Micro signal：
-
National service hotline
- 400-082-1188
- What are the layout techniques for steel and wood shelves
- What are the applications of steel and wood shelves in supermarkets
- How to design the open shelving system in the weighing area
- Why is the cash register in a convenience store important
- What are the attractive aspects of the design of IKEA tobacco and wine cabinets
How to consider customer flow when displaying shelves in the fresh food area
source：dzoneshop.com | Release time：2025年09月23日1、 First, clarify the core logic of customer flow in the fresh food area: plan the path around "essential needs → association → high gross profit"
The core demand of customers entering the fresh food area is to "buy essential goods" (such as daily vegetables, fresh meat, eggs). The flow design needs to first meet the "convenience of essential needs", and then use "path guidance" to allow customers to naturally come into contact with related products and high gross profit products, avoiding the reverse experience design of "taking detours for guidance". The core logic can be summarized as follows: "Entrance → High frequency area of rigid demand → Related category area → High gross profit/characteristic area → Exit", corresponding to the change in consumer psychology of customers from "clear demand → derived demand → potential demand"
2、 Shelf layout adaptation to flow lines: avoid three major "flow line obstacles" and ensure "smoothness+coverage"
Shelves are the "carriers" of the flow line. If the layout is not reasonable, it will directly lead to customer crowding, detours, and missing product categories. The following issues need to be avoided, and the flow line should be guided through shelf design:
1. Avoiding "flow line obstacles": 3 key layout principles
Principle 1: There should be no "dead corners" in the demand area, and the shelf spacing should be ≥ 1.2 meters. High frequency demand areas (such as vegetables and fresh meat) are areas where customers gather, and the shelf spacing should be wide enough (at least 1.2 meters, able to accommodate 2 people selecting side by side and 1 person passing through during peak hours) to avoid "crowded people" and poor selection experience; At the same time, the shelves in the demand area should avoid "L-shaped" and "U-shaped" dead corners (such as placing vegetable heads in corners) to prevent customers from giving up their purchases due to "difficult entry and exit". Counterexample: If the fresh meat cabinet is closely attached to the vegetable rack with a distance of only 0.8 meters, it will form a "blockage point" during peak hours. Customers who want to bypass the fresh meat cabinet after buying vegetables will have to queue up and wait, which is easy to give up the purchase.
Principle 2: "Refrigerated/Frozen Cabinets" should be arranged "on one side" along the moving line to avoid "back and forth crossing". Refrigerated cabinets (such as yogurt and fresh meat) and frozen cabinets (such as frozen seafood and dumplings) are "fixed stopping points". If they are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the moving line (such as the left refrigerated cabinet and the right refrigerated cabinet), customers need to "cross the moving line" back and forth in order to buy two products, which may disrupt the overall path; Correct approach: Concentrate the refrigeration/freezing cabinets on the "one side" of the moving line (such as the right side of the moving line), and arrange them in the order of "refrigeration → freezing" (customers first buy cold products that need to be selected at room temperature, and then buy frozen products that need to be quickly picked up) to reduce turnover.
Principle 3: "The stacking head does not block the flow line". The height of the stacking head in the middle of the channel is ≤ 1.2 meters. Fresh stacking heads (such as watermelon piles and potato piles) are the key to attracting customers. However, if they are placed in the middle of the channel and the height exceeds 1.5 meters (such as using a high platform to stack watermelons), it will obstruct customers' line of sight, causing them to not see the flow line ahead and easily "bump into people" or "miss the category ahead"; Specification: The height of the stacking head in the middle of the channel should be controlled below 1.2 meters (not exceeding the customer's line of sight height), and a distance of 0.5 meters should be maintained from the shelves on both sides to ensure that the flow line is "clear and unobstructed"; If you need to make a high stack (such as a fruit tower for holiday promotions), it should be placed in a location that does not affect traffic, such as a "traffic corner" or "area corner".
2. Using "shelves to guide the flow line": 2 detailed designs
Using "low shelves" to guide "natural turns" and avoid "forced detours". If the fresh food area needs to guide customers from the "vegetable area" to the "fruit area", a "low shelf" (height ≤ 0.8 meters, such as a low pile of loose cherry tomatoes) can be used to connect the two areas - the low shelf does not obstruct the line of sight. When customers see the goods on the low shelf, they will naturally slow down and turn to the fruit area, instead of using "high shelves to block the way" to force detours.
The "exit" is located near the "cash register", and there is no "dead end" at the end of the route. The fresh food area exit needs to be connected to the main channel of the supermarket and the cash register to avoid customers having to turn back and take a detour after buying fresh food; At the same time, there is no "high gross profit zone" (such as imported fruits) at the end of the flow line (near the exit) to prevent customers from "turning back" and disrupting the flow of the flow line in order to buy products at the exit (the end is suitable for "supplementary categories" such as miscellaneous grains and dry goods, which customers can quickly take and export directly).
3、 Guidance on flow details: 3 "implicit designs" to help customers "not get lost and willing to walk more"
In addition to shelf layout, some "hidden details" can further optimize the flow experience, making customers more willing to stay on the flow:
1. Use "ground signs+price tags" to guide the path and avoid getting lost
Place "arrow signs" on the ground, indicating the direction of the product category (such as "→ Fresh meat area 50 meters" and "→ Fruit area 30 meters"), especially suitable for large fresh food areas (such as supermarket fresh food areas exceeding 200 square meters), to help customers quickly locate them;
The "category price tags" above the shelves are differentiated by "different colors" (such as green in the vegetable area, red in the fresh meat area, and yellow in the fruit area), allowing customers to identify category directions by color and reduce the time spent searching for categories.
During peak hours, a "temporary passage" should be reserved to avoid overcrowding in the fresh food area. During peak hours (9-11am, 5-7 pm), customers should gather in the area. A "temporary passage" (width ≥ 0.8 meters) should be reserved next to the "essential area" (such as vegetables and fresh meat), and marked with "isolation belts" or "guide signs" to indicate "temporary passage" and prevent customers from blocking the main line when selecting in the essential area; At the same time, during peak hours, staff are arranged to guide the flow at "blocking points" (such as near vegetable piles), reminding customers who have already selected to go towards the exit direction and avoid stopping.
Design of "Stopping Points" on the route: Make customers "willing to stay longer", increase exposure to product categories, set "stopping incentives" in the "related category area" and "high gross profit area" of the route, and let customers slow down and naturally come into contact with more products:
Set up a "tasting table" next to the fresh meat area (such as trying braised beef or fried steak), where customers will stop and see nearby scallions, ginger, garlic, and seasoning sauce while trying;
A "weighing platform" is set up in the middle of the fruit area. When customers queue up to weigh, they will see imported fruits and fresh cut fruit boxes around them, increasing the possibility of "convenient purchase";
Place a "recipe sign" next to the vegetable area (such as "What to eat today? Cabbage+Tofu=Cabbage Tofu Soup"), and customers will pause while reading the recipe, while also paying attention to the associated vegetables mentioned on the recipe.
Prev:
What are the attractive aspects of the design of …
Next:
Why are convenience store checkout counters so po…
【Related article】
Suzhou Giant Commercial Equipment Co., Ltd
official account
applet
wechat
contact
phone