Feature Areas Meaning, Types; Windows, Entrances, Freestanding Displays, End Caps, Promotional Aisles, Walls, Dressing Rooms, Cash Wraps

The feature areas of your store are the areas of you store that draw attention. Place the right items at key locations and you will most likely see an increase in sales. It’s not just the front display of your store that’s a feature area; there are many ideal spots inside your store.

Locations

The first feature area in your retail store is your entrance area (typically the first 5 to 15 feet of your store). This includes your window displays and what you have at your door. It is in this area that people decompress and switch their thought process from the outside world to the world you’ve created within your store. It is here that customers decide whether your store is worthy of their time, if it’s expensive or not, and what kind of atmosphere you have. If they like what they see and feel, then they’ll venture further. Because the entrance area is where your customers decompress, it is not the best place to put products that you want your customers to focus on…this comes later.

The next feature area is to the right of the entrance area. In the United States, 90 percent of customers will typically look to the right after they’ve decompressed at the entrance. All of this takes seconds, so your feature areas really need to make the right statement and impact. Your wall to the right is often called your ‘power wall,’ as this is the feature area where you give your customers the best impression of your products. Think carefully and highlight key products in this area. You want this area to attract your customers, and in turn create the need to see more.

The next feature area is your aisles/pathway. Place your aisles, tables, and other furnishings in a way as to create a path and flow for your customers. A path allows the customer’s eye to travel throughout your store and it also prompts the customer to walk in certain directions. You can create a flow that is circular or you can group your product displays to allow for free movement. An example of a path is a grocery store that places highly desirable items at the back of the store. This layout makes customers walk through the whole store to get what they want.

Windows

• Can be an important component of the store layout.
• Window displays can help draw customers into the store.

Provide a visual message about:

• The type of merchandise offered in the store.
• the type of image the store wishes to portray.
• Should be tied to the merchandise and other displays in the store

Entrances

• Often referred to as the “decompression zone”.
• Customers are adjusting to the new environment.

Freestanding Displays

Fixtures or mannequins located on aisles designed primarily to attract customers attention and bring them into a department.

End Caps

Displays located at the end of an aisle. Retailers use end caps to display:

• Seasonal
• Temporary
• Promotional Items
• High-Margin Items

Promotional Aisles

A space used to display merchandise that is being promoted. Some stores that use promotional aisles or areas include:

• Walgreens
• CVS
• The Gap

Walls

• Retail floor space is limited.
• Merchandise can be stored on shelving and racks and coordinated with displays, photographs, or graphics featuring the merchandise.

Dressing Rooms

Crucial space in which customers decide whether to make a purchase. Fitting Rooms must be:

• Large
• Clean
• Comfortable

Cash Wraps

Also known as point-of-purchase (POP) counters or checkout areas. Used to display impulse items. Discount and extreme value retailers and category specialists use centralized checkouts at the front of their stores. Department stores have traditionally placed cash wraps off the main aisle within each department