Three retailers reveal how they are growing impulse sales in their stores

Aaron Gray

ViVo Essentials Greenisland, County Antrim

“We concentrate on PoS to get those extra couple of pounds. We mainly use basket displays. We have a table in front of our tills where we put confectionery and things like Mr Kipling cakes or cakes we bake in store. Because they’re at the till, they look nice as people come in and the smell of freshly baked pastries encourages people to pick them up.

“The front of the store is where our till is located with lots of impulse options and we’ve also got an aisle full of offers. If anything’s on offer, there’s a half shelf that’s highlighted red with deals where you can save money. If customers see that and realise they can get it cheaper with us than at the multiples, they’ll buy it. It’s all about adding to that basket, whether it’s a four-pack of Kinder Bueno or whatever, because every little helps at the moment. We have other stuff around the store as well in eye-catching stacks.”

Vas Vekaria

Kegs ‘n’ Blades, Warrington, Lancashire

“We’ve got three secondary schools next to us, so American sweets and lollies do really well as impulse sales. We concentrate them on one side of the store and have a dedicated section for US sweets. Older kids these days have £10 a day spending money, so they’ll pile up bags of stuff every morning. And on top of that, all the impulse products are in hanging bags at the till. We’ve had major surgery on the counter area and it looks really nice now.

“I take my kids to the American confectionery wholesalers because I have no idea what to get, but they know exactly what everything is. It might look expensive, but you get it in the store and it flies off the shelves. “You’ve got to look at your demographic because if you’ve got primary schools near you, they won’t have as much money, so the more expensive options won’t sell as well.”

Bobby Singh

BB Nevison Superstore, Pontefract, West Yorkshire

“We had our Halloween displays and we made it all very attractive for our customers. We’re now doing the same with the festive branding and PoS to make sure it all looks appealing, so it stands out from the normal shelving units and generates impulsive sales.

“I’m a big believer in great creative PoS. You’ve got to use PoS creatively because straightaway it starts attracting attention and that’s when the impulse products really start to sell. Some people don’t use it as much as they should or don’t believe they need it, but I really appreciate it and use it as much as I can. It makes our job a lot easier when it comes to promoting products. Bringing some theatre to the store drives sales.

“We’ve just received some great Christmas PoS from the Post Office and we’ll be putting that up – ‘Snow’s not guaranteed for Christmas, but our special delivery is’. That’s tickled me.”

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