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Why Gravity Feed Racks are an Effective Merchandising Solution for Your Store

October 15, 2019

Gravity Feed Racks are an Effective Merchandising Solution

Gravity Feed Racks are an Effective Merchandising Solution. Retail locations have a need for a variety of display fixtures. This is especially true for convenience stores that feature a range of products that need to be easily accessible for shoppers who are looking for a quick in and out experience. When considering the different display options, you’re likely to come across a merchandising solution called gravity feed racks . Let’s learn more about the design and function of gravity feed racks and how they can enhance the customer experience in your store. 

What Are Gravity Feed Racks?

Gravity feed racks are merchandising units that feature sloped shelving. As a customer removes an item from a gravity feed rack, the merchandise behind it naturally falls forward and fills the vacant spot. The design and flow of the unit allows gravity to bring products forward without the need to constantly re-merchandise the shelving.

Advantages of Gravity Feed Racks

Gravity feed racks work best for fast moving merchandise that glides along easily with the flow of the gravity fed unit. Think along the lines of soft drinks or convenience snacks. These units are less effective for “soft” merchandise without rigid, smooth packaging.

For the right merchandise, gravity feed racks provide numerous benefits. This type of display option is ideal for merchandise that should be sold by date. Gravity feed racks make it difficult for the customer to grab an item from further back on the shelving unit and encourages them to instead take the item in front. This is very adventitious for merchandise that includes short term expiration dates, such as dairy products.

Gravity feed racks also help to streamline your merchandising efforts. In busy retail locations, employees don’t have the luxury of constantly being able to roam the aisles, pull merchandise forward or stock shelves. Gravity feed racks ensure that your shelves look full and that product is well represented, even when the flow of business prevents you from spending time in the aisles.

Gravity feed racks are also easy for the customer to shop. It’s frustrating for customers to see a product in the back of a shelf and not be able to reach it. It also presents a liability issue for your business if that customer attempts to climb on the rack to reach the merchandise. Gravity feed racks keep your merchandise accessible and prevent dangerous accidents from occurring in your store.

What to Look for In Gravity Feed Merchandising Solutions

Gravity feed racks are almost always appropriate for retail locations like grocery and convenience stores. A well-designed gravity feed rack is a space saving merchandising solution that also provides high density storage and reduces the time spent on merchandising your store. A quality gravity feed rack should be constructed of durable materials that allow for merchandise to flow smoothly into position.

The type of product being merchandised should be taken into consideration when choosing your gravity feed racks. Ideally, your racks should be designed specifically to hold merchandise of specific size and weight. For instance, you’ll need a larger, more durable rack if you want to merchandise larger, 2-liter soft drink bottles.

Learn More About Gravity Feed Racks for Your Retail Location

If you’d like to learn more about how gravity feed racks can enhance the merchandising of your retail location, PFI can help. We offer a full range of custom and pre-built merchandising solutions, including gravity feed racks to meet the merchandising demands of your store. Contact PFI today to learn more.

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Point-of-purchase displays and merchandising solutions are not just functional tools; they are an extension of your brand’s identity.
December 26, 2024
Successful POS Design Pushes Traditional Marketing Strategies To Another Level. Point of Sale marketing in 2018 took traditional marketing methods – unique design, eye-catching presentation, effective branding with clear messaging, a clear tieback to existing consumer advertising, targeting emotional triggers, and an awareness of the shopper's journey – and pushed them to the limits of creativity. Studies in point-of-sale effectiveness showed that in 2016, properly leveraged marketing initiatives resulted in an average of 9.2% sales lift and that 40% of shoppers recalled the merchandising displays. As marketing has become more complex, these numbers have improved, and it’s been found that the most successful campaigns didn’t prioritize one method over any other but rather ensured each factor was leveraged to the fullest to maximize the impact of the overall strategy. Marketing is More than Matching Form to Function Across every industry and market segment, setting your brand apart from the competition is a fierce and driving force that informs every business decision. The process of marketing is no exception – companies everywhere have come to understand that customers can get whatever service you offer from a myriad of sources, so a successful marketing plan can usher consumers beyond any concerns of quality and focus their behavior on the one thing you can control: the journey they take in buying your product. Don’t Think Outside the Box, Leave the Box at Home Successful creative marketing approaches break down the boundaries around how consumers expect to consume and interact with your brand. Bold, compelling designs, larger-than-life displays, interactive or dynamic displays, and point-of-sale media that not only showcase the product but draw the user into the unique experience your brand has to offer. And don’t stick to only static floor installations. Explore shelf edging, ceiling-hung displays, or signage and displays for register counters. Approach your marketing without limitations on space and location, and open the door to all of the possible ways to engage consumers. Show and Tell with Clear Branding and Messaging While creativity is necessary, clarity is just as important. The last thing you want consumers to do is look at your POS branding and either not be able to tie your product to it, or worse, not understand the message you’re trying to get across. Your brand should be front and center, and the supporting messaging or call to action should cleverly play into your brand without straying too far afield. An energy drink display modeled after a refueling jet or a gas station is not only clever and engaging, but on-brand and appropriate. A display focused on your brand’s new chocolate bars combining imagery of clowns having a party on a yacht inviting consumers to dive in? Memorable, sure, but in none of the right ways. POS Displays are Breadcrumbs on the Trail Back to Your Brand A cohesive marketing campaign requires your point of sale materials to tie back to your overall brand image and message. As with the example above, great POS displays tell a story and paint a picture consistent with your brand presence across all mediums. Think about it from the perspective of the Apple aesthetic, where you can instantly recognize the sleek minimalistic design of an Apple product. Consumers should be able to see your branding anywhere – the store, online, on a billboard – and instantly recognize consistency in your messaging and presentation. Disrupt Routine with Emotion Let’s go back to the crucial element in marketing that successful campaigns take into account: the market is oversaturated, no matter the market niche to which you cater. All of the guidance discussed to this point is meaningless if you’re marketing department cannot embrace this one guiding principle: you’re not selling a product or service. You’re selling what it feels like to engage with your product or service. You’re honing in on the emotions and the place your product should hold in a consumer’s life. Your material must embody that aesthetic, that a lifestyle where your brand plays a role is the lifestyle they would prefer to anything else. Don’t Be Passive, Take Control of the Consumer Journey Building effective eye-catching, emotion-inducing POS displays for your product isn’t enough in the modern marketplace. Buying and shopping habits have shifted and more decision-making occurs before customers step foot into a brick-and-mortar retail space, requiring a marketing approach that places you squarely into the consumer journey. Engage digital throughout your marketing efforts – from targeted online advertisements that draw consumers to your brand to engaging and digital-savvy store installations that incorporate video and digital POS displays when consumers follow your advertising into the store and complete their journey to where your product is displayed. A Firm with a Successful Track Record in POS Design You want your product to stand out and make an emotional impact on consumers. You’ve created a solid branding and marketing plan, and need to find a solutions provider with a track record of success and the ability to bring your visions to life in ways that will draw consumers to your brand and maximize the return on your marketing initiative. Or maybe you’re a small business just starting and you could use some help in designing your marketing strategy to support your product. Whatever your needs might be, contact the award-winning team at Butler Merchandising Systems, LLC. today to collaborate on your next project.
By Butler MSI Team October 21, 2024
With online shopping growing rapidly, physical stores are under increasing pressure to stand out to the average consumer. Out of all the possible ways to differentiate yourself from your e-commerce competitors, visual merchandising is crucial in attracting foot traffic and driving sales.
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