The Benefits of Modular Retail Displays
Imagine a retail display that evolves with your brand, retail space, and customer preferences. Enter modular retail displays.
Unlike traditional, fixed retail displays, modular designs are flexible and customizable fixtures that can be reconfigured or expanded to accommodate different products or store layouts. Brands that offer multiple product lines marketed to various niche audiences find these types of displays particularly useful as their demographics span different interests and retailers.
Examples include sporting good brands with merchandise geared to different sports, consumer electronic brands with different types of devices, wearable tech brands, and many more.
Not only are modular systems a cost-effective way to launch a display program, but they offer versatility and brand alignment across channels. Here, we dive into the advantages of designing modular product displays.
Tailoring to Different Locations
As opposed to standard displays, modular retail displays can more easily meet the needs of specific locations, which is valuable when store footprints vary or when retailers want to emphasize or advertise specific genres of a brand’s product line.
Modular displays can be tailored to the retail space, product inventory, and placement requirements. Brands can use the same base structure across multiple retailers, regardless of product line, by simply changing graphics or adding a modular bracket, peg hook, or shelf.
Because brands can tailor these modular retail displays to the location and store specialty, they enhance shopper engagement because the unit is customized to the store’s customers’ interests – all without needing to build completely different displays for different product lines and stores. For example, if a brand manufactures sporting goods, the same modular design can easily showcase golf products at a specialty golf shop while promoting bike accessories at an outdoor recreation store.
Having a modular display is a great way to address a retailer’s consumer demographic that is unique to them. This allows the brand to garner production efficiencies when the displays are built.
Product and Parts Adaptability
Modular store displays are easy to adapt for different dealers based on the product portfolio they sell. For instance, if a display features media capabilities, such as a monitor, video content can be modified to fit the retailer or product assortment.
Another option is to use interchangeable graphics. Usually magnetic, these graphics can be switched out depending on the retailer, inventory, season, promotion, or similar.
The number of shelves, peg hooks, and brackets, used for individual modular retail displays, can also be unique, depending on the products being merchandised. This is useful when it comes time to change out or rearrange inventory.
Display maintenance is also made easy thanks to the use of standard parts across all displays. If a door breaks or a video monitor stops working, parts can easily be swapped out without needing to dispose of an entire display.
Brand Consistency
With so much adaptability, how can brands ensure a cohesiveness amongst their displays?
When it comes to branding, it’s important to have design consistency across all displays. This often looks like creating a homogenous main structure that has branding elements that can be duplicated when creating a smaller or larger alternative. Using the same substrates, lighting, colors, and common parts will tie the program together regardless of the retailer where the display is located.
So, while products, graphics, or display sizes may differ between retailers, the essence of the brand is still recognizable.
Cost Efficiency and ROI
Fortunately, modular displays deliver cost savings, too, in the form of lower production and design costs.
Because modular systems last longer in the field with frequent panel, product, and graphic updates, it reduces the need for production reruns or redesigns.
In addition, because each display has the same base structure, design time is reduced when creating new graphics or other updates. In the end, this delivers an increased ROI per display.
Speed and Flexibility
Modular displays adapt to new promotions or product launches quickly. That’s because graphics and products can be quickly swapped out on-site. This flexibility allows for rapid rollouts, meeting timelines for seasonal events or evolving brand campaigns.
Sustainability and Lifecycle Impact
Many questions surround the environmental impact of retail displays once a campaign is over. Modular systems offer environmental advantages over standard programs that turn over more frequently. The longer lifecycle of the base structure means less landfill and resource demand. Additionally, only replacing necessary components results in less waste.
Conclusion
For brands balancing multiple product lines, retail sites, and campaign cycles, modular retail displays are a smart investment. They offer the flexibility to adapt by location, product, or promotion without reinventing the wheel every time. That translates to lower costs, faster rollouts, and a more cohesive brand experience at scale.
They also carry long-term value. By extending a display’s lifecycle and minimizing waste, modular systems support sustainability goals while maximizing ROI.
If you’re looking for a retail display strategy that scales efficiently, it’s time to consider a modular design.
Learn how leading sports protection brand Shock Doctor benefit from modular retail displays to streamline merchandising across diverse store layouts. Read the case study.