Opening a Yogurt Shop? Top 3 Display Tools You’ll Need

Opening a yogurt shop can be, like embarking on any new business adventure, both exciting and scary. How big will your shop be? How many employees will you hire? How many different kinds of yogurt will you offer? Will you offer any other kind of product?

However, yogurt shops require a few things that not every business requires – specifically, special display fixtures. Below are the top three yogurt shop display tools you’ll need to both attractively and conveniently display your merchandise.

1. Acrylic Dispensers and Other Acrylic Bins

Acrylic food dispensers and other acrylic bins such as mini bins and jumbo mini bins are essential display fixtures for yogurt shops. These kinds of acrylic containers help you easily showcase merchandise – including yogurt toppings such as sprinkles – and many are available with necessary accessories such as plastic or aluminum scoops that help customers retrieve the amount of product they need without touching any of the rest of it (see below).

As you’re looking for acrylic dispensers and other acrylic bins for your new yogurt shop, note that you can find these display fixtures in a wide variety of sizes – make sure you choose the sizes that will best display your items as well as work with the amount of display space you have. Note that additional display fixtures – including countertop racks and slatwall dispensers, addressed below – can help you make the most of your display space.

2. Scoop Bin Countertop Racks

Countertop display racks are excellent display fixtures for making the most of your display space. You can use these kinds of racks to create more display space on a small countertop, attractively and conveniently display other fixtures such as acrylic scoop bins on an otherwise awkwardly shaped countertop, or simply create even more display space on an already sizeable countertop.

As you’re shopping for countertop display racks for your new yogurt shop, make sure you choose racks that will:

• Fit your countertop space. Countertop display racks are available in numerous sizes, so be sure to choose the racks of the heights and widths that will work best with your countertop.
• Hold the kinds of acrylic dispensers and bins you plan to use to display your yogurt toppings and other products. Both acrylic containers and countertop racks are available in a variety of sizes, so make sure you choose sizes in each that will work well with each other.

3. Scoop Bin Slatwall Dispensers

Showcasing merchandise on your yogurt shop’s walls is a great way to make the most of your display space, as well as offer extra convenience to your customers.

As is the case with countertop display racks, slatwall display fixtures are available in a variety of sizes. Be sure to choose the slatwall display that will fit your wall space and conveniently hold your dispensers.

BONUS: Don’t Forget the Accessories!

When you’re dealing with products like yogurt toppings – which includes dry food items like sprinkles, granola, and nuts – you must make sure your displays include accessories such as:

• Plastic scoops or aluminum scoops to help customers easily retrieve the amount of toppings or other food product they need without contaminating the rest of it.
• Container lids to help keep the food items fresh and safe from debris both during work hours and while you’re storing them.

3 Important Factors for Creating a Candy Display

Whether you manage a convenience store, candy shop, or bookstore, if you’re thinking of creating a candy display you probably have a few questions about how to get started.

What kinds of candies should you use? Should you order bulk wrapped candies or bulk wrapped candies? Where can you find bulk candy for wholesale prices? And how should you display all of this candy?

1. Consider Your Store and Its Customers

The kind of candy you display in your store should reflect both your store’s “atmosphere” as well as the kinds of customers you serve on a daily basis.

For example, if you manage a convenience store or gas station, you probably serve a variety of customers from all walks of life. This means your candy selection will need to reflect the tastes of each of those customers – or, at least, the bulk of those customers. Perhaps you’ll want to offer a selection of gourmet-style candies as well as a larger selection of popular and novelty candies like Jolly Ranchers, Jawbreakers, Runts, and an assortment of lollipops and suckers.

At the same time, if your store is a specialty shop of any sort, you’ll want your candy selection to reflect that. For example, candy stores that pay homage to candy shops of olden days might want to include classic kinds of candies like gumballs or “penny candies.” A shop that caters to a mature customer base, on the other hand, might want to focus more on gourmet chocolates.

2. Think about the Location of Your Candy Display

The location of the candy display is an especially important factor for storeowners who sell a variety of candies – and a variety of other kinds of merchandise – to consider.

For example, if your store sells merchandise geared toward children, such as toys, coloring books and crayons, and board games, it’s a good idea to situate a small display of your novelty or “more fun” candies – the kinds of candies that appeal to children – in these areas.

3. Compare the Best Candy Display Tools

Now that you know what kind of candy you want to sell, it’s time to think about the best way to display that candy – in other words, you need the display tools guaranteed to showcase your candy in the most attractive and convenient ways.

Some of the most popular display tools include:

• Colored and plastic containers.

• Glass and plastic fishbowl containers.

• Gumball machines.

• Wire display racks like convenience store racks. *

• Wooden display racks and wooden baskets. *

• Pegboard display racks. *

• Hanging shelf display racks. *

* Note that you can find a variety of display racks designed for countertop displays and floor displays.

Just as when you were choosing the kind of candy your store should sell, as you’re choosing your display racks you should consider your store’s atmosphere. For example, plastic containers and fishbowls and wire rack displays work great for all store types, but glass jars and fishbowls and wooden display racks and baskets add an extra elegance to your displays.

Using Fishbowl Containers as Display Tools

From convenience stores to gift shops, many different kinds of retail businesses can use fishbowl containers as display tools.

Just take a look at how versatile fishbowls are:

• You can find both plastic fishbowls and glass fishbowls. Choose the material that best suits your store’s environment and atmosphere. For example, if you manage a fast-paced convenience store or gas station, use plastic fishbowl containers for your displays. If your store offers a more laid back atmosphere and you want to add elegant charm to your displays, select glass fishbowl containers.

• Fishbowls come in a variety of sizes, so you can choose which ones will work best with the amount of space you have work with. For example, if you plan to create a countertop display with your fishbowls but don’t have much countertop space, choose a few small fishbowl containers or one or two larger versions.

• Other display tools, such as wire display racks, work well with fishbowls. You can find these racks big enough for floor displays and small enough for countertop displays. You can use any kind of fishbowl with these display racks as long as they securely sit on the racks, but because display racks slightly increase the chances of accidents (such as a customer bumping into them), plastic fishbowls might be your best option.

Use Fishbowl Containers to Create a Countertop Display

Like traditional square or round plastic containers, plastic fishbowl containers are ideal tools for creating countertop displays. These spheres are perfect for displaying small candies as well as non-edible items like key chains, matchbooks, and lighters.

The size and number of fishbowls you use for your display will depend on how much countertop space you have. Choose the material of your fishbowls – plastic or glass – based on the amount of traffic your countertop area experiences as well as the kind of visual appeal you’re trying to create. Plastic works best for countertop areas that see high volumes of traffic, while glass adds more elegance to your display.

And, keep in mind you can use wire display racks to make the most of your countertop space (see below).

Pair Fishbowl Containers with Floor Wire Display Racks

If your countertop doesn’t offer a lot of space, or you’d rather spread your fishbowl displays throughout your store, you can use wire display racks. Wire display racks are available in designs suitable for both countertop displays and floor displays.

Choose wire display racks designed for countertop displays if your countertop doesn’t offer much room, or you simply want to make the most of the room it does offer. These racks generally come with one to three shelves and are ideal for small fishbowls filled with small candies or mini add-on items.

Wire display racks designed for floor displays offer numerous shelves and are great for showcasing additional small items at the end of your aisles next to larger, similar displays. For example, you might want to create a display of travel-sized hygiene products next to your larger display of full-sized items.

Keep in mind that placing your fishbowls on wire display racks means they’re higher off the ground, so you might want to choose plastic fishbowls for these displays.

How Can Your Store Use Plastic Containers?

Plastic containers are ideal for organizing, storing, and displaying an assortment of merchandise types and nearly every kind of store – from convenience stores and grocery stores to bookstores and gift shops – can use these containers.

Answering the following questions will help you determine how your store can best use plastic containers for storage and display purposes.

Does Your Store Have Ample Countertop Space?

If your store has a countertop, take a look at the amount of space you have to work with on top.

Storeowners with large countertops to work with generally use this space to create convenient and visually appealing countertop displays with plastic containers. With plenty of countertop space to work with, the list of display types you can create is nearly endless. You can create fun displays of colored acrylic containers filled with food-related items like candy, breath mints, and bubblegum, or you can arrange a number of containers on your countertop to display nonfood items like small children’s toys, souvenir items like key chains, and convenience items like lighters.

However, if you don’t have much available countertop space to work with, you might still have enough room for one or two small plastic containers filled with add-on items. Depending on the kind of store you run, these add-on items might include small kinds of merchandise such as candy, key chains, or bookmarks.

Does Your Store Use Display Racks?

If you use display racks anywhere in your store – such as near the countertop and register, throughout the aisles, or close to the entryway – chances are you can increase the number of items you display on these racks by placing them in plastic containers.

Obviously, you can situate stand-alone plastic containers on racks with built-in shelves; however, you also have options if you use pegboard racks. Pegboard displays are designed to accommodate acrylic buckets and bins with pegs that fasten them in place. These kinds of displays are great for organizing and displaying a specialty shop’s hobby and craft items like beads and buttons, as well as an accessory boutique’s costume jewelry pieces like rings and hair accessories.

Keep in mind that small display racks are ideal for countertop displays, too. Regardless of your countertop’s size, these racks can help you make the most of the space you have.

Does Your Store Sell Any Kind of Food Items?

The phrase “food items” includes many different kinds of merchandise.

For example, your store might not sell meal items, but it might sell candy, in which case you need plastic containers of various sizes to organize and display the different kinds of candy. Your store might be a deli or bakery, and you need food grade acrylic containers with lids to store and display sandwich toppings or bagels, donuts, brownies, or cupcakes. You might manage an ice cream parlor or yogurt shop and need acrylic bins with handles or scoops for your toppings.

Simply consider the kinds of food items your store sells to determine the kind of plastic containers that will best do the job.

Colorful Ideas for Neon Pegboard Displays

If you think your store display options are limited to plain white or clear convenience store-style racks, think again.

Neon pegboard racks are quite adaptable for displaying an assortment of merchandise types in various locations throughout your store. You can find these racks in numerous colors (such as classic clear, black or white as well as bright blue, pink, purple, green, yellow, and orange), which will help you add visual appeal to your display. And, because these racks are also available in both floor and countertop display models of various heights and widths, they make it easy for you to accommodate the amount of space you have to work with and most kinds of small merchandise you want to display.

Neon Pegboard Floor Racks and Countertop Displays

When it comes to neon pegboard displays, versatility is the word! You can find these displays in both floor rack and countertop rack models, making it easy for you to choose the rack that not only works the best with the space you have to work with within your store, but also the model that will organize and display your merchandise in ways that offer the most convenience to your customers.

Of course, neon pegboard racks do more than just sit there, look pretty, and display your merchandise. You can find:

• Revolving or Spinning Racks: Pegboard racks that revolve or spin work extremely well for stores that have limited floor space (such as those that require you to place the racks near the store’s walls or corners), as well as atop countertops where customers can’t move themselves to view the merchandise hanging on each side of the rack.

• Racks of Various Heights and Widths: Whether you need floor racks or countertop racks, you can find them in a variety of heights and widths. If you want to create a floor display for an ample quantity of merchandise, choose a wide pegboard floor rack. If you’re creating a countertop display where space is limited, choose a tall pegboard countertop rack so you can include more items without taking up as much countertop space.

Accessories for Your Store’s Neon Pegboard Displays

Neon pegboard racks generally aren’t functional “as is”; you’ll need a few accessories before you can start using them.

• Hooks: If you want to display merchandise designed to hang, you’ll need hooks for your rack display. You can find these in wire or plastic.

• Trays and Cups: Plastic and acrylic trays and cups are available in various widths and depths and are ideal for displaying items that aren’t designed to hang.

• Extensions: Store displays often change, and sometimes this means the amount of merchandise in a display increases or decreases. Thanks to extensions, you don’t have to use a different pegboard rack every time you want to switch up your display.

• Header Sign Holders: These holders help you display signs – such as those announcing a price or a certain item promotion – on top of your pegboard rack. Sign holders are generally available in clear and in rectangle or half-circle shapes.

Where to Position Your Convenience Store Racks

No convenience store is complete without a few display racks. Convenience store racks are ideal ways to organize and display a store’s merchandise, and because these racks are available in an assortment of styles and sizes, there’s virtually no end to the list of display and location possibilities.

Depending on the size of your convenience store, you might be able to use display racks within your store’s aisles, on the countertops, in the deli-style area, and even near the main entries and exits.

Situate Display Racks Near Your Store’s Aisles

One of the most popular places for storeowners to place convenience store racks is at either end of their stores’ aisles; sometimes, if there’s enough room, they can even place racks in the aisles.

There’s really no limit to the kinds of merchandise you can display using these racks. Some ideas might include bagged items like potato chips, peanuts, and trail mix, as well as other wrapped items like granola or breakfast bars, candy bars, and cookies. Some storeowners like to use these racks to display cases of soda and liters too large to fit in the refrigerated section of the store.

Choose Smaller Racks for Registers and Countertops

Another common place for storeowners to use convenience store racks to display merchandise is on the countertops near the registers. These displays offer customers a sort of “last chance” buying option for add-on items.

Usually, merchandise in these kinds of displays includes small, edible items like pieces of candy, gumballs, and lollipops in colored or clear plastic containers. If the countertop offers enough space, you might want to display slightly larger items like candy bars and single-serving bags of chips; with this kind of merchandise, you can generally just place the items directly on the display racks or place the entire box – such as is the case with candy bars – on the rack.

Deli-Style Areas Offer Numerous Options for Display Racks

If your convenience store provides a deli-style area, you can use display racks to organize and offer everything from sandwich dressings and condiments to trays of baked goods like cookies, brownies, and breakfast biscuits. You can also use convenience store racks to hold plastic containers of napkins, straws, and packets of coffee sweetener and creamer, sugar, salt, and pepper.

Be Careful With Merchandise Near Entries and Exits

Because it makes it easy for thieves to make a quicker getaway, positioning convenience store racks near a store’s entries and exits is tricky; however, it’s not impossible. Some stores like small gas stations and even larger convenience stores have to make the most of the floor space they have to work with, and many storeowners choose to situate merchandise-laden display racks near their establishments’ doorways.

If you choose your store’s entries and exits as locations for your display racks, make sure to choose merchandise too large for someone to easily walk away with, such as the same kind of items you’d place in your aisles – large bags of chips, cases of soda, and the like.

Preparing Your Countertop for a Candy Display

Countertop displays of candy are essential for convenience stores, and they also work well in grocery stores, restaurants and hotels.

However, whether you want to create an elaborate display along your countertop or one that includes just a few simple add-on items, you need to consider three things before you start thinking about what kind of candy you want to include in your countertop display: the about the amount of countertop space you have to work with, the difference kinds of candy containers that are available to you, and whether countertop racks would benefit your display.

1. Amount of Countertop Space

The amount of countertop space you have to work with is the key to how everything else regarding your countertop display will play out. If you have plenty of room, you’ll be able to display a much wider variety of candies using more – or larger – candy containers than you would if you only have a small space to work with.

2. Different Kinds of Candy Containers

Once you have a good handle on how much countertop space you have to work with, you can start thinking about the kinds of candy containers you want to use.

• Plastic Candy Containers: These containers are probably the most popular kinds among convenience stores, grocery stores, and other fast pasted retail settings. These containers are quite sturdy, so they’re less likely to break if you or a customer accidentally bumps into them. Clear plastic containers are common choices, but don’t forget about colored acrylic containers. These bins can help you have fun with your countertop displays!
• Food Grade Plastic Containers: Not to be confused with regular plastic containers, food grade plastic containers are designed to keep food fresh and safe from contamination. These bins generally come equipped with lids that you can either snap or screw in place or that are already hinged on the container, as well as plastic or aluminum scoops for customers to get the candy.
• Glass Candy Jars: Though they’re not quite as popular as plastic candy containers, glass candy jars are stylish alternatives for businesses that aim to give off a sense of elegance or charm. Glass jars especially work well for establishments that don’t see high volumes of rambunctious traffic, like hotels and restaurants.
  

