How important are in-store displays? Research shows that almost 70 percent of customers notice advertisements and product placement – and take them into account —— when navigating a store and making purchasing decisions.
Unfortunately, creative retail store display ideas often take a backseat to daily operational concerns for liquor store owners and staff. Dazzling visual merchandising gets deprioritized between stocking, inventory, paperwork, and helping regular customers. But with some simple ideas, you can maximize your store’s visual appeal and still manage your back office needs.
This post provides five retail store display ideas for liquor stores, giving you the tools you need to maximize your space usage and delight your customers.
Maximizing Profits Through Liquor Store Display Ideas
Did you know that over three-quarters of all purchasing decisions are made in the store? Since most of your customers make their choices while roaming your aisles, smart displays and clever merchandising can make all the difference for your store.
The goal of your liquor store displays is to capture customers’ eyes, engage their attention, entice them to pick up something they may not otherwise consider, and encourage higher spend through those impulse buys. Before we dig into our list of creative retail store display ideas you can adapt for your liquor store, let’s discuss some of the basic elements of a successful retail display.
- Lighting
With lighting, you can curate the desired ambiance for your store and products. Spotlights and track lighting focused on certain display areas draw customer attention, and softer overall store lighting makes your store more comfortable, encouraging shoppers to browse longer. Get creative — use string lights over a special holiday display or bright floodlights on premium craft spirits to signal status and sophistication. - Space:
Effective use of display space communicates meaning and value to your customers. More breathing room around high-end scotches and limited edition bourbons communicates luxury and exclusivity worth the higher cost. Yet filling shelves with inexpensive mixers and liqueurs signals value, encouraging customers to stock up. Remember that empty areas and shelves make people uncomfortable and less likely to browse. - Color and Aesthetics
Color can influence customer perception and behavior in your store. Warm red and yellow tones encourage relaxation. Cool blues promote trust and security. Consult color psychology guides and play with paint, signage, lighting gels, and display materials to make the right impressions.
Related Read: Liquor Store Merchandising 101: Signage, Displays, and Layout
With these building blocks in mind, let’s now explore 5 creative retail store display ideas you can employ in your liquor store.
1. Set Up a Tasting Station
A tasting station is the first design element or display you may consider for your store. Tasting stations are powerful sales tools, allowing customers to sample featured products before purchasing. This tactic can be particularly effective when promoting new products you’re adding to your shelves or seasonal offerings.
Set up your tasting station by strategically arranging your featured items on a table or at the end of an aisle to draw attention. Include tasting notes, cocktail recipes, pairing suggestions, and staff insights or opinions to inspire customers. Supply small disposable cups, napkins, and glassware, and pour spouts to offer formal samples. Track product success during sampling events with your point of sale (POS) system. Look for items that see an uplift in unit sales during or after being featured.
Invest in quality signage to spotlight featured products. Linens, flowers, and accents like citrus wheels or olives help convey upscale sophistication. Most importantly, have knowledgeable staff engage with customers during tastings. Staff recommendations and the interactive experience of guided samplings encourage larger basket sizes.
Related Read: 7 Liquor Store Advertising Ideas You Need To Try
NOTE: Confirm with your licensing board that your store’s liquor license allows for sampling on-premises before engaging in these offerings.
2. Leverage Color in Retail Displays
We briefly discussed the importance of color earlier — let’s explore the idea of using color psychology in your store in more detail.
Bright, vibrant hues attract the most attention. You should use these colors for signage and featured shelves or tables. You can also use colors like red to promote urgency for limited-time releases. Blue and green set a relaxing, upscale ambiance for showcasing top-shelf spirits and accessories. Yellow cheers up areas highlighting flavored selections for summer parties. Dark tones like black and gray convey sleek modern luxury, so position exclusive bottles nearby.
Use blocks of color as display backdrops for high contrast punch, varying shades of the same hue for dimensional depth, and neutral tones like black, white, or gray to prevent clashes with multi-colored bottles and packages. Limit your palette to two or three colors per display so combos remain harmonious and don’t start to clash. This intentional approach guides the eye, minimizes visual chaos, and leverages nuances for subtle influence on purchasing.
Related Read: Liquor Store Advertising Ideas
3. Cross-Merchandise
Another approach you might try for your retail store display is cross-merchandising. When you think of cross-merchandising, you may just think of grouping complementary products together. However, to get the most out of this display idea, you need to think bigger!
Bundle cocktail ingredients like spirits, mixers, shakers, and glassware to inspire drink recipes or gift baskets. Carry poker sets or playing cards, placing them near whiskey displays as “guys night in” pairings. Create holiday sections with decorations alongside celebratory beverages promoting gifting and hosting. The combinations for cross-merchandising displays are endless.
Related Read: Liquor Store Profit 101: Sell More Products With 5 Easy Tips
Additionally, consider other visual cues in your store. Signage can reinforce connections between paired items where it may not be obvious. Unique cross-merchandising vignettes catch shoppers’ attention, prompting them to pick up “just a few more” items. This leads to more significant total transactions and higher overall basket values.
PRO TIP: Use your point of sale system to identify opportunities for cross-merchandising, reviewing sales reports to see items commonly purchased together and pairing them in your displays.
4. Keep Displays Fresh
Another idea you should consider when creating retail displays is to keep your displays fresh. When customers see the same standard product shelves, visit after visit, even your most creative display will start to blend into the background.
Regularly updating featured displays to keep customers interested and highlight new products. Strive to change window arrangements every two weeks and other in-store displays at least monthly. Showcase upcoming seasonal offerings and holiday-specific selections early to capitalize on holiday sales as soon as possible.
Use your POS system data to identify top-selling items and struggling merchandise. Move slower sellers into prime display positions to capture new customer interest and attention. You can also photograph finished displays to share on social media for additional advertising opportunities.
By keeping displays fresh, you train customers to expect something new each time they visit your store, which will help to build customer loyalty by encouraging return visits through curiosity.
5. Get Crafty With Visual Displays
Last but not least, you can create a creative retail store display by getting crafty! An attention-grabbing way to showcase your products is to move beyond basic shelves and tables into artistic displays that catch the eye.
Construct a faux bar and showcase everything needed for popular cocktails or holiday parties. Build props from liquor boxes or bottles showcasing clever related combinations. Design sculptures highlighting seasonal themes. Group products into lifestyle scenes depicting real-world uses like game nights or sophisticated parties.
Unique, over-the-top displays that creatively showcase products become conversation pieces with your store at the center — especially as customers snap and share photos on social media. This free advertising also builds your reputation as a fun destination while driving traffic from followers wanting to experience the creative spaces live.
Not feeling crafty yourself? Brainstorm partnerships with local artists or invite community groups to assemble unique displays. By embracing creative talents and design elements, you take merchandising to the next level.
Examples:
Getting the Most From Your Retail Store Display Ideas
A majority of customers make their purchasing decisions while roaming the aisles of your store, so your retail displays are critical to your business’s success. Following the advice in this post can help you maximize your space and visual interest in your products.
However, if you want to capitalize on the advantages these displays will give your store, you need the right tools and technology. The most critical piece of technology for your liquor store is your point of sale system. You need a POS tool capable of speedy checkouts, flexible payment processing, age verification, and advanced reporting.
Bottle POS is a POS solution designed specifically for beer and liquor stores. Our solution has advanced features like case break inventory and contactless payments, allowing liquor stores to easily manage inventory and sales.
Schedule a demo of Bottle POS today to see how our solution can help you optimize your displays, streamline operations, and speed up transactions in your store.
