DISPLAYS
Take the �Bored� Out of Your Frame Displays
Throwing every frame you have up on the wall is not the most effective way to present product. Display pros offer some suggestions.
By Susan P. Tarrant

Most dispensaries have �em�row upon row of frames, lining just about every inch of available wall space. Dispensers may consider them an easy, inexpensive way to display their assortment, but consumers often see them as a confusing mass of frames.

"There�s too much to look at," says Sandy Bright, a former optician and now owner of Bright Displays. "The eye has no place to look. It can�t stop on any one frame because it�s just bombarded with so many. It�s as if there was a wall with assorted words all over it, and [the customers] have to make sense of it."

And that�s not the biggest problem with frame boards, say dispensary designers and display divas. They are too overpowering, too crowded, too non-descript to do what you as a dispenser need them to do�attract patients to your frames.

This combination of frame boards and glass cabinetry from Ennco illustrates how you can keep some of your frame boards while incorporating other display elements.

The Problem

"Eyewear is fashion, it�s like jewelry. So, it needs to be displayed like jewelry," not like a commodity, says Justine Krefft, an interior designer with Ennco, a design and display company.

And therein lies the problem professional designers have with wall-covering frame boards. They don�t present the product in the best, most appealing way.

"Frame boards aren�t going to give you the versatility that other display systems do," Krefft says.

Bright adds, "Anything with a flat plane is boring, except television. And what is it about the television concept that makes you glued to the set? Color, movement, light." All aspects, she says, that are missing in the flat frame boards.

Frame boards also present a problem of organization and ease of use for consumers as well as dispensers, Bright says. Frame boards are typically not very organized, a problem that is often compounded by the fact that consumers (and even some dispensers) will not return frames to their original spot... they�ll just put them back wherever there�s an empty slot. And, consumers can feel intimidated by some of the boards, as some can be tricky to get the frames off and then back on.

Adapting Your Boards

Many dispensers have frame boards covering their walls because it�s easy... or because they don�t have a lot of space available in their dispensary... or because it�s a relatively inexpensive way to display frames. All of those are true enough. And if you�re reluctant or otherwise not quite ready to change, there are some simple adaptations you can make to your existing boards to put a little life in them.

"Take down those mirrors that are behind the frames," suggests Bright. Mirror-backed frame boards just heighten the problem of too many frames for the eye to take in at once.

"Frame boards are boring, it�s a fact." she adds. But that doesn�t mean they have to stay that way. She suggests reducing the number of frames you put on the board. Make some room to hang pictures on the board in the place of frames. Create some sections of the frame boards that are devoted to holding literature about eyewear or lenses.

Krefft suggests that dispensers look beyond their frame boards when trying to give them a face-lift. Sometimes altering the area around the boards provides the spark you may be looking for.

"A large part of sprucing up your dispensary is just plain cleaning and adding a little bit here and there," she says. "A coat of paint does wonders."

	Props can enliven any display, and shelving allows eyewear to be presented on pedestals. From Bright Display.

Breaking the Mold

Want to really shake things up around your dispensary? Get up the nerve to just do it�take down your frame boards... or at least most of them. There are too many options out there to resist, designers say.

Taking more of a retail approach to your dispensary should result in more "specialized" displays. Instead of throwing your entire assortment up onto the walls, highlight certain areas of your assortment, Krefft says. Create more of a boutique look, even if it�s with just a portion of your eyewear.

"People don�t have to buy their frames in your dispensary," she says. "You have to make them want to buy their frames from you. I�m not saying that you shouldn�t have a large inventory. I�m just saying you don�t have to display all of it at once."

Sandy Bright agrees. And she also understands that it�s not always feasible for optical retailers to just start ripping down frame boards and start redecorating. There are little things you can do in the dispensary that will make a world of difference.

"Look for a space that�s underutilized. Start with just one little space on your wall," Bright explains. "Put in a few shelves, and on the shelves put a few props. A couple of flower vases, a gumball machine, anything. And put your best frames there.

"Give it a try," Bright implores. "You�ll see the difference that even something little like that can make. And then, little by little, make similar changes around the dispensary at your own pace."

Ennco�s Krefft adds that there is plenty of opportunity to liven up the dispensary�and even your frame boards�with nothing more than a few dollars and some creativity.

• Use your window. If you have one, a window is the portal through which your customer is first made. Put some of your best frames there. Use props to liven it up�books, balloons, toys, seasonal decorations... anything. And change it often. "A frequent new window look is going to draw attention from everyone," Krefft says.
• Add a glass case or glass shelving in one area. Installing a couple of shelves or a stand-alone case in one section of the shop is probably not going to break your bank, and it provides the space to put some eyewear on stands, on pedestals, or on props.
• Use your vendor-supplied P-O-P wisely. It�s free merchandising. Take advantage of it. However, be careful not to go overboard. A little can go a long way.
• Be creative with mirrors. Obviously, a dispensary needs mirrors, and plenty of them. If you still have frame boards, remove frames from several sections and place mirrors there.
• Light it up. Lighting is very important to any retail environment. "Halogen lighting really brings out the sparkle in frames," Krefft says.

"Even though you�re spending a minimal amount of money, you�ve added something to your aesthetic quality," she says. And that�s the goal entirely.

Here�s another suggestion from Krefft. Take a frame board down and nail up a piece of inexpensive pressboard or plywood. Tack fabric over and around it and attach decorative rods from which you can hang a limited number of frames. Use more fabric or something else as a border around the board... and you�ve got a different way of displaying frames, while still on a frame board.

The bottom line, our designers say, is that a little creative merchandising says something to your patients about how you feel about your eyewear. Using a few creative display tactics can, believe it or not, keep some patients from taking their prescriptions and going to another optical retailer to buy their eyewear.

"We as consumers expect a lot," Bright says. "You may not notice it right away, but if you�re not getting the referrals you used to, you�re losing money to people who are doing a better job of merchandising. In this retail age, if you�re not merchandising the best that you possibly can, you�re losing customers�and money." EB