How to Create Countertop Displays for Every Store

You might think creating a countertop display is simple: Just choose your merchandise and situate it on the countertop in question, right?

Well, sort of – but creating a countertop display actually takes a bit more planning than that. You need to understand the amount of space you have to work with, choose the right merchandise to showcase, and find fixtures that will both work with the space and the merchandise to attractively and conveniently showcase your products.

Step One: Analyze Your Countertop Space

The first step to creating countertop displays is to analyze your countertop space. You have to be familiar with how much space you have to work with before you can move on to the second and third steps; after all, how are you supposed to know what kinds of merchandise and what kinds of display fixtures will fit on your countertop if you’re not sure how much space you have?

There are two ways to analyze your countertop space: You can “eyeball” it, which might work for some folks, or you can actually measure it, which works best in all situations. When you’re ready to order your display fixtures, you’ll see what sizes they’re available in and it will be easier to choose the ones right for your countertop if you know exactly how big or small your countertop is.

Step Two: Decide What Merchandise to Display

Now that you know how much countertop space you have to work with, it’s time to decide what merchandise you want to display.

Generally, the merchandise you showcase will depend on the kind of store you manage. If you manage a candy store, for example, you’ll probably want to create a candy display. If you manage a gas station or convenience store, you might want to showcase convenience items like lighters or key chains.

No matter what kind of merchandise you sell or choose for your countertop display, make sure it’s the appropriate size for the amount of space you have to work with (see above) and will comfortably fit in whatever display fixtures you choose (see below).

Step Three: Consider Your Display Fixture Options

The third step might actually be the trickiest – or, rather, the most time consuming – of all the steps. Why? Because there are so many different kinds of display fixtures to choose from!

Companies that sell wholesale store supplies generally have many different kinds of display fixtures to choose from – no matter what kind of merchandise you’re display or where you want to situate your display. When you combine one company’s many options with the many options of all the other companies out there that sell wholesale store supplies, your possibilities seem endless!

In order to avoid overwhelming yourself, make sure you choose display fixtures that work well with the amount of countertop space you have as well as both attractively and conveniently displays your merchandise.

Keep in mind that you can also supplement your countertop space by making use of the space near your countertop. For example, gumball machines, lollipop trees, and wire display racks designed to hold clear plastic containers and other display fixtures work well to showcase additional merchandise near your countertop (in your POP area, for example) without actually taking up extra countertop space.

How to Keep Your Candy Displays Fresh and Unique

Regardless of what they sell, most retail stores change their displays from time to time. Whether you manage a candy store, or a grocery store, bookstore, toy store, or gas station, if your establishment sells candy, below are five ways you can make sure you keep your candy displays fresh and unique.

Tip #1: Mix and Match Various Candy Store Displays

When you showcase your candy, you don’t have to keep your displays to one or two of a certain kind of fixture. There are numerous kinds of fixtures at your fingertips, and it’s easy to keep your displays fresh and unique when you mix and match a few of them.

If you’re creating a point-of-purchase display, or POP display, for example, you could mix clear plastic containers or colored acrylic bins to hold small pieces of wrapped candy or gumballs with pre-filled lollipop trees or gumball machines.

Tip #2: Update Your Candy Display With the Changing Seasons

This is perhaps the most fun tip when it comes to keeping your showcases fresh and unique. It’s easy to find both display fixtures and candy in holiday themes and colors, and it’s easy to use existing fixtures and candy to create showcases with a holiday flare.

For example, during Halloween you could create a gumball display using orange and black gumballs. You could do the same during Christmas using red and green gumballs. Colored acrylic bins are easy to find, and you could choose red and clear for Valentine’s Day displays, or pastels for spring and Easter.

Note that this tip also works well if your store is located in a city with a high school, college, or professional sports team. Showcase your candy in containers of the team’s colors!

Tip #3: Keep Your Eyes Open for New Candy Store Display Fixtures

Traditional candy display fixtures have survived the test of time because they’re functional and reliable; when it comes to clear plastic containers and colored acrylic bins, for example, there’s definitely no reason to fix what isn’t broken.

However, wholesalers and retailers that specialize in display fixtures are always coming out with new kinds of candy store display fixtures, and it’s wise for you to keep your eyes peeled for these releases. Trying out new fixtures isn’t “fixing what isn’t broken”; rather, it’s adding visual appeal and new convenience to your displays – and customers always appreciate that!

Tip #4: Reuse Old Candy Display Fixtures in New Ways

Depending on the kind of store you manage, you might have old display fixtures lying around that – while they weren’t originally used for, or maybe not even intended for, candy displays – would work well to showcase various kinds of sweet treats.

