulses.