Display Fixtures Display Fixtures Set The Stage For Product Sales
Every product deserves a masterful stage on which it can showcase its beauty and functionality. Display fixtures deliver the additional touch needed to lift products from the floor to shining in the customer’s line of sight—a transition that almost always ends at the register. Dazzling the crowd of customers is as easy as raising the curtain on fabulous products with a center-stage view thanks to display fixtures.
As various as the merchandise are the display structures on which the products sit, stand, lay, or hang. Setting the stage in your store is as easy as finding the right display fixture with the following guide.
Guide To Display Fixtures
A Frame—any display or rigid structure formed in the shape of an A or inverted to form a V. Common examples of A-frame supports are ladders and saw horses.
Accessories—those things such as nuts, bolts, complex hooks, magnets, and wheels that help form a display fixture or lend to its functionality.
Bakers Rack—typically large metal fixtures with shelves used in the cooling of baked goods. The metal absorbs heat quickly allowing the heat to move from the bowls and pans to the shelves. Modern adaptations have been fitted for other uses not pertaining to cooling such as the storing of wine bottles.
Balloon—fixtures used to hold in place a group of inflated balloons or to display the types of different Mylar balloons for sale and their signage.
Barrels—typically wood, plastic, or aluminum drums made for storing food, grain, liquor and other drinks requiring fermentation, fish, and other products. Barrels are usually easy to store and the round convex shape makes rolling an easy form of transportation.
Basket display—usually mesh wire arranged into a basket shape for the storage and mass display of products with unusual shapes, sale items and more. Basket displays may also refer to any display with a basket shape—enclosed sides, complete bottom, no top—and can be made of wood, plastic, metal wire and more. Shopping carts use the basket form also.
Bins—much like a basket, bins are typically enclosed units for the storage or mass display of products with unusual shapes. Bins can also be made of several materials ranging from wood to plastics and appearing in several different sizes. Bins are common displays of catch-all materials such as discounted candy, stuffed animals, ice and more. The main differences separating baskets and bins are that bins are usually larger and enclosed.
Carts—the most common carts are shopping carts which are baskets with wheels and handles for easy maneuvering. Carts may take the form of wheelbarrows, shopping carts, or large displays on wheels for easier removal once the products have sold through. Carts are most commonly used as displays when the display itself needs to be easily rearranged or moved.
Clothing—displays including wire racks for showcasing clothes on hangers, hangers themselves, or large shelves and tables for folded clothes and signage.
Collapsible Arch—a large arch usually created by bending two or more pieces of metal or plastic into half-circle or horseshoe shapes. Small rods or ties support the beams and hold each an equal length apart. Arches are popular for wedding and bridal displays, decorating the entrance to a particular section of a store, and other creative needs.
Columns—pedestals distinguished by a large shaft, a base, and a flat top known as a capital. Columns originally were used rather than walls as support systems though now may be used as decoration only. Capitals are decorated in four basic patterns called orders: Ionic, Doric, Corinthian, and Tuscan or Roman Doric.
- Ionic patterns are fluted throughout the shaft which means that decorative grooves run the length of the shaft. The capital of ionic columns resembles scrolls at the four points and therefore are usually associated with academic buildings.
- Doric columns are almost always fluted but rarely have a pronounced base or capital. These are considered the more masculine columns and can be found at the base of the Parthenon and Colosseum.
- The Corinthian order is known as the more feminine of orders because of the floral capitals and less load-bearing qualities in its placement at the Colosseum.
- Tuscan order columns are almost never fluted while the base and capital are made up of discs of continually decreasing diameter.
Coolers—special fixtures resembling cabinets or armoires that are used for storing flowers, food, and other goods requiring a specific cool temperature. Coolers are available for a variety of temperatures and uses such as high humidity and low wind movement for floral storage or high wind movement and low humidity for many foods.
Counters—used to display point of purchase registers and other hardware or products requiring special attention such as candy, small displays of DVDs, novelty items, jewelry, and more.
Crates—wooden or plastic boxes used for stacking, storing, and shipping a range of merchandise. For some merchandise such as tools or eggs, crates are a valuable alternative to baskets and bins.
Decorator Cubes—a unique type of pedestal that can be stacked to form small steps as in a riser. These cubes add a very contemporary design to displays of flowers, gift baskets, home accessories and more.
Easels—stands for supporting artwork and similar projects. Three types of easels are common including field, studio, and display easels. Field studios are generally small with tiny or collapsible legs. Studio easels are those typical in an artist’s studio and should be larger with greater stability. Display easels exist to showcase the finished projects with little concern for the stability required in a studio and more emphasis placed on highlighting the piece that it supports.