Tip #5: Don’t Confuse Your Customers!

In an effort to keep things fresh and unique, you might be tempted to rearrange your store or reposition your candy displays from time to time. Keep in mind that while rearranging your store and repositioning your displays every now and then is fine, and sometimes necessary, doing it often will only confuse and frustrate your regular customers.

You want to give your customers a sense of familiarity and comfort when they visit your store, and that’s tough to do when your constant changes make them feel as if they’re in a completely different store every time they visit. Unless it’s absolutely time to rearrange or reposition things, keep your steps to keeping your displays fresh and unique to the above four tips.

3 Creative Ways to Spice Up Your Countertop Displays

Nearly every kind of business - from convenience stores and gas stations to motels and restaurants - can benefit from countertop displays.

Countertop displays are lucrative merchandise display options and it's important to make sure these displays offer both convenience and visual appeal. To achieve this, read on for the three ways you can spice up your countertop displays.

1. Use Colored Acrylic Bins and Plastic Containers in Fun Shapes

Even if you don’t already have a countertop display and are using this information to help you create your first display, chances are you already know how popular acrylic bins and plastic containers are for displays. They’re versatile and durable and, once they’ve run their course out front, you can move them to the back of your store and use them as storage fixtures.

However, what you might not have known is that you can find acrylic bins and plastic containers in vibrant colors and fun shapes! You can use these options to make your countertop displays reflect the current season or holiday, your local college’s or high school’s colors, or any specific theme or décor you’ve already established for your store.

2. Use Two or More Display Fixtures Together

It’s easy to create countertop displays with acrylic bins and plastic containers by themselves, but when you pair them with other display fixtures – such as wire display racks or convenience store racks designed small enough to rest on countertops – you not only create more visual appeal and possibly make the display more convenient for your customers, but you also increase the amount of countertop space you have to work with AND the amount of space you have for merchandise!

If you plan to use other display fixtures with your acrylic bins or plastic containers, make sure you either choose the fixtures that will work with the containers you already have OR choose the containers that will work with the fixtures you already have.

3. Use Pre-Filled Candy Displays

No matter what kind of store, restaurant, or other business you manage, chances are high your customers would appreciate a candy display.

Pre-filled candy displays take the work out of creating your own candy display and, because there are so many different kinds of pre-filled candy displays, you’re sure to find the display your customers would like the most and the one that would be most lucrative for you.

Consider:

• Gumball Machines: You can find gumball machines designed to rest on countertops and pre-filled with colorful gumballs. You can even find these machines pre-filled with other kinds of candy and snacks and even small novelty toys.
• Lollipop Trees: Just like gumball machines, some lollipop trees are also designed “short” enough that you can situate them on your countertop.
• Pre-Filled Candy Containers: Most pre-filled candy containers (which are typically just plastic containers or acrylic bins) are filled with gumballs; however, you can sometimes find them filled with other kinds of candy your customers might like.

5 Countertop Display Fixtures You Shouldn't Overlook

Clear plastic containers, bucket display racks, lollipop trees – these are the kinds of common countertop display fixtures most store owners think of as they’re creating countertop displays.

However, there are numerous kinds of display racks for countertops that often go overlooked. Check out the display fixtures for countertops detailed below – chances are, you’ll wonder why you aren’t using them yet!

1. Display Tubes

Display tubes include the display fixtures that hold items like dry cereals and unwrapped candies in tubes of various sizes fixed on turntables. Thanks to their size and rotating feature, these fixtures are ideal for countertops in a variety of businesses including delis, cafeterias, candy stores, and bakeries.

2. Step Displays

Step displays are ideal for countertops because they allow store owners to make the most of any amount of countertop space.

These displays generally provide two, three, or four “steps” on which merchandise can be displayed, and they’re perfect for stand-alone items like family-sized bags of chips or large plush toys as well as plastic containers filled with smaller, loose items like candy, gumballs, hair bands, or key chains.

3. Rotating Displays

Think of rotating displays as an all-encompassing name for any rotating countertop rack. Display tubes fall under this umbrella term, as do rotating bucket racks, spinning earring card holders, and two- and three-tiered rotating racks ideal for tubes of tester items.

Rotating displays are great for countertops because you can find them in small sizes, but it’s their rotating feature that really makes them so convenient. Countertop areas are generally areas where store registers are located, and as such they’re areas where customers can only stand on one side. Rotating displays allow store owners to display more items than they could with fixed position display racks as well as allow customers to view all items instead of just one side.

