Maximize Impulse Buys: The Ultimate Checkout Display Strategy

Which area of ​​a cosmetics store should be arranged with the most care? The answer is simple: the checkout counter.

Why? The checkout counter is where customers pay and is also the last place they linger in the store. Here, they might happily pay, even buying other items, or they might suddenly change their minds and leave empty-handed.

Therefore, the display around the checkout counter is crucial. What should be displayed around the checkout counter? Today, we'll discuss this topic.

I. What categories/products should be displayed at the checkout counter?

What should be displayed around the checkout counter? This question cannot be answered with a single answer. Ye Guang, a columnist for PinGuan.com and founder of "Guanghe Society," divides the checkout counter and its surroundings into the following six areas. Let's take a look at the different considerations for each area.

1. Cashier Back Counter

Suitable for displaying new products of the month (must be accompanied by a large-scale advertising lightbox or acrylic standee), exchangeable items (maximize the display area, highlighting cost-effectiveness and key selling points), gifts redeemed with points, or member gifts. Because the cashier counter is semi-enclosed compared to the back counter, product advertising and visual impact are crucial, and key selling points must be prominently featured.

Case Study: Yu Zhe Lin (Zigong Store 7)

The cashier back counter at Yu Zhe Lin's Zigong Store 7 is filled with exchangeable items arranged by the company, changed monthly. Customers can exchange items with purchases over 19.9 yuan.

A customer selected some sanitary napkins and went to the cashier to pay. Store manager Tang Lili noticed that the customer's total purchase amount was 39.4 yuan, meeting the exchange requirement, and introduced the store's exchangeable items to the customer. When Tang Lili learned that a customer's makeup remover was almost empty, she emphasized recommending a makeup remover originally priced at 68 yuan but available for 29 yuan as part of a trade-in offer. With Tang Lili's patient guidance, the customer finally accepted.

2. Island/Floor Display near the Checkout Counter

Suitable for displaying children's products, towels, and other household items, as well as products for special areas or adult products. Larger items or trade-in items can also be displayed there. If the items are on sale or trade-in, it's best to avoid necessities; otherwise, customers might buy a certain shampoo based on staff recommendations, only to change their minds after seeing a discounted shampoo at the checkout.

Case Study: Huizhilin Yiren Store

What should be displayed on the floor display in front of the checkout counter? Huizhilin Yiren Store chose brand-name and best-selling items.

Store manager Mo Yanping stated, "The items displayed here, including the fish skeleton displays and those on the shelf, are all well-known and popular brands—products heavily advertised and trending online. Customers will see them while queuing to pay and might buy some." Mo Yanping also adjusts the product placement based on actual sales.

3. Back Counters Near the Cashier

Suitable for displaying current seasonal products and newly introduced personal care items (this is a multi-point display; the category area and new brand counters should still have these products), but should not be too cluttered, nor suitable for products requiring lengthy explanations.

Case Study: Yisha Chain Store Jinzhou Cinema

Customers waiting to pay at the Yisha Chain Store Jinzhou Cinema store are usually drawn to perfumes from brands like BVLGARI, Harajuku Doll, CK, and GUCCI next to the cashier. Store manager Wang Shuang revealed that with the fragrance displays and staff guidance, fragrance consumption is gaining momentum, especially during holidays like Valentine's Day and Christmas, when perfumes and skincare sets are often considered top gift choices.

4. Experiential Zone Near the Checkout

This area allows Beauty Advisors (BAs) to provide more targeted extended experiences for customers after payment. This avoids excessively long sales times and customer frustration, while also encouraging new purchases during the experience.

5. Advertising Space Near the Checkout

This space is suitable for promoting in-store membership benefits, new product information, product cross-selling, and women's health products. Simply displaying advertisements without a clear selling point can appear somewhat simplistic. The content of the advertisement should be easily changeable.

Case Study: Watsons

Because Watsons' checkout area also functions as a promotional and advertising center, its displays and layouts often highlight ongoing promotions. This includes displaying large promotional posters, distributing promotional gifts, and distributing promotional brochures. Whenever cashiers have a spare moment, they must schedule announcements introducing promotional items.

