Not only can merchandising your queue create a more profitable checkout line, it can also increase customer satisfaction by engaging customers while they wait. If you have the products to sell and a line to wait in, in-queue merchandising should be on your radar. Here are five queue merchandising essentials to get your checkout line ready for action:
1. Posts to outline the queue
Stanchions or posts are a queue’s best friend, serving as the “anchors” to a well-planned and organized queue. They establish the formation, space, and flow of your queue. When it comes to bringing merchandise into the mix, you’ll want stanchions that can accommodate merchandising panels, the next essential, described below.
2. Merchandising panels to form the line
Once your stanchions are in place, merchandising panels should easily fit within your queue structure and attach to your posts. Gridwalls, though they sound industrial, are actually lightweight and attach to two stanchions. They’re able to hold accessories like baskets, hooks, and shelves. Slatwalls are similar to gridwalls but offer a little more versatility because they also work with solid shelves and signage.
3. Accessories to display merchandise
Merchandise might be right in customers’ faces when they’re in the queue, but it must be presented in appealing, accessible ways. The goal should always be to keep merchandise organized, avoid clutter, and make it easy for customers to browse. Acrylic or wire bowls are an easy solution that attach to the top or sides of stanchions. They’re ideal for displaying smaller impulse items like hand sanitizers and lip balms. Hooks are multi-functional and work well for presenting everything from shirts on a hanger to luggage tags. Shelves are a good choice to neatly and securely hold boxed items.
4. Signage to inform and encourage sales
Though in-line merchandising is clearly up for grabs, some customers may need a little extra push to reach for one item over another. Including signage within the queue can help increase impulse purchases. Choose panel signage to identify products or point out their many uses. Or implement digital signage to demonstrate an item’s usefulness through a video or alternating photo stills.
5. Analytics to measure your results
If you’re bringing front-end merchandising to your waiting line, the only way to truly know how well it’s working is by tracking queue activity. An impulse merchandising analytics system provides the kind of insightful web-style analytics that can help you maximize impressions and optimize dwell times for increased impulse sales. You’ll be able to see what’s working and what could use a few tweaks. And that kind of information can make all the difference in your front-end strategy. Merchandising in the queue is a smart idea. Implementing it correctly is something else. Use these essentials to get started and refine as you go along. Need more tips? Download our Merchandising Analytics guide.
