1. More convenience options. 

When bagged salads were first introduced, it was a ground-breaking innovation at the time. Now there are entire grocery departments dedicated to fresh-cut veggies, fruits, and easy meal solutions. Retailers are finding success with a wide assortment of ready-made products — from packages of potatoes to full meals like pre-made trays of lasagna — and this trend doesn’t seem to be letting up. AirFlo solutions to meet this trend include the Glide RollerShelf, ELITE Self Facers and Shelf Self Facers, which not only make pre-packaged items look uniform and shoppable, but they also cut labor on stocking and facing products, meaning these fast-moving grab-and-go departments can always look fresh and full. The company has also started offering more labeling options and custom fencing to help retailers quickly advertise “Grab and Go,” “Fresh Cut,” “Made Daily” and other identifiers with custom engraving that deliver messages of convenience and freshness, while also making it easy for shoppers to identify what they need.

2. Health-conscious boom.

Kiwi used to be considered an exotic fruit. Now there’s a huge variety of tropical fruits and healthy beverages, like kombucha, taking over shelves. As health-conscious consumers drive demand, the once-exotic is becoming more commonplace. AirFlo solutions include organic zones, product category dividers, and health-awareness signage and fencing, making it easier for shoppers to find and explore new products as they embrace healthier eating habits. In some stores, Carlson AirFlo has seen plant-based options grow from 2-foot sections a few years ago to 12-24-foot sections today. The company designs its merchandising systems to showcase fresh products in visually appealing ways — for example, its POD systems are perfect for color blocking produce items, while its AirShelf system creates a beautiful, vertical wall of produce that communicates a “fresh and healthy” atmosphere to shoppers. The anodized aluminum the company uses is not only food grade-safe, but also an excellent conductor.

3. More destination departments.

Private and store brands are creating their own departments. From standalone mobile refrigerated units to freestanding cases, destination departments are starting to offer more value and quality to shoppers with fully curated selections and holiday promotion displays. As traditional sections give way to more innovative spaces and destination departments, AirFlo has responded by offering more branding options such as customized acrylics with callouts, laser engraving to add logos to signage, as well as providing custom color schemes for fencing and dividers to allow retailers to distinguish and promote their destination departments and store brands.

4. Fun displays.

Retailers are having fun again. Creative displays went away a bit during Covid, as everyone was busy putting toilet paper on shelves. But now fun is back. Seasonal and holiday displays are becoming more interactive and artistic, and some retailers are even tying contests into displays to build employee excitement. AirFlo loves the idea of creating theater in a store to add excitement. The company has developed AirArt to allow retailers to get creative and deliver a fun experience for shoppers. AirArt creates a bold vertical display of geometric shapes and curved lines that adds interest and excitement to a produce selection. It can also achieve that big wow factor during grand openings. In addition, the company offers custom designs — everything from pro football themes to store logos with aluminum designs in refrigerated cases. By offering custom solutions, retailers can create more displays with uniqueness, fun and flair.

This article is an excerpt from the December 2024 issue of Supermarket Perimeter. You can read the entire Department Design feature and more in the digital edition here.