6. Cashier Countertop/Display Shelves

Depending on the size of the cashier counter, and based on the functions mentioned above, Mr. Ye Guang does not recommend an excessively large counter; a length of 1 to 1.2 meters is sufficient. Besides the payment tools, considering the easy accessibility for customers, displaying two to three novel and highly appealing new product categories on the countertop is suitable. Examples include exquisite keychains, small dolls, mini USB desk lamps, and office cooling cushions.

In addition to the proper arrangement of goods, the aesthetics of the cashier counter are also important. Ensuring the counter is clean and tidy is just the basic requirement. Adding hand-painted POP displays, willow leaves, pop-up cards, balloons, PVC pipes, and displaying promotional items like display carts can create a better atmosphere for cross-selling, serving as a finishing touch.

Furthermore, the front of the cashier counter should ideally be designed with a three-compartment display shelf for low-priced products such as face masks, hand creams, and wet wipes. This allows customers to make a final purchase while checking out, rounding up small orders. Items like lipsticks and hand creams are best displayed on column shelves to the left and right of the checkout counter.

Case Study: Jialan Jiaren Wuhan Simenkou Store

At the Jialan Jiaren Simenkou Store, you can see cotton swabs priced at only two or three yuan displayed on one side of the checkout counter. Store manager Sun Jianhong explained, "This is to make it convenient for customers to participate in promotions such as gifts with purchase." Small items within easy reach of the checkout counter are the best choices for adding to your order. This product display allows customers to enjoy promotional benefits and easily increases the rate of cross-selling.

II. Three Common Misconceptions About Checkout Counter Redemption: Have You Fallen for Them?

As mentioned above, the back counter of the checkout counter usually displays redemption items, gifts redeemed with points, or member gifts. During our market research, we learned that redemption items are the most important source of "extra income" for the checkout counter. Therefore, in this section, we will specifically discuss the topic of checkout counter redemption.

Teacher Ye Guang once summarized some common problems with cashier redemption offers. Has your store fallen into any of these traps?

1. Insufficient Attractiveness of Redemption Products

Stores often choose products they believe have high profit margins and large inventories for redemption, neglecting the fact that these products must be appealing to customers, making them feel that the item is cheap and worthwhile.

Ye Guang believes that redemption items should consist of 60% household products, 20% well-known brands, and 20% novelty items. This ratio doesn't have to be exact, but household and well-known products should always be the majority. For example, laundry detergent, tissues, and toilet paper—items that customers can immediately tell are cheap.

More importantly, this makes customers think: since well-known brands are so cheap, the store's overall selection must be good value and inexpensive.

2. Lack of Redemption Atmosphere

A lack of redemption atmosphere mainly manifests as a lack of clear redemption guidance, which can be divided into two points:

A. Customers don't know how much they need to spend to redeem an item;

B. Customers don't know the benefits of redeeming items. 3. Overly Complex Redemption Options

Some stores offer too many items for customers to redeem, making it difficult for them to choose and focus their redemption efforts. Ideally, redemptions should include 3 to 4 price points and 6 to 8 products.

Besides the issues mentioned above, there's another redemption method – redemption with change.

During promotions in cosmetic stores, discounts or small change can sometimes cause minor inconvenience for cashiers. For example, they might struggle to make change, or giving change can become a major time-consuming task. Therefore, providing redemption items that allow for change at the checkout counter can help improve cashier efficiency and slightly increase daily sales.

Whether it's cotton swabs, wet wipes, single packs of tissues, small hand creams, or other small items related to change, these can all be offered at the checkout counter.

When offering change through exchange programs, keep these two points in mind: First, the focus should be on making change; never try to appear like you're trying to make a profit. Second, avoid a cluttered display; identify a few key price points for making change, such as one yuan, five jiao, two jiao, or five yuan, as these are generally easier to give change from. Then, organize your change-giving items around these price ranges.

After reading this, do you know which products to display at the checkout counter? Go back to your store and adjust your checkout counter!