Those of you who have read some of my postings before know that I am not a big proponent of end caps in independently owned stores. It’s not that I don’t think they work. When building an end cap is done properly and when they are properly maintained they certainly do. Rather it’s simply that many stores don’t use them correctly, in my opinion, and often don’t seem to have systems in place to change that.
So here are some tips for building an end cap.
- Carefully select the item(s) that you’re going to feature. One item per end cap works best, but in smaller stores we may have already created a problem so if you must, select a central theme that you can feature instead of a single item.
- New items work great! Seasonally specific items are good too. Remember that an end cap should help your store establish a price image. So make sure that you’re aware of what your competition is doing with pricing on the items you’ve elected to feature and then price competitively.
- Remember in keeping with the pricing image that I just mentioned that it is a good idea to select lower ticket items for your end caps. If you have a $200 item that you feel is a good buy for your customers it’s still $200. You would probably communicate a more competitive pricing image with a $4.98 item.
- Merchandise the end cap so that the feature looks full. You’re trying to communicate to your customer that you’ve purchased a quantity of this item to bring them special pricing. Therefore merchandise the shelves close together or if it’s items that are hanging from peg hooks arrange them close together too. Remember you’re not selling pegboard or slat wall so cover it up. Use shorter hooks or narrower shelves to make the end cap look fuller.
- Once you’ve got your masterpiece set, it looks good, straight and full, sign it! Get price signs displayed prominently. You’re proud of your display and the price that you made available to your customers so show that through your communicative signs.
Building an end cap is not rocket science or brain surgery, but building a good end cap can go a long way in helping you to make your store more successful.
