Some friends of mine shared this photo on Facebook recently talking about reusing vendor fixtures. What a perfect example of what not to do. While this is a much more obvious example of a bad display reuse than many, how many of us have seen optical display cases reused to showcase different brand names?
Yes, we are all about reuse and recycle, but if you are truly going to recycle, do it right. Just as you might have chuckled at the photo above and how disparate the picture on the front of the display is from the items stacked inside to sell, what must your customers think when they see your new collection of hand-made sunglasses in an old (insert your brand name of choice) case? It doesn’t matter whether you think oranges or potatoes are the better product.
No matter how high-end the brand name emblazoned on the case is or was, showing one brand inside another’s case does nothing for either brand name. You are instead showing off your thriftiness instead of showing off your wonderful product. How much would you trust buying a brand new BMW from a dealership whose sign said Mercedes Benz? I for one would have serious trust issues spending my hard earned money on a product in a store that can’t afford to display products correctly. My guess is your customers and patients have those same trust issues.
This is, of course, one of the downsides in buying branded showcases. But some will say, I got mine for free. My answer is to ask, did you really? Or did you end up paying for it by purchasing so many dozens of pairs of XYZ brand that they threw in a case for free. If you have any doubt about whether you paid for a case, call up a brand name you don’t carry and ask them to send you a case at no charge, and see what they say. You would be much better served in most cases using your own showcases and asking the company to deduct the cost of the showcase from your invoice.
Even if you received the maximum discounts you were entitled to and are still offered a showcase for this brand, stop for a moment and ask yourself whether it fits with the theme and ambiance of your individual store or practice. Without spending 15 seconds looking inside your store or office I can probably answer the question that no, it does not. Most branded optical showcases are designed to fit in as many spaces as possible. They are by default designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator within whatever level of store the product is sold within. Unless your store only caters to one brand, every showcase you put in from a brand name will be a different size, a different color, a different key set, a different look. Put enough of even the highest end display cases together and you will look no better than your nearest pawn shop, no matter how high end the brand names emblazoned on the case are.
This is your store, your personality, and your look we are talking about. If you want to establish the highest level of trust with your customers, there must be a consistency to that look throughout your store or practice. We are not suggesting trashing every display you have, but when you consider reusing an existing showcase, you might want to spend a little time and perhaps a little money into making it blend in with the look and feel of your store instead of standing out like the sore thumb it will otherwise appear to be.
Just like your fruits and vegetables, it’s best to pay attention to what you pick for your store.
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