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A stack display refers to a product display formed by placing products separately in a supermarket, sometimes featuring a single brand and sometimes a combination of several brands. These are usually placed on flower carts or stacked directly on the floor using boxed products. Stack displays are a common promotional form that not only increases sales but also showcases brand image. There are generally two ways to use stack displays: one is to highlight a "golden" stack, and the other is to launch a "strong promotion." The main function of a stack display is to increase the display area, and it is usually accompanied by promotional activities, maximizing the visibility of promotional content and gifts. Therefore, supermarket stack displays not only highlight the brand image but also attract consumers' attention, which is a key factor in boosting product sales.

In the distribution channel, supermarkets represent quality assurance in consumers' minds. For liquor brands, neatly arranged shelves or stack displays in supermarkets serve as a good window for image display, enhancing brand image and awareness. For liquor distributors, regardless of whether it is to increase product sales, enhance brand influence, or strengthen brand pull, the role of supermarket stack displays cannot be underestimated. However, suppliers need to pay a certain fee to supermarkets to apply for stack display promotions and displays. As suppliers recognize the importance of stack displays and competition intensifies, a good stack display position can cost from several thousand yuan to over ten thousand yuan per month, depending on the season and location. Most distributors are familiar with stack displays, but there are still many misunderstandings in actual operation. So, how can distributors understand the value and use of stack displays, and how can they create effective product stack displays in supermarkets to attract consumers' attention among the dazzling array of products? At the same time, how can they enable consumers to get effective product information through the stack display and make purchase decisions, thereby creating good sales for their products?

Choosing the Stack Display Position

The choice of stack display position is very important. To secure a good position, many distributors spend time persuading supermarket buyers or managers, building relationships, and of course, spending money. For liquor brands, which stack display positions are considered good?

For liquor brands, the better stack display positions in supermarkets include: the first few stack positions in the main aisle at the store entrance; the first stack position on the right side of the entrance; the stack positions at both ends of the liquor aisle; the end-cap stack positions in the liquor section; the promotional positions in front of the checkout counters; and the stack positions at the intersection of customer traffic flow lines.

Of course, supermarkets do not lack good stack display positions. If the distributor does not have enough budget or the position has already been reserved by competitors, what should they do? They can settle for a less ideal position, but they should avoid the following situations when choosing a stack display position:

  1. Avoid being adjacent to similar competing products or to stacks where the price is lower or the promotion is stronger than your product.
  2. Avoid setting up stacks in dead corners on both sides of the supermarket entrance.
  3. Avoid placing stacks next to products with strong odors, as consumers tend to take detours around such products.

Additionally, choose different stack display positions based on the product life cycle. For mature, best-selling liquor brands, the focus is on sales volume. If the promotion is appropriate, the stack should be placed in the main aisle, the promotional positions in front of the checkout counters, the ends of the liquor aisle, or the end-caps of the liquor section. For newly introduced products, the focus is on brand display, so the stack can be placed in the first three positions in the main aisle at the entrance, the ends of the liquor aisle, or the end-caps of the liquor section.

Stack Display Shape and Decoration

A good stack display position is certainly important in supermarkets, but these positions are not only expensive but also risky if not used properly—"a small error can lead to a big mistake." Not all brands need to spend a lot to grab the "golden" position. If you don't get the "golden" position, you can still "stack" beauty, brand image, and sales through good stack shape and decoration. For example, during the Spring Festival in 2011, a liquor distributor, Manager Wang, failed to negotiate the Spring Festival stack display with the largest local supermarket in time. All the stack positions in the main aisle and liquor section were already taken by other liquor brands. The supermarket could only offer a stack position next to the meat and vegetable section at the back. Facing such an awkward position, how could he attract target consumers to his stack? After careful consideration, Manager Wang hired an advertising company to design a special dragon boat stack display with the theme "Safe Voyage," and then used a well-known liquor product in the local market for a "strong promotion." By communicating with the supermarket, they placed "strong promotion" floor stickers from the entrance to guide consumers to his stack. After the event, the product's sales in the supermarket slightly increased compared to the ordinary stack display in the liquor section during the Spring Festival of 2010.

