How Product Facing Retail Displays Encourage Social Distancing in Stores
According to a recent survey, sixty percent of customers reported experiencing anxiety in stores due to conditions surrounding COVID-19 precautions, specifically whether retailers were able to ensure the risk of infection was sufficiently minimal within their stores.
In the interest of containing the virus and restoring consumer confidence, it is in the best interest of retailers to install effective social distancing measures to reduce human contact and the possibility of the transfer of germs.
While many retailers have already adopted crowd control and PPE into their stores, one potentially overlooked area is the manual labor associated with upkeeping retail shelves within a store. Supply chains are stressed. Essential items are in high demand. Retailers are already using overnight downtime to re-stock items and sterilize shelves in a departure from their typical 24/7 shopping policies pre-COVID-19. The CDC has recognized that hands come into contact with several surfaces throughout the day, which could result in viral transmission; studies suggest that SARS-CoV-2 can remain on surfaces for up to 3 days.
Maintaining an organized display area is essential for customers to locate the items they need (quickly) and instill confidence in their retailers again. But is the periodic upkeep of these shelves worth the risk? Relying on store associates to organize and face merchandise throughout the day drastically increases the number of people coming into contact with store items and increases the chances of spreading infection.
Product Facing Retail Displays could be a crucial solution to this problem. They come in a variety of forms and can be integrated into almost any area of retail. Instead of waiting for store associates to organize product, Product Facing Retail Displays rely on gravity-feed or spring-fed pushers to automatically bring product toward the front of the shelf as each item is shopped—no need for store associate interaction. Plus, having more organized merchandise reduces shoppers' chance to touch products they do not intend to buy.
The current reality is that consumers are hesitant to buy. Store aisles crowded with stockers or disorganized merchandise on shelves may cause them to purchase those items elsewhere.
Product Facing and Self-Facing Shelf Merchandising Systems for retail shelf management
siffron's product facing and retail shelf management systems help you to save time and money while increasing sales and enhancing your brand image. Auto-faced shelves deliver a solid and accelerated return on your merchandising investment through:
- • Maximized shelf space
- • Improved category management
- • Reduced labor costs
- • Enhanced accessibility