4. Cup Displays

You might think cup displays only serve the purpose of holding cups in areas like deli countertops or cafeteria assembly lines; yet, thanks to their sizes and shapes, you can use cup displays to create countertop displays of small merchandise items like bouncy balls, novelty pencils and pens, and cosmetic items like lipsticks and eyeliner pencils.

You can even use these displays for organizing items in the stock room or on your office desk. You can find cup displays perfect for any display space. For example, you can buy individual cup displays as well as trays designed to hold three or six cups.

5. Colored Display Boxes

You might be tempted to overlook colored display boxes because, at first glance, they might seem too small to hold any significant amount of merchandise; however, these boxes are like wolves in sheep’s clothing! Not only are they the perfect size and shape for creating larger countertop displays, but they’re also available in bright, fun colors that are sure to catch your customers’ eyes!

You can use colored display boxes for showcasing everything from edible items like wrapped candies and gumballs as well as non-edible items like small hair clips and decorative pins.

Pre-Filled Candy Displays: Learn Your Options

Pre-filled candy displays are perfect for every kind of retail business. Candy stores, gas stations, convenience stores, bookstores, gift shops, even hotels and motels – they’re all perfect places to situate a pre-filled candy display. Just as importantly, pre-filled candy displays are perfect for:

• New stores that need help stocking before Opening Day.

• Established stores that want to add candy to their merchandise selection but don’t have the time to hand select each and every piece and display.

If your store falls into one of those categories, it’s time to take a look at your pre-filled candy display options.

Gumball Machines

A gumball machine is probably one of the most popular candy displays around. These machines are perfect for nearly every kind of business – from convenience stores and grocery stores to actual candy stores and other specialty shops – and they’re available in an assortment of sizes and styles.

The kind of machine you choose will depending on where you want to situate it and how much space you have to work with. You can find single-head gumball machines designed to sit on your countertop or stand on the floor, or you can find elaborate displays with as many as eight heads. You can even find gumball machines in fun styles like rocket ships and designed to show the gumballs rolling down the escape!

Lollipop Displays

A lollipop display is another popular kind of candy display for various businesses.

Traditional lollipop trees work best for stores that have room for floor displays, but you can find lollipop displays made of an assortment of sucker styles and flavors situated within decorated cardboard containers or acrylic bins. These kinds of lollipop displays are best for stores that plan to situate the displays on their countertops.

Plastic Containers

Plastic containers pre-filled with candy are excellent choices if you simply want to display candy on your countertop as add-on merchandise at checkout. You can find these plastic containers pre-filled with an assortment of candies including gumballs, Jawbreakers, Tootsie Rolls, Sugar Babies, and Strawberry Bon Bons.

Keep in mind that once you’ve sold all the candy in your pre-filled plastic candy containers, you can either refill them with more candy to sell or use them for another purpose entirely!

Wall, Floor, and Countertop Displays

These kinds of pre-filled candy displays take plastic containers to the next level. They are generally comprised of plastic candy containers or buckets filled with popular candies and situated on display racks small enough to showcase on your countertop, large enough to use as floor displays, or designed to hang as a wall display.

If your store has enough room, you might want to consider even larger floor candy displays. These displays are tall enough and wide enough to act as focal points on your store’s floor or even entire aisles.

Wooden Baskets and Racks

Wooden baskets and racks pre-filled with candies are the more rustic versions of traditional candy displays made of plastic containers and wire racks. Most often, you can find these wooden baskets and racks designed as “tree” displays sized for both floor and countertop displays, or floor displays of wooden racks that hold the baskets on shelves.

5 Tips for Shopping for Candy Store Supplies

So, you’re thinking of opening a candy store. Or, maybe you already have a candy store, but you need some ideas for giving the place a facelift. Whether you’ve yet to schedule the Grand Opening or you just want to freshen up your existing establishment, below are five tips to help you shop for supplies best suited for your candy store.

Tip #1: Know Your Store

First, you need to get to know your candy store – or the candy store you want to operate. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What kind of candy store do you want to operate? Will it have a particular theme, color scheme, or overall “feel”?

• How much space will you have to work with inside your store? Will there be room outside the building for outdoor displays?

• Will you candy store have any special features? For example, will your business have an area set aside where customers can sit and snack on the candy they’ve just purchased?

Tip #2: Know Your Customers

Second, you need to know what kind of customers you plan to cater to. Candy stores generally appeal to two main kinds of customers:

• Children and families who prefer “fun” kinds of candies.

• Adults who have more mature tastes in candies.

Tip #3: Choose the Candy You Want to Sell

In order to choose the kind of candy you want to sell in your store, you need to look again at the first and second tips. Consider your candy store’s “theme” as well as the kind of customer base you plan to cater to.

