5 ways to increase sales at the checkout area

All customers pass through the checkout area, so the main task is to organize this space so that customers make spontaneous purchases and increase the average check. According to statistics, 95% of customers in line look at the counters near the checkout, but only 45% actually pay attention to the products located nearby, and 25% of customers buy.

Фото з сайту roystonllc.com

What products are recommended to be placed in the checkout area

• Products that motivate impulse purchases. These are brightly colored notebooks or pens of unusual shapes, magazines, newspapers, coffee or cappuccino sticks. In 90% of cases, these products are targeted at women, as they are more likely to make impulse purchases.
• Reminder. Small items that supermarket customers forget to put in their shopping carts - wet wipes, pens, toothpicks, pencils. For example, when you see batteries at the checkout, you remember that you've been wanting to buy a battery for three days, because you've been moving the only one that works from remote control to computer mouse and back again.
• Children's products. It's a smart move, because in 95% of cases, parents will not be able to resist asking their children to buy a chocolate bar or a candy bar. Such goods are placed on the lower shelves so that children can reach them.
• Seasonal products. This category includes flowers or cards (for the New Year, Christmas, Easter), ice cream, bottled water in refrigerators, and insect sprays.
• Promotional products. These are cookies, pens, chocolates. The main rule is that such products should not be large; ideally, they should fit into a customer's pocket.

How to properly place goods in the checkout area: 9 effective rules

1. Always make sure that the shelves are 100% full. If there are gaps between products, customer activity decreases by 20-25%, which will negatively affect both the average check and the customer's impression of the store as a whole.
2. Despite the requirement for one hundred percent shelf space, do not overwhelm the stands with goods, but arrange them carefully. Nothing should fall off the shelves so that the customer does not get stressed and does not look for goods in a mountain of price tags. Organize the space near the cash register in such a way that the customer does not change his mind while looking for the right product.
3. Do not change the location of the goods. If customers start to linger at the checkout, a queue will form in the store. And if you can't find gum or coffee sticks in the usual place because employees moved them a meter to the right, there will be no purchase.
4. Don't overload the shelf with goods - no more than two or three items at one stand, otherwise the buyer will stay longer at the stand, which means that the chances of an impulse purchase are reduced.
5. Place price tags right next to the goods. Have you seen how the checkout area in a pharmacy is decorated? Price tag to price tag, which allows the customer to immediately understand how much the necessary products cost - the customer perceives this as care, saving his time.
6. Customer service in the checkout area. This means that employees need to take care of impeccable service - update price tags in time, arrange goods on shelves so that customers can conveniently pick them up and put them in the basket.
7. The checkout area should motivate customers to buy goods and not regret it. Do not overload the checkout counter. Bright accents are good, but don't turn the shelves into a rainbow. Don't forget that the main goal is to attract customers of different age groups. What a teenager or a child will like may cause the opposite reaction in women aged 25+.
8. A protective barrier in the checkout area. In mini- and supermarkets, such equipment causes inconvenience and discomfort, so it is not used. However, let's assume its use in neighborhood grocery stores.
9. When it comes to non-food stores, make sure that the goods placed in the checkout area have a point of sale in the sales area as well. For example, in home appliance stores, place wires, disks, and flash drives on shelves near the checkout and in the sales area, as 50% of customers do not find these products in a sales area overloaded with home appliances. Pay attention to the fact that 90% of customers buy impulsively only in supermarkets, while in non-food stores this percentage is lower - in home appliances and electronics stores it is up to 40%, in construction stores - up to 30%. And in clothing stores, 70% of customers come in "just to look at the goods" and are unlikely to come close to the checkout area, so in such cases, place tights, stockings, socks or shoe care products in "islands" in the sales area. This will increase the chances of an impulse purchase by 25-30%.

