20 Unique Merchandise Display Examples for Your Retail Stores

Freestanding display units (FSDUs) make it easy to promote hero products and boost sales. You can customise them easily to reflect your products and drive visual interest.

FSDUs are lightweight and quick to assemble. Available in a range of sizes and materials, from promotional stands to wooden shoe display units to metal retail fixtures. They offer a low total project cost and the flexibility to accommodate any seasonal or brand campaign.

Using smart merchandise displays that can be branded and re-branded for promotions or seasonal changes is a cost-effective and sustainable method for showcasing your products.

Opting for modular and movable displays is an excellent choice since they provide the flexibility needed to adapt to changes in your store’s layout or effectively promote specific items.

Display plinths are perfect for spotlighting premium products. Singling out a hero product, raises the air of exclusivity, while the elevation puts it within easy reach of the customer.

In this Mulberry showroom example, KSF Global designed the display plinths to highlight their luxury bag and purse collection. These displays were also paired with soft overhead lighting to really make them stand out.

Display plinths can also breathe new life into products that are hard to sell. They do this by presenting them in a high-profile way, increasing the customer’s perceived value of the item.

Your countertop is the perfect place to display merchandise because it takes advantage of the customer’s mood to buy. Countertop displays come in many forms, from mini accessory stands to built-in display racks. 

Whatever the type, make them well-branded, attention-grabbing, and stocked with affordable items that customers can justify adding to their order.

Alternatively, use your countertop display to showcase premium products that are new or on sale, like this watch display KSF Global created for Barbour. This boasts a sleek design with clear branding, allows customers to view the product intimately, and prompts them to engage with your sales staff for more information.

Interactive retail displays allow customers to experience the product and increase the likelihood of them making a purchase. 

For Dyson’s handheld vacuum cleaner, KSF Global created a display that the product could be attached to so that shoppers could easily pick it up and get a feel for it. The graphics panel also includes useful product information so that customers find it easier to make an informed purchasing decision.

Gondola displays are one of the most versatile merchandise displays you could choose for your retail locations. They offer bags of room, can be customised with a range of display accessories, and are durable enough to support a huge amount of stock.

There are many variations of gondolas, including freestanding retail stands, end displays, wall gondolas, and, of course, the popular four-sided retail island, as shown in this example.

Coordinating your merchandise display with the changing seasons is a great way to drive sales because it doesn’t just sell a product, it sells an experience.

For example, if you’re a clothing retailer, winter is the perfect time to show your coat collection in a striking snowy display. Not only is this visually appealing, it also makes it easier for shoppers to visualise themselves donning your merchandise in the winter months.

From floating shelves and freestanding towers to bespoke cabinetry and entire wall display systems, there are a variety of ways you can utilise shelving units to enhance visual merchandising in your store. 

Retail shelving optimises your floor space and can be used to attract customers further into your store. You can also opt for adjustable shelving units that can easily be reconfigured to suit new campaigns and accommodate different-sized products.

Effective use of lighting in merchandise displays can increase visual appeal, keep customers in your store for longer, and improve sales. Not only does it highlight products better, it sets the mood for your entire shop.

Don’t just match your brand colours – think about the atmosphere your lighting choice creates. In this merchandise display example, the blue LEDs enhance the shop’s modern, clean aesthetic. Comparatively, warm, soft lighting is perfect for making a space feel cosy.

Display cases come in three main forms: vitrines, wall-mounted cases, and freestanding cases. While they all allow you to protect premium or sensitive products, they also all offer unique merchandising options.

Vitrines, or table cases, are elegant merchandise displays used to give customers a top-down view of high-ticket items that are best presented flat, like rings, purses, or watches. 

Wall-mounted cases are well-suited for shoe or handbag displays, allowing you to showcase your full collection in an attractive, space-saving way. 

Finally, freestanding display cases give customers a 360-degree view of the product and can be used to guide them through your store.

You can turn reclaimed pieces of furniture like ladders, pipework and crates into interesting merchandising displays, like this example, where a spool has been upcycled into a rustic display table. 

Not only is this a cost-effective solution, but it also gives your shop a unique touch and creates a memorable experience for your customers. Reclaimed displays are particularly suited to shops with a vintage or bohemian feel.

Mannequins and body forms are the ultimate merchandise displays. They show your customers how your products are meant to be worn and allow you to upsell complementary items by showcasing an entire outfit. 

Body forms are also perfect for showcasing items that are difficult to display, like hosiery, which look better on a pair of legs than they do in a cardboard tube.

Display tables are great merchandise display examples because they provide you with large surface areas on which to showcase multiple products in a myriad of ways.

Particularly popular for clothing displays, these units invite customers to walk around and interact with the merchandise. They’re also highly effective at creating buzz around a new product launch, sale or special promotion.

Gridwall displays are perhaps the most affordable and versatile merchandise display examples on the market. They’re incredibly lightweight and slimline and can be customised with a range of accessories so that you can create the display that best suits your needs.

Gridwall panels can also be configured in a number of ways. You can affix them to your walls, use them to turn dead corners into attractive corner displays or add them to ‘L’ legs to create free-standing units – the possibilities are endless.

If your stores have a shoe display, you need footwear stools. These pieces of retail furniture continue the sit-and-fit tradition of trying shoes on, which plays a crucial role in influencing the customer to make a purchase. 

KSF Global created these retail footwear stools for Regatta to do just that. The clear branding adds a level of professionalism while the use of high-density foam and PU leather maximises comfort and durability. 

The result? Striking footwear stools that encourage customers to sit down and try on the merchandise.

Speaking of thinking outside the box, there’s no reason why your POP displays can’t be artistic sculptures in their own right. The goal of these units is to turn heads and influence buying decisions, so don’t be afraid to be as creative as possible.

In this nail polish merchandise display, the stand has been designed as a large-scale sculpture of the actual product. Strategically placed in the middle of the shop floor, it’s bound to stop customers in their tracks and inspire interaction.

This merchandise display example turns the simple act of shopping into a fun, memorable experience. Inspired by vending machines, this store fixture dispenses t-shirts in plastic tubes and arranges them by colour to create a stunning display that the eye can glide over.

There are several benefits to this display. It drives urgency by showing the stock levels of each item, and it also stirs excitement and turns the act of buying something into a fun game.

Lush is known for its colourful, fragrant and packaging-free product displays, which allow customers to satisfy their senses as they browse. But another key element is their use of chalkboards to display product information and tell customers exactly what they’re looking at.

Providing product information like this makes it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for and empowers them with the knowledge they need to buy something.

In this particular example, the chalkboard is also used to reinforce the brand’s eco-friendly message of using less plastic. Aligning your merchandise displays with your values like this is a great way to connect with your customers on a deeper level and drive sales.

When designing a merchandise display, consider how you can turn it into a focal point for your entire shop. This will magnetise attention and draw customers further into your store. 

In this merchandise display example, the arrangement of shelves and rails accentuate the hanging jeans. The rustic style of the brand is immediately communicated by the choice of wood panelling, while the large light fixture makes this display hard to miss.

The key to making a lasting impression on customers and inspiring them to buy is to fill them with a sense of awe. Kurt Geiger did this with the shoe chandelier installation, which has become an iconic and recognisable fixture throughout the retail world.

You can create the same sense of awe with a bespoke piece of visual merchandising. This is your chance to unlock your creativity and showcase your products in the most interesting way possible.