Posted in Permanent Displays,Retail Spaces,Retail Trends
You enter a bookstore and find a coffee shop conveniently tucked inside. While visiting a local electronics retailer, you find a display dedicated to your cell phone brand. You even find a full display of your favorite designer clothing in the local department store. The store-within-a-store model is alive and well in retail. And it’s up-leveling brands in a crowded market.
Store-within-a-store, which is also referred to as shop-within-a-shop or even a vendor shop, involves designating displays or sections of a store to an outside retailer or brand. Perhaps one of the earliest versions of this concept was the integration of a pharmacy within a grocery store. However, modern-day models can be as simple as a singular display that is controlled by someone other than the owner of the physical storefront. Kohl's, for example, announced in December 2020 that it would add 850 Sephora shops to its stores by 2023.
The unique setups of store-within-a-store are most prevalent in retail, with 14 percent of retailers using the model, according to Business Model Navigator. However, the idea is also used in everything from consumer goods to fashion. When your brand lands a prized spot and the autonomy to create your own retail display, you gain several advantages. Primarily, traffic to the original retailer can potentially yield more sales for your brand, and your business can garner those sales without paying for a costly storefront.
What's the key to success with a store-within-a-store model? Utilizing the most effective retail display. Let's take a closer look at the attributes of the most effective displays for in-store brands.
1. Portrays Excellent Branding
You may be positioning your display in someone else's store, but your branding is still incredibly important. Make sure your display offers noteworthy branding attributes, including your company logo, affiliated color schemes, or even bits of your brand story. Remember, even if this display is offering merchandise purchased inside another retailer, you are still getting the opportunity to introduce your brand, which can be more memorable than the retailer itself. Check out the well-branded display below, which is an endcap fixture dress-out Team IDD created for Bushnell.
2. Highlights the Uniqueness of the Merchandise
Visual merchandising is a big deal in any retail space. Well-coordinated color schemes, focal points, strong use of empty space, and ample merchandise are all important features to offer. Your display needs to be eye-catching enough that any passerby can clearly see your offer is unique from run-of-the-mill merchandise filling the typical retailer shelving. Check out this display Team IDD designed for PureLuxe Pet Foods as an example.
3. Offers Ease of Restocking and Versatility
If you are like most brands, you have a series of in-store displays that you restock on a regular basis. The easier these displays are to refill, the simpler your life is as a vendor. You can simply stop in and fill shelves as needed without wrestling with display-mounted fixtures and flimsy signage. On the same note, your display needs to be versatile enough that you can do some basic reconfigurations as your product line changes. For example, a pegboard insert could allow for reconfiguring hooks for hanging merchandise of different sizes.
4. Contains and Displays Merchandise in an Organized Fashion
Organization is key to your in-store display design. For one, you are likely offering a collection of products in one contained display, so keeping those products laid out in a logical, easily scannable fashion is important. Two, if you have a display that a store employee may fill, the setup needs to be laid out in a logical enough fashion that it’s simple to know where an item goes.
Check out this display Team IDD designed and built for Lew's for use within Gander Mountain. The display houses everything from fishing rods to branded apparel with each item in a place of its own. The layout is easily scannable, and it is simple to track down the logical placement of an out-of-place item.
5. Provides a Stable, Well-Built Design
You never quite know what your store-within-a-store will go through once it’s installed. And, you definitely need a quality build the retailer is pleased to have as part of their overall store experience. Therefore, sticking with a durable build is important.
6. Is Easy to Move
The portability of your store-within-a-store display is also something to keep in mind when designing it. The display needs to be easy to disassemble, move, and transport to accommodate future adjustments to placement, whether the positioning is changing within a store or you are moving the display to a new store.
Invest in Store-within-a-Store Displays that Work for You
The retail landscape has consistently evolved throughout the decades to remain functional for modern society. The store-within-a-store model has become a popular way for retailers to maintain a strong foothold in spite of retail challenges. If your brand has landed a spot in a retail environment, reach out to us at InStore Design Display for help creating a next-level, custom display.
