20 Unique Display Unit Examples for Your Retail Stores

Promotional display units help you draw focus to new merchandise, brand campaigns, bestsellers and special promotions. These hero products need their own dedicated display in order to stand out from other products and reel customers in.

Promotional displays can be tall, freestanding units dotted around your shop floor, or they can be custom countertop displays. 

Whichever you choose, ensure your display has an eye-catching colour scheme, a hard-to-miss focal point and a nice balance of products.

Freestanding display units (FSDUs) are quick to assemble, easy to move around, and a fun way to showcase a range of products. You can be as creative as you like here. The aim is to create a well-branded display that jumps out at customers and encourages their interaction.

For this cosmetics FSDU display, KSF Global coordinated the colour of the unit with the colour of the products for extra visual appeal. The unit was designed with four sides, allowing it to be appreciated from any angle, and the heart-shaped header features a mirror and a space to show off the main product. 

If you want to boost last-minute purchases, place a POS display near your retail counter. This leverages the mood of the customer – they’re already in the mood to buy when they’re approaching your retail counter, and therefore more likely to pick up something extra. 

For this dart display, KSF Global based the shape of the unit on the shape of a dart. This creates a unique display that is bound to turn heads, while also immediately telling customers about the products being offered. 

There are many ways you can get customers to interact with displays. In this example by KSF Global for Games Workshop, a gaming table was set up in the middle of the shop floor to invite customers to experience the merchandise, making them more likely to buy. 

You can also go digital. Interactive kiosks, for example, can be added to your retail displays to provide shoppers with more information about the products and allow them to look at your full range of merchandise. This improves customer engagement and creates a personalised experience.

Gondola displays are some of the most versatile units for retail shops. Available in a huge range of shapes, sizes and materials, with a variety of customisable accessories like shelves and hooks, they are a sound investment for any retail space.

There are several types of gondola shelving you can choose from, including large gondola islands as shown in this example, gondola towers and end displays, compact mid-aisle gondolas with lockable wheels and wall gondolas with vast shelving.

Display units can also be used to create experiential areas within your store. Shop-in-shop displays allow shoppers to handle and test products, which compels them to make a purchase.

Letting your customers have some hands-on fun with products is also a great way to stir excitement around new items, campaigns or special promotions.

If you want to upsell smaller items but lack shelf space, opt for a sidekick. These display units are simple, affordable and highly effective.

As they’re fixed to aisle shelves, sidekicks catch customers as they’re browsing. Ensure the products on your sidekick complement the products on nearby shelves so the display greets the customer as a natural recommendation.

Display cases are popular in retail shops because they play several roles. They can be used to protect high-value items, create an air of exclusivity around hero products, encourage customer interaction and present items that are designed to lay flat in an appealing way. 

There are three main types of display cases:

• Table cases, often seen in jewellery stores, provide a top-down view of items
• Wall display cases, ideal for spotlighting a selection of hero products
• Freestanding cases, guiding traffic flow and giving customers a 360 view of the merchandise

Shelving units are a must for retail stores. They organise your stock, maximise your floor space and can be customised in any number of ways to entice customers. 

Here are some examples of unique shelving display units:

• Wall-mounted shelves with atmospheric spotlights
• A bespoke shelving unit created from industrial pipework
• Sleek glass shelving with coloured LEDs
• Bespoke cabinetry with built-in shelf storage

If your shop has a vintage, boho aesthetic that you want to accentuate with unique pieces, reclaimed display units will fit right in.

Wooden spools stacked together to make display tables, upcycled pallets turned into hanging racks, or even old ladders leant against the wall for extra shelf space – these are all one-of-a-kind display unit examples that will make your products more alluring and your store more memorable.

Point-of-purchase displays should be placed in high-traffic areas of your store to promote new products and special offers. These are excellent sales boosters because they make merchandise feel transitory, which encourages more spontaneous purchases.

You can be as creative as you like with POP displays – the more eye-catching they are, the more sales you’ll make. Think about how you can reflect the personality of the product and enhance the customer’s experience of it. 

Encourage upsells by adding miniature display units to your retail counter. These should be well-branded, placed within easy reach of the customer, and be affordable enough to tempt the customer into making a quick purchase decision. 

If you need versatile display units that can be quickly reorganised to accommodate new products, look no further than slatwall units. These come with horizontal grooves that can be customised with hooks, shelves, faceouts and more. 

From slatwall gondolas and pinwheels to towers and FSDUs, these display units are available in a range of options. This gives you the flexibility to make creative displays that meet your exact needs. 

Mannequins and body forms are the ultimate display units for clothes, accessories and even tech gadgets like headphones. They make it easier for customers to see themselves wearing the merchandise while also showing how your products are really meant to look. 

You can use mannequins in many ways. Pose them dynamically to show off all angles of your garments. Use them to highlight body positivity and the diversity of your products. You could even use body forms like hands to hang jewellery in an interesting way.

Display tables add a sophisticated touch to any retail store. Capable of displaying a huge range of products, they invite customers to walk around the display and interact with all the various items. 

Choose a display table that communicates your brand’s personality. For example, rustic wood tables are perfect for cosy stores like Superdry, while for this Saks shoe shop, the ornate, light coloured display table was the right choice for the bright, modern atmosphere. 

Retail counters double as excellent display units. Placing products at your point of sale will encourage customers to speak with staff, attract them to your checkout space, and make them more likely to make a purchase. 

Make your counter as attractive as possible with:

• Lights that make it stand out from the rest of the store
• Built-in shelves to give you more merchandising options
• Bold signage that’s eye-catching and on-brand
• Mirrored panels that reflect other parts of the store

Display products that customers will want to handle, like scented candles or small items that require a closer look. Your retail counter is also a great place to display free samples and encourage upsells.

Making use of your vertical space with built-in wall display units has several benefits. It will improve traffic flow through your store, allow customers to see all your products at one glance, and make your shop feel fuller. 

Wall display unit examples include:

• Racks or shelves that line an entire wall
• Bespoke cabinetry with various compartments
• Floating shelves or display boxes
• Deep cubby holes with face-outs for storing clothing 

If you need a display unit that’s affordable, quick to set up, easy to move around and flexible enough to offer a range of display options, go for gridwall panels. 

These can turn any dead space on your wall into an attractive point of purchase. Alternatively, they can be affixed to L-legs and used as slimline FSDUs. 

Customise yours with a range of accessories to increase engagement and boost cross-sells.

Drive urgency for your products by implementing a moving display unit, like this dry cleaner-inspired clothing rail from Depop’s pop-up shop in London. 

As well as prompting quick purchase decisions, these types of display units inject your store with a bit of excitement and create a memorable experience for shoppers.

To make customers really desire a product, you need them to be able to visualise it in their life. Showcasing your merchandise in display units that mimic home-style furniture, like wardrobes, makes it easier for shoppers to envision the items in their home. 

These display unit examples also create a cosy, welcoming atmosphere in stores. As a result, customers will feel more comfortable and amenable as they browse.