End Caps—refers to the display sections attached to the end of an aisle. These displays hold immense value to the advertiser as a customer uses more than twice the time to walk around the display as to walk by the same units on a shelf. End caps may be large and detailed or limited to a large custom rack for displaying popular items and signage.
Étagčre—stacked shelves used for displaying various items such as knickknacks. Usually built for corner displays, French builders created ornate versions of these pieces extensively during the 1700s.
Fabric—fabric displays may include rods over which display fabrics are draped, shelves for holding and separating reams of fabric, or clothing racks.
Finials—the decorative end used to “top” rods or beams. Finials may be used to add a decorative touch to the tops of clothing racks, accentuate rods that hold curtains on display in a bedding store, match the décor of a sitting room curtain rod and curtains, or in some instances hold signage on a display unit.
Floor Stands—any piece designated for display on the sales floor. These may include etageres, tables, carts, baskets, bins and many other displays. Floor stands are usually easy to build and to remove as featured products change.
Floral—tables, stacked shelves, sliding shelves, and other creative floral displays used to showcase flowers in pots, bouquets, or vase arrangements.
Glass—enclosed cases used for showcasing merchandise usually of a higher value requiring less direct accessibility and a more elegant display. Jewelry, crystal figurines, fine china, and some electronic merchandise are better displayed behind glass.
Gondolas—a freestanding structure used for displaying retail merchandise such as greeting cards, magazines, office supplies, and more. Gondolas in large retail stores may be used for the display of holiday material, flower arrangements and other seasonal inventory.
Island—small stand-alone display used to draw greater attention to a product or to temporarily display a product off of the shelf. Examples of island displays are food sampling counters or tables filled with featured merchandise that are placed to divide a main aisle.
Jewelry—may include glass cases, etageres, small accessory boxes, stands in the shape of a neck for necklace and earring display and more.
Ladder Display—any structure that houses products in a stacked manner for showcasing. Ladder displays are popular for flower arrangements and other large products that require more space than would otherwise be received with side-by-side placement.
Mannequins—structures that bear some resemblance to a person, male or female, used most commonly to display clothing and jewelry.
Modular—independent displays composed of smaller products called modules that can be rotated as product selections change. DVDs and electronic merchandise are examples of products generally housed on modular displays with updated product replacing the dated product on the shelf while all others remain the same.
Open Front—usually shelves or cabinet arrangements without doors so that product is easily accessible.
Organizers—racks or dividers used to separate different types, colors, shapes, or sizes of the same product. Ribbon is an example of products needing organizers.
Pedestals—small columns used to raise product. Pedestals of various sizes may be arranged in the fashion of a ladder to add depth and dimension to displays of flowers, cookware and more.
Plant—racks with dedicated hooks or holders that secure the plant under the lip of the pot in which it is housed. Plant racks may include half racks, tree racks, poinsettia racks, pumpkin racks, full racks and canister racks. Tree racks are named for the Christmas tree shape that full displays present. Half racks and full racks refer to tree racks that fan out toward the bottom in the same manner but form only half of a tree for displays against a wall or full trees for sales floor showcasing.
Point of Purchase—displays of various shapes and sizes placed near the register for impulse purchases. Many novelty items favor this type of sales floor placement.
Revolving—tower displays that house product on two or more sides such as jewelry and sunglasses.
Risers—attached shelves of various sizes arranged in rising stepladder form. Like pedestals, risers add depth and dimension to product displays.
Self-Watering—usually electronic watering features designed to release a timed spray of water over fresh vegetables, flowers, and fruit displays.
Shadow boxes—wooden boxes used to create an entire frame around products that are too large for picture frames. War medals, patriotic flags, and heirloom memorabilia are commonly housed in shadow boxes for a beautiful and functional touch.
Stacking Tables—side tables and end tables designed for stacking one on top of another. This design makes storing the tables practical and decorative during large parties or events requiring greater space. Storing stacking tables in a store requires less sales floor real estate for a practical solution to offering home furnishings.
Towers—refers to structures used for displaying product on a column-shaped apparatus. This type of display may use pegs, hooks, shelves and other accessories to elevate product to an eye-level height. Towers are popular for product displays that require more attention than a basket or bin.
Wall Systems—grids or slats arranged for the displaying of merchandise along a wall.
Wine & Liquor—racks and shelves specifically shaped to hold wine bottles, decanters and other liquor containers. Wine racks are typically wires shaped to cup the bottle and angled downward to force the wine over the cork so that it remains moist. Liquor cabinets along with wine racks may come with refrigeration or dry.
Work Area—custom creations such as an artist’s workstation or a florist’s potting table. |
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