Boost your retail sales and help your clients find what they’re looking for by updating your retail area. These four strategies make it easy to freshen your space for the upcoming holiday season.

Shelving

Shelving is the most important factor in keeping your retail space neat and orderly. Not enough shelving space creates overcrowding and makes things difficult to find, while too much shelving can lead to wasted space. The type of shelves you use also create atmosphere for your store. Glass lends to an expensive, upscale aura, and wood to a homey atmosphere, while plastic or metal lends to a more economical or warehouse-type feel.

Setting up the space

Marketing research shows the majority of people turn to the right when entering a store—use this to your advantage. Higher-priced items can be placed to the right with lower priced items to the left. Or if you have an over abundance of an item you are trying to push, set up a display on the right side of your retail area. Marketing research also shows that people tend to look at eye level than up above or down below. Top and bottom shelves can be used to neatly organize overstock. Keep your main product supply where the customer can easily see it.

Things to avoid

- Shelves should not be empty.
- Shelves should not be overcrowded.
- Shelves should be at equal heights, although they may be staggered to create a different look. Don't put shelves to close on top of one another to make removing and placing product difficult.

Decorate!

Be creative! You can create pretty displays on your shelves by the way you arrange the product. Group coordinating items together. Use tissue paper, ribbon, confetti and other items to decorate the shelves giving them a more appealing look. This works incredibly well with glass shelves. Use decorations in your shelving displays that go along with the seasons of the year, holidays or other events related to the area you live in.

Information courtesy of www.essortment.com.

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