More Visibility, More Sales: Why Product Placement Still Wins in Retail

Walk into any store and one thing is clear: there’s a battle for attention happening on every shelf. In a retail landscape filled with choice, being visible is strategic.

And we’re not just talking about being listed or stocked. We’re talking about where products are placed, how they’re displayed, and what the shopper sees first. Because visibility directly influences sales.

82% of customers make their purchase decisions in-store, with 62% making impulse buys. The takeaway? The faster and more clearly a product is seen, the more likely it is to be bought.

What Are Secondary Placements?

Secondary placements refer to product displays outside of the primary shelf, think endcaps, freestanding units, aisle interruptions, or even countertop displays. These spaces are premium real estate for shopper attention and impulse decisions.

They work because they break the shopper’s auto-pilot browsing. A product that may be overlooked on a crowded shelf can suddenly stand out when placed on a feature display.

The ROI of Being Seen

Here’s what data tells us about the power of secondary placements:

• Endcap displays can increase product sales by 93% compared to regular shelf placement (Oracle)

• Shoppers spend 20% more time in stores with well-designed visual merchandising (The Look Company)

• Digital signage increases brick-and-mortar sales by 29.5% (SmallBusinessonFire)

• 80% of consumers are actively looking for deals when shopping in-store (Inmar)

• 75% of consumers altered their brand preference over this past year (Adweek)

Why Many Brands Miss the Opportunity

Most brands spend time optimizing packaging and pricing but underinvest in placement. Too often, the assumption is that shelf space alone is enough. But in a high-competition aisle, if you're not in the shopper’s line of sight, you’re invisible.

Common pitfalls:

• Relying solely on standard shelf presence

• Not tracking the actual performance of promotional displays

• Using the same placement approach across all store types or regions

That’s where data-driven display strategy comes in.

Tips for Maximizing Secondary Placements

Want to get more from your visibility investments? Here are a few practical ideas:

1. Audit Regularly

Your displays may look great on the planogram—but are they implemented consistently? An in-store execution audit can help you track display compliance across regions.

2. Measure Performance

Which secondary placements are driving results? Is a display performing better in urban stores than rural ones? Track placement ROI by location and format.

3. Test and Rotate

Try different product combinations and placements. Rotate featured items based on season, footfall, or daypart to maintain shopper interest.

4. Leverage Adjacency

Place your product near complementary categories (e.g. sunscreen with beach towels, wine with snacks). This encourages bundled purchases.

5. Integrate with Promotions

Pair displays with time-limited offers to trigger urgency. A display without a compelling offer risks becoming visual noise.

How RDM’s Secondary Placements Analytics Helps

At Retail Data Monitoring, we help brands turn display visibility into measurable value.

Our Secondary Placements Analytics service includes:

• Performance Measurement. Analyze how products perform in high-visibility displays vs. primary shelf locations

• Insightful Benchmarks. Compare visibility ROI across categories, regions, or store types

• Display Optimization. Identify which placements drive engagement, which don't, and how to adjust

• Execution Monitoring. Ensure that in-store implementation matches campaign plans

  
  

Let’s Make Every Display Count

If you’re already investing in in-store displays, make sure they’re working as hard as you are.

With Secondary Placements Analytics, RDM gives you the clarity to turn visibility into conversion and every display into a revenue driver. Want to find out how your displays are performing? Let’s talk.