5 Ideas for High Profit Grocery and C-store Produce Displays

Even if you have the busiest grocery or convenience store, you will likely notice that some of your produce displays do not turn quickly. Various factors can cause this; for instance, you may have misallocated the space provided or you have too much space for the display. Although it may not raise an alarm when you deal with hard items such as potatoes, winter squash, watermelons, or onions, highly perishable items such as berries and tomatoes must be turned several times daily to keep them fresh.

If you keep only one or two layers on display, the produce is likely to remain fresher than if you pile many layers on top of each other. However, your potential customers may shy away as they will think you lack selection or are not a volume produce retailer. So the perception of not having enough produce may bring down your sales.

Your goal should be to make your produce displays look full while using as few products as possible. One of the best ways to achieve this result is by dummying up the displays. With this process, you replace products with a false bottom that is made of a low-priced material. You will be able to have a display which seems full and appealing to customers and it will help in keeping your displays looking freshly stocked. In addition, it will be easier to restock and rotate as it helps you turn your products more easily and quickly. As a result, you will maximize your sales and reduce inventory losses at the same time!

By dummying up your displays, you can make a three-layer high display look like an overflowing, 16-case display. The dummies will make it appear much larger than it is, thus appealing to many customers.

Here is a tip: Use the original produce boxes and cartons for your dummy display. They build a nice false base as they make the customers confident in your fresh produce. You may trim the inner box and turn it upside down such that you can arrange the first layer of real fruits near the top of the box. The end result is that what looks like a 16-case display is actually only 8-cases sitting on dummied up produce cartons.

1. Try to make your produce displays look twice as big as they really are

You should take product rotation and shrink into consideration when dummying up your display. By doing so, your display will remain full every time. For instance, you may use a base of 10 cartons to form the foundation of your display and pile another 10 cases of tangerines on top to complete the display. The display will look like 20 cases but it's actually only half that. This gives the impression of volume to your shoppers.

2. Dummy Up the Base

If you want to create a bulk display, you may want to build a base with materials like inverted crates, foam, and crushed paper. Anything that can create a foundation that will help you minimize the amount of actual grocery on the display will be okay. You can even cut and turn the shipping cartons upside down to ensure that you do not put any product at the base of your display.

3. Display Produce in Two or Three Layers Only

Remember to embrace the typical FIFO routine that encourages placing new stock at the bottom and rotating older products on top in order to fill your display to an appropriate height. However, do not stack delicate items more than two layers deep, as they may deform or break. The secret behind a proper display is to make it appeal to clients while using fewer products.

4. Rotate Produce Frequently

Your products are likely to keep fresh and sell quickly when you use dummied display. It’s best to keep the display looking full, as it captures the attention of potential customers, thus improving your sales. You need to rotate with each stocking trip to keep your produce fresh. Since you are using dummied display, it will thankfully require less labor because you will be dealing with a shallow base.

5. Keep Produce Display Looking Fresh

You should keep your dummy cartons new as often as possible. Replace the old and torn boxes with new ones to give your display a fresh-out-of-the-box feel. To make your display more attractive, try to use cartons of same design or color. You should arrange them tightly on the same level or in a creative pattern with labels facing the same direction. You should attach merchandising signs and price tags. Also, remember to keep bags handy.