• If you plan to operate a fun, fast-paced candy store that does most of its business with children and families, consider selling popular traditional candies like gumballs, Jawbreakers, lollipops, Jelly Beans, and Tootsie Rolls.

• If you plan to operate a more mature establishment that caters mostly to adults, consider candies like gourmet chocolates, including chocolate-covered nuts, pretzels, cherries, and coffee and espresso beans.

Tip #4: Think About the Best Candy Displays

Now that you’re familiar with your candy store, the kinds of customers you plan to have, and the types of candies you want to sell, you’re ready to choose the candy displays that will best suit your business.

Most all candy stores can use display items like glass and plastic containers, colored acrylic bins, and floor and countertop display racks; however, depending on your candy store’s theme and the kinds of customers you expect, you can choose versions of these display tools that best suit your store.

For example, if your store will do business mostly with children and families, colored acrylic containers and bright display racks for your floors and countertop might be best. You can even add additional fun display items like gumball machines and lollipop trees.

Gumball machines and lollipop displays might also work for older customers, but if you plan to have a more mature customer base, you might want to choose wooden baskets and display racks and glass candy jars in lieu of plastic and wire.

Tip #5: Shop for True Wholesale Candy Prices

You’re familiar with your store, your customers, and the kind of candies you want to sell and how you want to display those candies. Now it’s time to make sure you stock your store with those candies at true wholesale prices.

As you're shopping for wholesale candy, make sure you compare the prices of several different candy retailers. Some companies will claim to offer wholesale prices on bulk candies, but further shopping around will prove these prices aren’t true wholesale at all.

Where Can You Use Lollipop Displays?

There is certainly no shortage of lollipop enthusiasts – customers young and old love these sweet treats! No matter what kind of business you operate, situating a lollipop display is a great way to put this favored candy in the limelight and increase your sales.

Can Your Business Use Lollipop Displays?

In a nutshell – yes! Whether you’re in the business of selling candy, clothing, toys, or hospitality services, your establishment can use lollipop displays. These displays are great for encouraging add-on items at checkout counters or simply putting a smile on a child’s face. Consider these options for using lollipop displays in your business:

• Candy Stores: It goes without saying that no candy store is complete without a lollipop display!

• Convenience Stores/Gas Stations: These establishments cater to travelers and on-the-go shoppers who need quick snacks for themselves and their children.

• Toy Stores: Children love lollipops, so it only makes sense to include lollipop trees as part of your merchandise selection.

• Bookstores: Bookstores often sell small edible items near their registers, and lollipops are definitely easy snacks for your customers to maneuver while they’re reading the books they just purchased.

• Restaurants: Restaurants might want to situate a lollipop display near their checkout registers for families with children or adults who like low-calorie sweet treats after dinner.

• Hotels/Motels: The lobbies and dining areas of hotels and motels are convenient, visible places to display lollipops for sale.

• Gift Shops: Many gift shops include small sweet treats as add-on options for gift purchases.

Which Lollipop Display Is Best for Your Business?

Consider the kind of business you operate and the amount of space you have to work with as you’re thinking about which lollipop display is best for your business.

Establishments that have plenty of floor space to work with can use tall, lollipop trees. These convenient, space-saving trees can come with as many as a hundred or more lollipops and are great for businesses that wish to situate their displays in high-traffic areas like hotel lobbies, children’s toy aisles, and close to checkout registers.

Lollipop displays also come in compact countertop displays. You can find

• Colored or clear plastic container displays filled with an assortment of suckers.

• Decorated cardboard lollipop displays filled with specialized or novelty lollipops.

Keep in mind that you can easily refill these displays once they’re empty, or use the containers for another purpose altogether. You can also find additional pre-filled candy containers to complement your countertop lollipop displays. Not only is this an excellent way to offer your customers add-on merchandise to purchase, but it also offers additional options for customers who might not like candy with sticks like lollipops and suckers.

For example, if your lollipop display consists of Jawbreaker suckers, you might want to also add a wooden basket display filled with regular Jawbreakers. Similarly, if your lollipop display offers suckers with bubblegum in the center, you can situate it close to a round plastic container filled with gumballs.

Unique Ways to Display Your Candy

Whether you operate a convenience store, grocery store, and gift shop, if you’re in the business of selling any amount of candy you also should be in the business of display that candy in creative, unique ways.

Candy is popular worldwide, and customers generally don’t need any persuasion when it comes to purchasing it; however, visually appealing candy displays are more likely to catch your customers’ attention and increase your candy sales.

Create Candy Displays with Plastic Containers or Glass Jars

Unless your sweet and sour merchandise only consists of candy bars or bags of candy, you need containers for your candy displays. Probably the two most popular kinds of candy containers are plastic containers and glass jars.