Generally, the shapes of liquor stack displays include the following:

  1. Flat type: The products on the stack surface are laid flat.
  2. Ladder type: The stack is larger at the bottom and smaller at the top (either the stacked boxes are trapezoidal or the surface display is trapezoidal).
  3. Special type: The usual stack shape is square. If the stack position is not ideal, distributors can create special-shaped stacks based on product packaging and brand promotion needs to increase product appeal and attract consumer attention.

However, regardless of the stack shape, it must ensure that consumers can pick up products from three or four directions simultaneously.

A stack display consists of a base and a top. Most supermarkets use wooden frames or standard stack cabinets for the base, or they can stack boxes. If a base is used, it is best to surround it with KT boards with promotional information. If products are used as the base, the base products should correspond to the products displayed on the stack. When stacking boxes, the boxes must be placed upright and the height should not exceed 1.4 meters, following the principle of placing lighter items on top and heavier items at the bottom. When applying film or promotional posters on the base, cover the entire base without exposing it, and ensure it is smooth and aligned. It is strictly forbidden to use sealing tape around the stack, as it looks cheap.

The top is used to hang special price information posters or promotional activity signs, as well as promotional decorations. If the promotional gift is attractive and there is no safety hazard, it can also be hung. Promotional decorations must be eye-catching, clear, easy to understand, and directly expressive; the colors should be vivid, have visual impact, and help create a promotional atmosphere. The KT board (to expand visual effects and highlight the stack) or promotional product samples hung from the top should be positioned at the center of the stack, with the lower edge about 2 meters from the ground to avoid head bumps. If the area around the stack is spacious, floor stickers can be placed at the bottom edge to increase visual impact. Additionally, for stack positions in remote areas, floor stickers with promotional information can be placed from the supermarket entrance to guide consumers to the stack.

Promotional Information Communication

Stack displays are not only a promotional tool but also an art. The stack display should not only have creative themes and be neatly arranged and clean, but also the corresponding promotional information should be clear at a glance. However, in reality, some stacks are "overwhelming" or have "wrong information," such as displaying product A on the stack but using product B in the film and promotional posters; some stacks have promotional prices that differ from the prices on the shelves; some have activity content that does not specify whether it is buying a case of a certain brand of liquor to get a gift or buying a bottle to get a gift; some bottles have distinctive shapes, but there is no separate bottle and box display to attract consumers' attention. So, in actual operation, what communication methods should distributors pay attention to in order to attract consumers' attention?

  1. Prices must be clearly marked. Clearly indicate "brand," "packaging," "original price," "new price," and "special price" and other promotional information, and ensure that the prices on the shelves and the stack display are consistent. The promotional price (or savings amount) must be prominent, at least three times the size of the original price text, and not smaller than other special price information in the store. Note: Directly writing the special price number is more attractive than writing the discount rate.
  2. The activity sign must clearly state the activity name, promotional gift or brand name, product name, original price, and promotional price.
  3. For buy-and-gift promotions, the gift must be tied to the product with transparent tape and displayed at intervals so that customers can see both the product and the gift at the same time. When the store distributes gifts uniformly, at least one sample should be tied and displayed to consumers.
  4. For packaged gifts, at least one should be taken out, opened, and hung or placed on top of the stack so that consumers can see it at a glance.
  5. Separate bottle and box display. After stacking the products, remove some packaging to display the bottles. Bottle display on the stack can increase visual impact and boost consumers' purchase desire.
  6. It is strictly forbidden to use damaged or old packaging for stack displays.

After distributors pay attention to the above points when doing supermarket stack displays, they should also regularly observe stack displays of other liquor brands in various supermarkets, liquor specialty stores, and sugar and wine exhibitions. By summarizing practical experience, they can do well in supermarket channel stack displays.

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