Gondola shelving can be found in nearly every retail store. Affordable and durable, the success of gondola shelving units lies in how easy they are to customise. But just because it’s not physically hard or time-consuming, it doesn’t mean that retail store owners know how to do it well. Are you maximising your gondola shelving and enjoying increased profits, space optimisation and storage efficiency?
If you have been looking online for some effective gondola shelf strategies and ideas, you have come to the right place. Here are our top six tips for maximising gondola shelves:
A neat and well-presented display has been proven to result in greater purchase likelihood. In the fight against messy and disorganised displays, shelf dividers are your best allies. Separating your wares and keeping them in line makes it easier to keep shelves well stocked and tidy, and shoppers are less likely to disturb the display. Gondola shelf dividers that simply clip into the holes on the shelves and stand vertically in place are the easiest to use and modify as the display changes.
From our work with retailers across Australia, we’ve seen stores cut restocking time by up to 30% after introducing dividers. Staff spend less time correcting product alignment, and stock levels stay consistent throughout the day.
Another way to keep your display neat and organised is to use metal or perspex grills. These work well for small products or items that don’t hold their shape, as the evenly spaced holes stop displays from becoming messy or collapsing. Grills also help maximise available shelf space and reduce the risk of customers knocking items onto the floor, which can damage products and create awkward shopping experiences.
Some store owners in forums have pointed out that gondola accessories can be expensive, though they also mention ways to cut costs—such as buying second‑hand units from closing stores or sourcing assembled pieces to avoid missing parts. These perspectives are useful for retailers weighing upfront cost against the long‑term benefits of better‑organised shelves.
Regular retail shelves only offer a front-on point of view, which places all emphasis on a single side of the product. Tilting shelves allows customers to see items both horizontally and vertically, creating a fuller view. A 2021 case study reports a 15% profit lift from integrating angled shelves into retail layouts. Research also shows that products placed at eye level can boost sales by as much as 23%, while premium shelf zones such as endcaps drive higher engagement. Combining angled shelves with strategic eye-level placement provides a stronger chance of improving both visibility and sales. Front and side fences can be added to prevent products from sliding off tilted shelves.
Hooks for gondola units are often taken for granted when, instead, they hold great potential. From a single pegboard hook to display bulky items to a line of clip strings to cross-merchandise lightweight products, retail hooks can solve a variety of problems. Whether you use a pegboard gondola back, a slat wall kit or grid mesh panels, hooks will easily clip on and off and help you maximise space by hanging merchandise.
Hangsell displays work well for a variety of products — packeted items, jewellery, clothing accessories, tools, and so on — and offer many benefits. Cheap to buy, retail hooks create extra space that allows you to increase the number of products on display in a visually appealing way. They also help avoid cluttering the gondola shelves for an improved customer experience.
Depending on the products you want to display, normal gondola shelving might not serve you best. Lighter, softer items, such as balls, toys or towels, can be placed in hanging wire baskets for better results. Just make sure the items you want to put there don’t have small parts that can get caught in the wiring.
Retail wire baskets can replace half a shelf, the entire shelf or even take up the entire side of your gondola for an interesting visual break in an otherwise endless line of gondola shelving aisles. Their large capacity and stackable design also let you have more products out and available to your shoppers, which positively impact your average transaction value.
On top of regular shelves, tilted shelves, hooks and baskets, you have one more option to customise your gondola unit. If you want to display magazines, cards, manuals or other thin and flat products, then you need a brochure column. Having these products stacked flat on a shelf is a big no-no, especially when it’s so easy to adapt your gondola to hold them in an easy-to-access, eye-catching way.
Fitting your gondola unit with a magazine rack is also far less costly than buying a freestanding display or a wall-mounted fixture. Brochure holders can be integrated with regular shelves as a way to offer more information on the products displayed next to them, resulting in effortless customer education.
In retail, the one-size-fits-all approach really doesn’t work. Optimising your gondola unit with the right accessories for the products you want to merchandise lets you increase the displayed stock and improve its visual appeal. What’s more, visual display variety has been linked to increased sales. So think about alternating regular shelves with angled shelves, baskets, pegs, hooks and brochure holders to maximise your gondola shelving for great gains.
To enhance your retail shelving even further, consider incorporating LED shelf lighting for improved product visibility and gondola shelving signage for clear product information. Whether you’re setting up a pharmacy, a supermarket, or a convenience store, Mills Shelving has the perfect solution for your needs.
