When choosing between types of interactive retail displays, you want to know which display will help you sell the most equipment. Color, design, materials, and location only matter if they help make your business profitable. 

With almost 50 years of experience building retail display signs for manufacturing companies, we know how to build a display that captures people’s attention. Here are five of our customers’ most profitable types of interactive retail displays:

5 Most Profitable Types of Interactive Retail Displays

1. Spinner Displays

Everyone loves an excuse to give something a spin, and our spinner displays are no different. They make it easy to arrange all your products in a clear way, ensuring each item is visible and easily accessible. 

They have a very small footprint while also being engaging. The design encourages customers to linger. The spinner displays can either be full-size floor displays or fun little counter displays to bump up the final sale right before check-out time. 

2. Custom Floor Displays with Unusual Materials

Whether it’s wood paneling, lighting, or glass, a display that uses unusual materials will always spark curiosity and impel customers to come closer. 

One of our favorite examples is the sturdy grid, floor display we did for GreenWorks. Through the careful combination of color and strong materials, we reflected the message behind the display: Endless Power with Zero Emissions.

This display is able to accommodate the product plus informational brochures—covering all the bases in consumer education and branding.

3. Easy Access Displays

One of the best types of interactive retail displays is the easy-access display. We call these displays POP displays, which stands for Point of Purchase display. The goal is to make it harder for a customer to say “no” than “yes” after walking up to the display. Typically, this is achieved by combining eye-catching details with very easy access to the products. 

These can be big, statement retail displays like one we built to show off fishing rods. We lined up the fishing rods on either side of the big logo, then made the display black to stand out in the white store. The design immediately makes customers want to walk up and start touching the merchandise. It is nice and simple to pick up different rods, get a feel for them, and assess their quality. This makes it much easier for a customer to commit to the purchase.

POP retail displays can also be sleek, small countertop displays that make grabbing a couple of snacks on the way to check out simple. The same approach of combining interest with ease applies, just on a smaller scale. These POP displays for LENOX are a great example of a successful campaign that used a small display to make a profitable difference.

4. Demo Displays

This is one type of interactive retail display that is always a hit! The demo or try-it-yourself retail display is one where you can test the actual product in the store. 

You’ve probably seen examples of this in places like Lowe’s or Home Depot. From wood pencils set up with a piece of scrap wood you can write on to drills on display next to a plank where you can test it yourself, these displays tend to attract a crowd. Similar to the POP displays, these help customers feel more confident as they decide which item to buy. When they can test it first, it makes it easier for them to say “yes” with confidence.

5. Digital Displays

While there are types of interactive retail displays that use screens, they are not common enough to feel boring. A retail display that shows off your products but also allows you to learn more about the product, view other options, and dig deeper into your company still feels modern on a warehouse or retail floor. It also feels like a familiar way to shop for today’s consumers, who do more online shopping and spend hours on their screens.

If you have a product or piece of equipment that you can’t leave out for testing, this is a great way to showcase the item’s full capabilities. It is also a way to help shy customers learn enough to encourage them to purchase. When used correctly, digital retail displays can become a top performer for your business and boost your sales.

What Are the Pros/Cons of Interactive Displays?

Interactive displays have several advantages when it comes to engaging customers and capturing their attention. That being said, it’s important to take a comprehensive view of how the POP display aligns in regard to practicality and cost.

To do this, we’ll quickly review some of the pros and cons of interactive POP displays.

Pros of Interactive Displays:

• Interactive displays invite the customer to engage with the product, making items such as retail touchscreen displays a valuable marketing tool. 
• They can enhance the brand experience, reinforcing your company’s vision and message.
• They can help you gather customer data.
• They can help you capture the opportunity of last-minute impulse buys.
• Retail demonstration/demo displays enable your consumers to interact with your product.

Challenges of Interactive Displays

• Retail touchscreen displays may need maintenance, and it’s vital they remain in perfect working order so consumers won’t become frustrated or impatient.
• While many interactive displays will have a good ROI over time, there is a high initial cost.
• Sometimes, interactive displays can become distracting, defeating their purpose and drawing the customer’s attention away from the product.

Not sure if an interactive display is right for you? We understand that when it comes to designing for your product, there is no “one size fits all.” Form follows function. If your product would benefit from a retail touchscreen display or other high-tech solutions, we’ll be glad to make it happen. However, if a simpler approach would be more appropriate, we’ll let you know that as well. By working closely with you we can capture your vision and message in a way that seamlessly aligns with your brand.  

How Do Interactive Retail Displays Impact a Customer’s Experience?

There are several ways interactive retail displays can make a profound difference in the shopping experience. We’ll outline a few of them.

• “Lingering”: When customers are engaged with an interactive display, they tend to dwell on it longer and continue to linger around the product or stay in the store for an extended period of time. Every minute they’re there gives you more chances to make a sale.
• Customer Engagement: We touched on this a bit earlier. An interactive display actively engages the customer’s senses, encouraging interaction.
• Opportunities for Personalization: Sure, that shade of paint is appealing…but what would it look like in your living room? An interactive display can help you find out. This enables you to get a complete vision of a personalized experience. 
• Enhanced Brand Experience: Your brand is key to standing out in a crowded marketplace. The more customers interact with your brand, the more likely they are to remember you and create positive associations with your messaging. 

McIntyre Displays is Here for You from Design to Delivery

At McIntyre Displays, we are passionate about giving our friends in the manufacturing space a better retail display experience. We know how important it is to not only nail the design of your displays, but also have them arrive ready to go, without any damage. That is why we handle every step: we design your displays in-house, manufacture them ourselves, and oversee the fulfillment and distribution. 

We are here to be your partner, not a one-off shop. To learn more about how we can give you the retail display experience you deserve, reach out to us to get started today.

Key Takeaways:

• Interactive retail displays are an effective strategy to capture customers’ attention and drive sales.
• Some effective strategies include: using spinner displays, implementing unusual materials, introducing digital elements and providing easy access to your product.
• “Try it yourself” displays are a good way to provide customer interaction and encourage a sale.
• While there are many advantages to interactive displays, they can be expensive and require more maintenance.
• Overall, interactive displays encourage consumers to stay in the store longer and interact with your brand—improving customer engagement.
• It’s best to work with a long-term manufacturing partner like McIntyre Displays to ensure you have the best POP display to fit your needs.