Regardless of what kind of candy containers you think will work best in your store, remember to keep your countertop space in mind as you’re selecting them.

3. Using Countertop Racks

Countertop racks are available in a variety of styles and are ideal for countertops of nearly every size. As long as you select racks designed to hold the kind of candy containers you want to use in your display, these racks will help you make the most of your countertop space.

Once you’ve evaluated your countertop space, selected the kind of candy containers you want to use, and determined whether countertop racks will benefit you, you’ll be ready to choose the kind of candy you want to include in your countertop display!

Creating Countertop Displays for Your Specialty Shop

If you’ve ever been to an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, you can probably remember the thrill of gazing upon the sea of chocolate chips, multicolored sprinkles, nuts, raisins, and gummy candies neatly lined up along the shop’s countertop just waiting for you to dive in. Having the freedom to select your own toppings is as exciting for children as it is for adults, and the convenience of not having to point to each and every kind of sprinkle or nut you want is unbeatable.

Specialty shops like ice cream parlors, yogurt shops, and bagel shops create these kinds of displays on countertops to add convenience to their customers’ experience, as well as attractively display everything they have to offer. Whether your shop specializes in baked goods and pastries, desserts like ice cream, or healthy treats like yogurt, chances are you can only increase your customers’ convenience when you create a countertop display.

Displays Allow for Customer Convenience

When you display your store’s merchandise along a countertop, you’re adding convenience to your customers’ shopping experience. Not only are your customers able to take their time selecting what they want, but they’re also able to choose from an organized display of items.

Consider these ideas as you’re planning your countertop display:

• You can use food grade plastic containers to create displays of the assortment of bagels, donuts, brownies, or other baked goods and pastries your store sells. Look for containers with lids to keep your food safe from debris, and make sure to include plastic tongs with each container so your customers can easily grab the food item they want.
• You can use round or square plastic containers along your countertop to store and display the toppings you offer for any ice cream or yogurt you might sell. These containers are available in a variety of sizes and you can situate them along your countertop or you can display them using wire display racks sized to fit your countertop. Using displays racks is also a great idea for making the most of the countertop space you have to work with. You might want to purchase these containers with lids as well, and depending on the kinds of toppings you’re offering you might also be interested in plastic containers with hand grips.
• You can include items like utensils, napkins, and drinking cups, lids, and straws in your countertop display, too (or, depending on the layout of your store, you can create an entirely separate display for these items).
  

And remember: Creating countertop displays not only allows for customer convenience, but it also frees up your time to see to other customers.

Sell Additional Merchandise with Extra Displays

If your shop sells more than just food items or the kinds of toppings you’d include with ice cream and yogurt, you can create a countertop display to showcase your additional merchandise. Additional merchandise might include:

• Prepackaged food items like candy, cookies, or chips.
• Non-edible items like children’s toys, souvenirs, and handmade crafts from local artisans.
  

You can easily use plastic containers for these kinds of displays, and depending on the amount of countertop space you have to work with you might also want to situate these containers atop wire display racks.

Showcasing Candy with Counter Displays

Counter displays are popular ways to store and showcase convenience store merchandise, and probably the most popular merchandise in a convenience store display is candy.

Below are a few ideas for using counter displays to showcase your convenience store’s candy.

Break Away From The Usual Shapes

Probably the two most popular shapes for plastic containers are round and square. Of course, there are variations to these two shapes (you might find containers shaped like fish bowls with flatter sides, or containers that are more rectangular than square), but round and square shapes are the most common.

However, there are actually many different kinds of container shapes available. For example, you can choose containers shaped like holiday elements – such as Santa’s boot, a Christmas tree, a Halloween pumpkin, and an Easter baskets – and use these containers during certain months of the year. In addition to containers with holiday-inspired shapes, you can also find containers in other universal shapes that you can use anytime of the year. These shapes include hearts, stars, hexagons, octagons, and even taller, cylindrical spheres.

