Shelving Tips During The Pandemic

Shelving refers to the construction and usage of shelves. But how exactly are having shelves any useful, especially in markets? Commercial shelving is a strategy adopted by supermarkets to effectively display products and strategically draw in more visitors to supermarkets. It is a tried and tested strategy that does not fail. Shelving contributes directly to visual merchandising, and hence it is very much essential in the supermarket business.

But shelving plays a much more significant role than merely displaying products. Shelving plays a substantial role in shaping the floor plan or layout of the entire supermarket. It determines which pathways to be used by customers, customers' capacity to accommodate and segregate the store based on products.

Hence, the COVID 19 Pandemic contributes a lot to how shelving should be in supermarkets. This article is specially designed to help you understand this relationship and determine what strategies can be adopted during the COVID 19 pandemic without compromising the commercial space's functioning. 

Tips for shelving during the pandemic

The pandemic has resulted in drastic changes to the way commercial spaces function. A massive influx of hygiene products can be seen, and all the spaces must follow COVID 19 guidelines set by the government, i.e., social distancing. Here are some shelving tips that one can adopt to streamline their functioning while considering the limitations and regulations set by the pandemic.

1. Uphold the social distancing policy

It is first and foremost that commercial spaces attempt to uphold social distancing policy. Hence shelves should be appropriately spaced, and one can think of expanding the pathway for customers. It is essential to avoid creating narrow paths with shelves. The use of floor stickers can contribute towards upholding social distancing policy.

2. Make products with heavy demand more accessible and visible

You can use shelves to highlight products that are in high demand. For example, during the pandemic, hygiene and sanitary products are in greater demand. So, it would be wise to place shelves that display the same in the front rather than at the back and hence not being easily accessible.

3. Use vertical shelves

Usage of vertical shelves can help reduce the space consumed by horizontal shelves and help contribute to social distancing by increasing the width of pathways. But it is essential not to use shelves that are too high and cause difficulty for customers to reach.

4. Invest in window display shelves

Window display shelves can help advertise products and thus reel in customers into the store. But these shelves must be stocked safely to avoid casualties.

5. Determine room layout based on customer data

Commercial space owners must use data about the customer's shopping journey, to determine room layout and use shelves to plan walkways and product placement.