Фото з сайту roystonllc.com

Checkout equipment: how to plan the area near the cash register

• From the point of view of convenience and comfort, it is optimal to arrange checkouts in one line. This makes it more convenient for customers to choose a free checkout and make 2-3 more impulse purchases while passing by the stands. If single cash registers are placed in a single line instead of in tandem, it is easier to find a smaller queue. Experts do not recommend placing cash registers one after the other, as this causes discomfort and inconvenience to customers, especially during rush hour. Customers begin to conflict with each other due to misunderstandings - those in the first line of checkouts think that people trying to get to the second line are deliberately trying to "get through" without waiting in line. Together, these factors cause negative emotions and leave an unpleasant impression of the store as a whole.
• Successful stores have long queues, and the more people crowd in, the more dissatisfaction grows. Therefore, divide the aisles between the cash registers, and increase them if necessary. For convenience, take care of navigation - put up noticeable signs and number the cash registers.
• The minimum width of the aisle between cash registers is 60 centimeters. However, in practice, this figure depends on how large the sales area is. If we are talking about stores of construction goods or household appliances, the aisle between the cash registers is widened to 1.2 meters. This way, customers can take out bulky goods without experiencing any discomfort or difficulties.
• Make the store accessible to people with disabilities. For example, near one of the cash registers, widen the aisle (90-1.1 m) for free wheelchair access. Such a move will also evoke positive emotions from women with strollers - often stores are not adapted for this and customers have to resort to complex maneuvers to leave or leave the stroller at the entrance and shop with a child in their arms, which is even more difficult.
• In hypermarkets, the distance between cash registers and stands is increased to 4 meters. If the stands are arranged in an island-style store, make sure that they do not interfere with the passage to the checkout. If tables for collecting and processing purchases are placed near the checkout counters, the space between the edges of the checkout counters is expanded to 2.5 meters.
• It is not recommended to place branded shelving in this area (for example, Coca Cola, Sprite, Dirol). Instead, place branded equipment in the sales area, and run your own promotions on the counters near the cash registers.

Advertising in the checkout area

Every shopper passes through this area, so placing advertising banners is the right decision. While waiting for the cashier to serve the customer in front of you, you will surely get acquainted with the promotions. The store can either conclude a contract for advertising campaigns or inform visitors about its own promotions. Do not overdo it - the permissible number of advertising materials is 2-3, otherwise the customer's attention will be scattered and he will not pay attention to the goods in the checkout area. A large number of advertising banners or posters also irritates customers, so large banners are placed under the ceiling or at the top of the ends of the stands.
In European countries, TV monitors are installed above cash registers. This is a clever maneuver, because they not only advertise products or services, but also distract customers from standing in lines during rush hour. Experts recommend talking about products as soon as visitors leave the store. The information stays in the subconscious, which forms a positive attitude towards the products. The main goal is to set the customer up psychologically so that he or she is 100% likely to buy the product next time.

Фото з сайту roystonllc.com

How to increase the average sales check in the checkout area

• Focus on wellness. Studies show that the number of health-conscious people has increased by 40%. The same studies show that about 50% of shoppers are unhappy with the fact that they bought an unhealthy product at the checkout. For example, if you want to lose weight, you put only healthy products in your cart. However, there is a rack of chocolates at the checkout. You can't resist and buy the sweets, and then you are tormented by remorse. As a result, a negative attitude towards the store and the brand as a whole is born in the subconscious, and the next time the customer goes to the market, he or she will avoid temptations. Therefore, add fructose-based sweets, cereal bars, and juices to the range of impulse purchases.
• Increase product visibility. Approximately 20% of customers do not find the product at the checkout because it is not available or there is a large number of products. 25% of customers forget to buy an item at the checkout, even though they planned to do so. Remind customers about the products: increase the visibility of the shelves, inform customers with promotional materials, tips, and instruct cashiers to offer to buy promotional products. To increase the visibility of product units, check the shelf - it's better if there are 3-4 packs of batteries hanging on the hook, not 10. However, in such cases, make sure that the products are replenished as regularly as they are sold out. Remember, shelving in checkout areas does not tolerate gaps.
• Attract customers. In lines, boredom quickly gives way to irritation and dissatisfaction. According to statistics, only 7% of customers are currently using smartphones, while the rest are looking at the racks. Therefore, make sure that the shelves display new products that could interest customers, lay out original goods, and install TV screens.
• Don't be afraid to raise prices. Shoppers calculate the cost of products in their minds and consider the rationality of buying goods only in the sales area. At the checkout counters, visitors are busy, so there is no time to think, and there is nothing to compare prices with, and the markup in this area reaches 200%.
• Take care of the service. The likelihood of a purchase increases by 20-25% if cashiers inform about promotions, offer to buy a product or tell you where to find it. Politeness increases the chances of a purchase by up to 50%. Therefore, monitor the behavior and manner of communication of employees not only with customers but also with each other. It is unpleasant when they echo each other from different ends of the sales floor.

Control purchases in the checkout area by automating sales in the store. Track the performance of cashiers and goods placed on the shelves near the checkouts. This way you will know the effectiveness and expediency of placing a certain type of product and will be able to choose a different assortment in time, replacing a low-demand product with another.