What compels a consumer to buy something? Do advertising materials really motivate consumers to purchase one item over another item?
You bet they do. One major study found that in-store and online advertisements influence nine out of 10 consumers. However, the same study reports that consumers trust printed ads and TV commercials (58 percent) much more than social media or online advertisements (42 percent).
Retail merchandising strips are one type of printed advertisement referred to in this study. Also called shelf strips, retail merchandising strips line the forward-facing edge of shelves that hold items for consumers to buy. These strips typically have the brand name of the item sitting directly above the strip, the individual price of the item, and the barcode. The most important information on a shelf strip is the item’s price. The price is what most consumers look at when deciding whether to purchase.
In addition to identifying items supported by shelving, retail merchandising strips are also used to identify the product name and price on a merchandise display rack. Placing items on a stand-alone product display in a retail store is a great way to attract attention to specific products. Labeling the display with engaging, customized merchandising strips further heightens the interest of consumers who shop because people like to buy stuff.
5 Top Benefits of Using Shelf Strips in Your Store
Provides Information of Interest to Consumers
Unless products are clearly priced, most consumers will move on to another similar product that is priced. Although most retail items are individually priced with tags or stickers, consumers want immediate information about the cost. In other words, they prefer seeing the price rather than picking up one product and looking for the price.
Retail merchandising strips can also be customized to include words that influence consumer behavior, such as “organic,” “reduced sodium,” or “gluten-free.” They also come in a variety of eye-catching, bright colors that catch the roaming eyes of consumers. The color of the printed information on shelf strips should contrast with the color of the strip to visually stimulate consumer interest.
Promotes Cross-Merchandising Marketing Strategies
Cross-merchandising involves placing two or more complementary products on one product display in a retail store. For example, an automotive parts store sells seat covers at a 40 percent discount. The store display is half filled with seat covers, while the other half is filled with other interior car accessories, such as steering wheel covers, floor mats, and seatbelts that are not on sale.
Shelf strips used for cross-merchandising purposes ensure consumers know how much all items cost while prompting them to consider buying other items that enhance the on-sale car seats. A couple of shelf strips could say something like, “Give your car the makeover it needs!” or “We’ve got what your car needs to look new again!”
Encourage Impulse Buying Throughout Your Store
Consumers know why store owners cram the short aisle leading to the checkout lane. Even though consumers are aware of this marketing technique called “impulse buying,” studies reveal that consumers readily give in to the urge to buy stuff they really don’t need.
Using retail merchandising strips called “clip” strips can also encourage consumers to buy on impulse as they walk through your store. Hanging clip strips of small products at the end of aisles using customized shelf strips to identify them is a proven method of compelling consumers to make last-minute purchases.
Cost-effective and Simple to Use
In addition to increasing sales, impulse buying, and overall revenue, retail merchandising strips are one of the most affordable forms of in-store advertising. While shelf strips seem modest compared to flashy digital signage, they pack a definite punch when influencing consumer behavior. Moreover, you won’t need to hire high-priced technicians to install shelf strips. They can be put in place, removed, or relocated to other areas of your store, and you don’t have to worry about them breaking.
Streamline the Process of Restocking and Taking Inventory
Products placed on retail merchandise strips from Tru-Vision allow store staff to instantly see if products need to be restocked. Taking inventory is also easier and more accurate when products are suspended on our strips. Instead of digging around on shelves and spending time gathering products from other areas of shelving, inventory takers simply inspect strips for missing products.
Order Customized Retail Merchandising Strips from Tru-Vision
Tru-Vision is one of the few plastic solutions companies offering retail store owners the ability to customize strips according to specifications. We provide a wide range of configurations, lengths, and accessories that perfectly accommodate all types of shelving units and product display racks. Whether your products are small, medium, large, or x-large, the adjustable clips and hooks accompanying your customized merchandising strips will integrate smoothly with display racks, shelves, and other advertising mediums.
Our vertically suspended merchandising strips are made to utilize as little space as possible without reducing the ability of consumers to see the products. Instead of cramming checkout aisles with items often in disarray at the end of the day, why not spread them out throughout the store with our merchandise strips? Consumers will get to focus on them individually instead of jumbled in with dozens of other items. There is also less risk of suffering revenue losses due to “urge shoplifting” by kids and teens.
Tru-Vision is the first choice of store owners who want effective, affordable, and flexible retail merchandising solutions without breaking their budget. Tru-Vision is famous for creating the best-selling Stic-N-Pic Adhesive retail merchandising strip system, including our patented Stic-N-Pic Adhesive Retail Merchandising Strip and Auto-Stic Machine.
Call Tru-Vision Plastics, Inc. today and learn more about taking your store to the next level with customized retail merchandising strips!