To this end the physical identity of our supermarkets is evolving as the products within them evolve. This has led to diversity in our display methods allowing us to prioritise and promote certain products over other products. Simple things like having two columns of aisles rather than one has doubled the end of aisle space within the store. By their very nature of being at the end of the aisle they attract a greater amount of attention from the customer. By observing customers in our supermarkets it is clear that customer behave in certain ways and respond to certain stimuli. It is perhaps common sense that after walking the length of an aisle that you will check out the end of the aisle as you walk around to head back down the next aisle. It is also common sense that products displayed at eye level attract more attention and are more easily found by our customers. This does not just apply to adults, by placing products that appeal to children at a level that they can see them it is clear that they are more likely to ask their parents to buy these goods. It has also been identified that many customers when searching for products look ahead but also the side of the supermarket that they are travelling too. This leads to blind spots around the end of aisles which customers pay less attention too than normal displays. It is also important when bringing new products into our stores to locate them correctly against competing products. Customers wish to see the range of products we provide and these need to be displayed consistently across the store. Premium brands should be clear that they are premium brands as should value brands. This can be taken as arranging premium brands at eye level, mass market brands a little lower and value brands t the bottom of the shelves.
As well as the location of a display, size matters. At the entrance we can have large simple promotions that draw lots of attention as the customer enters the store. However there are only so many promotions than we can fit into the entrance without obstructing it. Promotions can be held throughout the store; indeed the extra end of isle space enables more room for promotional offers. In the aisles themselves promotions can be displayed using a variety of tags and signs that can be hung from the shelves, the ceilings or can be displayed on the product themselves. Again it is clear that the size of any display as well as its location has a large impact on the effect of the promotion. It is common sense that a promotion on chicken should take place at or before the meat aisle. If a customer has done their meat shopping and have moved on they are far less likely to take advantage of a promotional offer. It is also clear that sales are affected by the size of the promotion. A simple promotion for beer advertised at the front of the store will do extremely good business on a hot summers day, if however the promotion was displayed on the shelves in the beer section the customer would have to be looking for a promotion on beer specifically to find it.
It is also important to take a very practical approach to promotions on offers. Promotions that mean a product will sell quickly means that the shelves will need to be replenished more often, perhaps during peak times. This causes an issue as from a business perspective we need to ensure the shelves are stocked if we want to sell the product, but from a customer perspective staff stacking shelves gets in the way and can interrupt their shopping experience. For this reason it is a consideration on large promotions that are likely to have a high turnover that they should be in parts of the store that are easily accessible to our staff to replenish stocks without obstructing the customer. This prioritisation of promotional products inevitably leads to products and displays moving. Rather than thinking of our stores as fixed buildings with fixed customers selling fixed products displayed in fixed locations it is worth thinking that the whole of the store is fluid. It is in a location convenient for our customers, if this changes the location of the store if we wish to remain successful will have to change. This thinking applies right down to the smallest display.
Further to these display considerations it is imperative that we strive to maintain our brand identity. The shopping experience for our customers should be a smooth and pleasant journey slowly guiding them around every aisle and every promotion. To achieve this we must ensure consistency in the way we display and promote things around the store. Promotions should be clear and attractive to the customer but should not obstruct the customer. We are currently achieving this by making many aesthetic choices around our stores; these include lighting, colours, smells, posters sizes, text fonts etc. As previously stated a big simple offer at the front door should tempt customers into the store whilst reinforcing the perception of value. Immediately behind this we generally display our fruit and vegetable section under soft lighting. The colours of the fruit and the stringent homogenous standards that we apply in quality control ensure that are customers are greeted into the store with a wholesome, traditional section offering the more adventurous in the kitchen the very basic ingredients to any meal. Products likely to appeal to pedestrians and businessmen looking for a quick lunch are placed off to one side to avoid lunchtime congestion throughout the store. These products generally include newspapers, magazines, packaged sandwiches and bottled soft drinks.