Both are available in various sizes and shapes and are reusable, and each offer their own special perks:

• Plastic containers are extremely durable and available in an assortment of colors, which makes creating a unique candy display even easier.

• Glass containers are more easily breakable, but offer an elegant “feel” to your candy display that plastic containers generally can’t accomplish.

Keep in mind that if you’re planning to display unwrapped candies, you should look for food grade candy containers with scoops customers can use to access the candy and lids to keep the candy clean in between customers.

Discover the Versatility of Candy Display Racks

Candy display racks fit no one mold – there are numerous kinds for you to choose from!

• Think about the amount of space your store allows you to work with, as well as the amount of candy you want to display, and then choose floor racks, countertop racks, or a mix of both styles.

• Consider your store’s theme or overall look. Wire display racks, for example, are available in classic colors like white, black, and red. And, if you’re using accessories like plastic containers on your display racks, clear will match every theme while colored containers will add visual appeal.

• Determine your store’s environment. Fast-paced businesses like convenience stores and gas stations often choose sturdy, wire display racks for showcasing candy, while slower-paced, charming stores like specialty shops often like using wooden display racks.

Have Fun with Pre-Filled Candy Displays

If you don’t think you’re creative enough to arrange your own attractive candy displays, or you simply just don’t have the time, maybe you should take a look at pre-filled candy displays. These kinds of displays are available in a wide variety of designs and perfect for everything from gumballs and lollipops to bags of candy and candy bars.

You can find gumball machines, lollipop trees or racks, and wire displays all pre-filled with candy and perfect for floor or countertop displays. Also available are sizeable candy displays designed to line your store’s walls, act as focal points in the center of your store, or even function as aisles.

Some of these pre-filled candy displays also break away from the norm and are available in unique designs. For example, you can find gumball machines resembling rocket ships and acrylic lollipop displays in interesting shapes.

Equipment for Starting a Candy Store

If you’re thinking of opening a candy store, there are quite a few pieces of equipment you’ll need to display your candy in the most convenient, attractive, and effective ways.

Plastic Containers

If you really think about it, it might actually be impossible – or, at least, extremely difficult – to operate a candy store without plastic containers. From wrapped candies like Tootsie Rolls and Jawbreakers to unwrapped candies like gumballs and Lemon Drops, these containers are perfect for virtually every kind of candy.

Not only are plastic containers are quite durable, which makes them ideal for fast-paced stores that often have children as customers, but they’re also rather versatile. You can:

• Find clear plastic containers and colored acrylic containers to match your candy store’s décor and create attractive candy displays.

• Choose from an assortment of sizes to work best with the candy you want to sell and the space you have to work with.

• Add accessories like lids and candy scoops to keep your candy safe and clean.

• Refill your plastic containers with candy once they’re empty, or use them for an entirely different purpose like organizing merchandise in your stockroom or displaying non-edible items your candy store might also sell.

Glass Containers

Glass containers function in many of the same ways as plastic containers do. You can find them in a variety of shapes and sizes, and pair them with useful accessories like lids and scoops.

However, when you compare glass candy containers with plastic ones, you’ll find two major differences:

• Glass containers are heavier and more easily broken, so they’re not always the best choices for candy stores that usually keep a regular stream of young children coming in and out of the store.

• Glass containers add an elegant charm that plastic containers can’t always achieve, so they’re great for displaying gourmet candies in more upscale establishments.

Display Racks

Unless you plan to display all your candy within plastic or glass containers situated on your store’s countertop, you’re going to need a few display racks.

Candy store display racks are available in numerous styles, shapes, and sizes, the most common and versatile of which include wire display racks and wooden display racks designed for either floor or countertop displays. Unsurprisingly, wooden display racks work best with wooden baskets, and you can use wire display racks to showcase bags of candy that are able to stand alone or fill plastic containers with pieces of candy and then arrange the containers on the wire rack’s shelves.

Pre-Filled Candy Displays

Pre-filled candy displays are great for candy stores that are just getting started as well as those that stay quite busy and can’t always find the time to restock their displays. Look for pre-filled candy displays in the following forms:

• Gumball machines designed for floor displays or countertop displays with as few as one head or as many as eight heads. You can also find gumball machines filled with other kinds of loose, unwrapped candies like Skittles and M&Ms.

• Lollipop trees tall enough to display on your floor or compact enough to situate on your countertop.

• Candy filled display racks complete with traditional, novelty, or gourmet kinds of candies. You can find these racks small enough for your countertop, tall enough to act as floor displays, and large enough to essentially act as aisles in your candy store.