Maximizing Aesthetic Appeal and Profit with Your Grab-and-go Display

Grab-and-go equipment combines foodservice and retail into the optimal method for providing customers with fast, convenient meals. These pieces of equipment are utilized in various sectors of foodservice, from healthcare and corporate settings to campus dining and quick-service restaurants, and they won't be going away anytime soon. Therefore, it is crucial operators utilize this attractive self-service method to create a new revenue stream without adding operational complexity and involved labor. A mix of product is essential, even for customers eating on the go. Freshness and quality are a must, and to be successful, your operation must balance merchandising, menu, equipment, and design.

Commercial grab-and-go coolers are available in three forms: horizontal, vertical, and undercounter. Horizontal grab-and-go equipment stands waist high and can be installed beneath shelves and along counters. Vertical grab-and-go refrigerated display cases measure 6 feet tall and can either stand alone or be incorporated in a lineup of other equipment. Undercounter grab-and-go displays are the most compact option and are best suited for chilled product. The various types and sizes of commercial grab-and-go coolers enable operators to build programs suited for space availability, as well as menu variation.

Providing a grab-and-go refrigerated display case gives guests a quick and simple method of self-serving. While grab-and-go displays heighten add-on and impulse sales, their ultimate goal is to give consumers what they want and get them on their way as fast as possible. The purpose of this equipment is centered around one concept: convenience. More and more operators are implementing commercial grab-and-go coolers because of their proven functionality and the foodservice footprint shrinkage resulting from the steadily rising costs of real estate.

High-intensity Consumer Movement Relies on Design

Grab-and-go displays should be placed where guests must physically walk past them or where there is high visual exposure in your establishment. This is optimal for front-of-house flow, but it also implements greater security for product out in the open. Such placement ensures items are seen while also ensuring consumers are being watched, discouraging any attempts at theft.

Commercial grab-and-go coolers are more than a passing trend; they are quickly becoming a staple for consumers on a time crunch. Fast service is especially important for customers working in a field such as healthcare, where optimal placement of equipment and the speed of line movement become even more sensitive factors.

Beverage coolers should be placed in areas that won't disrupt the establishment's flow of traffic, so avoid putting them in busy spots where lines are likely to form. You can speed up restocking by investing in grab-and-go equipment that can be refilled from the back, and keeping backup refrigeration near your grab-and-go refrigerated display case will ensure food transferred into the merchandising equipment will remain safe, fresh, and at the right temperature. You can grab consumer attention with an eye-catching design that implements curved or shaped merchandising equipment. Your customers will be more likely to purchase items from a grab-and-go display if they have more options and can access higher-quality offerings. These units enable people to spend less time dining in establishments and provide access to improved grab-and-go packaging.

What About Aesthetics?

Successful grab-and-go displays encourage larger consumer purchases while helping guests find what they want as quickly as possible. Executing the best display means determining exactly where to place product, as well as figuring out the best store layout. When investing in a commercial grab-and-go cooler, think about the overall design of your unit with the floor and shelving layout, with sale maximization and heightened customer experience being your goals. Good displays take consumer behavior into consideration.

So how do you go about maximizing your establishment's full sales potential? First, determine your brand image, then study your customers' purchasing habits. Your products and displays should consistently deliver your establishment's brand narrative, and when displays are well-executed, customers will leave stores with more product than they'd initially intended to purchase.

Businesses with good floor layouts enable consumers to easily navigate the store without having to stop looking at the merchandise. Before you can display product, you should know where your grab-and-go equipment will be placed for optimal consumer traffic flow. There are three main floor layouts:

1. Straight – maximizes floor space and guides customers to clearly articulated focal points.
2. Angular – products are displayed under optimal lighting with the proper style.
3. Loop – shelves are set up to form a pathway for customers to follow.

Along with the essential products you know your customers are looking for, try filling your grab-and-go equipment with high-margin items and seasonal merchandise. This will prevent you getting stuck with out-of-season stock, marking down products in order to sell them, or resorting to throwing items away. Part of your goal with grab-and-go refrigerated display cases is to encourage impulse buys.

Be sure to remain consistent with the stock you keep in your commercial grab-and-go cooler. By grouping like items together, you'll help streamline the shopping experience for consumers who are in a hurry while letting your business retain a consistent look and feel. Figure out where the majority of your customers go when they enter your establishment and set up your grab-and-go equipment where they can quickly see and purchase product. However, placing equipment closer to your cash register will streamline the checkout experience, so decide which location would be most optimal for your consumer base.

Additionally, be sure to display merchandise in your grab-and-go refrigerated display case under the best lighting, within the unit and outside it. You can organize your grab-and-go display by brand or even by color. The latter will provide the most visual appeal, especially if you arrange product in order from the lightest colors to the darkest. Once colors have been sorted, organize items by size, with smallest in the front and largest in the back. You can even cross-merchandise to increase average order values and basket sizes.