Merchandising Your Point of Sale Area… To Make Money

Have you ever thought about those valuable minutes when a customer is standing in front of you ready to make a purchase? There are many ways to view this scenario. You can be grateful, happy and excited that you are making a sale. Who doesn’t like that? But you can also still be in “sales” mode without being so pushy that it’s a turnoff. Of course, you can also be both.

When a customer has decided they are going to buy something and are now in line or actually at the point of sale for checkout, this is a great opportunity to increase your chance of gaining even MORE sales. The key is in both your communication and in your products for display at your point of purchase area. Let’s break this down a bit.

From a very basic perspective, there are three ways a store can communicate to their customers at the point of sale area.

1. Store Staff Communication

2. Store Signage

3. Store Product Displays

Using each of these to help balance each other, customers should feel intrigued by what your point of sale area offers. For example, possibly your displays feature products that are a bit unexpected and encourage touch, therefore creating a customer experience. Maybe you share store news through a sign, such as a loyalty program you offer for repeat customers. Or it may be as simple as your store staff – or you – sharing news of an upcoming event taking place in your store. All of these scenarios continue a sales opportunity that can create an immediate add-on sale or a future visit for a new sale to take place. The goal of your point of sale area, however, should to maximize these opportunities with every purchase being made.

Now imagine if for every purchase decision a customer makes, you increase their total dollars spent by another $5? You may not think $5 is a lot, but consider how many total purchases are made in your store each month. If you process even just 100 transactions a month, that is another $500 you can add to your store sales. For some of you, that may even cover your utilities or help contribute to some operational overhead that adds up. Now of course, not all customers will spend more money. That’s just the way it is. But for a strong majority of customers, the right product mix with the right merchandising displays with the right sales support can easily translate to additional sales.

So now what?

Consider what your customers:

1. Get excited about

2. What they need

3. Who they love

These three factors will trigger their additional, impulse buying decisions. Even if you don’t cater to kids, for example, if you sell to grandmothers who love their grandkids dearly (don’t they all) then consider what you can offer that is a surprising, novelty item that is inexpensive enough for them to add onto their sale. Whomever your customer is, identify what little things they love to get “just because”. And don’t forget about good, old-fashioned essentials. Bottles of water, snacks, hand sanitizer, Kleenex. These may not scream fun, but they sure do scream “need”.

Finally, don’t lack on your signage at your cash-wrap area. Use frames to highlight store gift cards, loyalty programs, special events and more. While you may be busy packing a bag, your customer can still engage in store news. The power of signage is huge. But utlimately, strong customer support from a great sales team will help strengthen any store sales – from your point of sale or at any other point in your customer’s shopping experience. Invest in your team to invest in your store.

Want a few more tips? Check out one of Retail Minded’s most popular blogs about how to Maximize Sales During Customer Check-Outs! 

Want to gain even more support for your store? Subscribe to Retail Minded Magazine – the nation’s ONLY retail lifestyle publication that supports indie retailers both in and out of their stores!