Consider using these different kinds of shapes to add to the visual appeal of your counter display.

Clear Isn’t Your Only Option

Just as round and square are the two most common shapes for plastic containers, clear is probably the most popular “color.” Clear containers are convenient because they make it easy for both you and your customers to see what kind of merchandise is in each container.

Yet, clear isn’t your only option. You can find acrylic containers in just as many color options as shape options! Colored containers help you shake up your counter display in a variety of ways. Think about these ways you can use colored candy containers:

• You can use colors that represent the current holiday, show team spirit, or represent your state’s colors.
• You can use colors to better organize your candy. For example, you can put mint-flavored candy in green containers, strawberry-flavored candy in red or pink containers, and orange-flavored candy in orange containers.
• If your convenience store has a certain kind of “theme,” you can use colors that represent that theme.
  

Create More Space With Wire Countertop Racks

Countertop racks are essential tools when it comes to creating an attractive and convenience countertop display. You can find these plastic or wire rack displays in various heights with one, two, three, or more shelves for your plastic containers. These kinds of racks are also available in an assortment of colors, which makes it easier for you to match them with any colored containers you plan to use.

Before you select wire countertop racks for your display, take a look at how much room you have to work with on your countertop. This will help you determine the appropriate height and width of the rack you select. If you have an ample amount of countertop space, you might want to select a large wire display rack, or even several small racks to showcase an assortment of candy; however, if you don’t have much space to work with, you might only be able to get away with one or two smaller rack displays.

Using Countertop Displays in Your Convenience Store

You’ve probably never been in a convenience store that didn’t have some kind of countertop display with plastic containers. Countertop displays are important tools in convenience stores because they allow shop owners to store and showcase merchandise that might not work well elsewhere, such as small pieces of candy, gumballs, lollipops and suckers, and even non-edible merchandise.

Plastic containers work well in countertop displays because they’re sturdy and durable, they’re lightweight, and they’re versatile. Convenience stores tend to experience a lot of fast paced traffic, and these kinds of plastic and acrylic containers help ensure nothing gets broken and displays can easily be changed when necessary.

As you’re considering countertop displays for your convenience store, ask yourself the following three questions.

Question 1: What Kind of Merchandise Will The Containers Hold?

It’s likely the merchandise in your countertop display will be fairly small, but you have several sizes of containers to choose from. You can find mini plastic containers great for small pieces of candy or gumballs and you can find larger containers perfect for children’s toys. Choose container sizes that will work best with the items you plan to showcase.

Keep in mind you can find containers with lids for those food items that aren’t wrapped and need extra protection from dust and other debris. A convenience store’s countertop and register area experiences a lot of traffic, so make sure your merchandise is protected.

Question 2: How Much Countertop Space Do I Have To Work With?

The kind of countertop display you create (and the containers you use to create it) will largely depend on how much space you have to work with. If the area near your register is fairly sizeable, you’ll have quite a bit of freedom in terms of container sizes and how you place them on your countertop. However, if you have limited space, you might need to choose small containers and look into wire countertop racks to help you effectively and attractively stack and display them.

Question 3: How Can I Have Fun With The Containers And Display?

Keep in mind you aren’t limited to plain round or square containers. You can find containers in holiday-inspired shapes as well as universal shapes like stars and hearts. You also don’t have to choose just clear acrylic containers. You can find containers in virtually every color of the rainbow. You might want to purchase a few traditional clear fish bowl containers for safety, along with a few colored containers and containers in fun shapes to add some flair to your displays.

One of the great things about countertop displays is that they aren’t permanent – you can switch things around as often as you like! Aside from appearances, other points to keep in mind when you think about switching your displays around include visibility and convenience. Watch your customers’ reactions to your displays. Are they able to easily access the merchandise? Does it look like they’re avoiding the merchandise because they can’t reach it? Are you sure they can see all of the merchandise?

Remember: Visibility and convenience must both come before attractiveness when you’re creating your countertop displays.