In 2025, warehouse clubs and supercenters in the United States generated $771 billion in revenue. For many consumer goods manufacturers, working with stores like Sam’s Club and Costco presents an excellent opportunity to reach a large customer base.
However, success in big-box warehouses requires a strategic shift from the approaches typically used in conventional retail. With thousands of competing products, effective club store displays are paramount for capturing shoppers’ attention. This guide provides strategies and ideas to help you maximize the impact of your bulk item displays and increase sales.
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Adapting Item Displays to the Warehouse Club Landscape
Also known as wholesale clubs, warehouse clubs offer a variety of bulk products at discounted prices to members who pay a yearly membership fee.
Understanding the key characteristics of these stores and how their differences impact displays is vital.
Club Shoppers
Customers are drawn to warehouse clubs because they enjoy the treasure hunt experience of finding deals on almost any product category, from everyday groceries and personal care items to large pieces of furniture.
As a result, many of their purchasing decisions are driven by savings. Over half of the members believe these stores provide the greatest value, and 28% buy in bulk to stock up on essential products, as it is cheaper in the long run.
These perceived savings are also a key driver of impulse buys. People make unplanned purchases as they feel it will save them money in the future. Unlike club shoppers, retail customers often prioritize immediate needs over future bulk purchases. They are also primarily motivated by convenience, as retail stores often offer more accessible locations than wholesale clubs.
With this difference in mind, clear pricing and signage are vital in bulk merchandising, showcasing cost per unit and savings compared to individual purchases.
With the right messaging and attractive designs, displays are also crucial in promoting impulse purchases. By understanding club shoppers, manufacturers can target impulse buyers to turn them into long-term customers.
Store Environment
In contrast to the heavily promotional environment of conventional retail stores, warehouse clubs are characterized by a no-frills shopping experience. These stores have features one would expect to find in a warehouse, like large open spaces, concrete flooring and industrial shelving and racking.
Manufacturers can design bigger and more impactful displays that can be seen from a distance, catching shoppers’ attention. Wholesale clubs’ higher ceilings also allow for taller displays that capitalize on vertical space.
Displays must also be durable, space-efficient and easy to replenish. As a result, pallet displays are a staple in many club stores.
Typically made of corrugated cardboard, pallet displays sit directly on pallets placed on club store floors. They are designed to serve the multifunctional purpose of showcasing products and helping to increase sales. Unlike end caps or traditional retail shelving, pallet displays are stand-alone units that are usually pre-packed, allowing for a quick and seamless setup.
Specific Business
Prominent retailers like Sam’s Club and Costco have specific requirements for packaging and displays, which manufacturers must adhere to when working with these stores. Leveraging the specialized knowledge of pallet display providers, such as Great Northern Instore, offers a significant advantage in this environment.
Our in-depth understanding of club store dynamics and thorough quality control measures ensures the creation of beautifully designed displays that meet the requirements.
Strategies for Effective Warehouse Club Displays
With an understanding of the warehouse club environment, here are three strategies for creating bulk item displays that attract more customers and drive sales for your business:
1. Optimizing Presentation for Maximum Impact
As discussed, an eye-catching bulk display is vital to your success in the club stores. You can harness the power of presentation with the following design tips:
- Choose bold colors: Your display should integrate your brand’s logos and colors, allowing for instant recognition. You can use contrasting colors to maximize visibility and draw customers to your products.
- Use the space: Leverage every inch of available space to enhance awareness. For example, demonstration units can help get more eyes on your display and encourage people to engage with your items.
- Include icons and images: Visuals can be powerful communication tools. Strengthen your messaging by featuring relevant images or icons on your displays, which can convey a product’s value, features and benefits quickly without relying on long copy.
- Rely on four-sided branding: Due to the multi-directional traffic flow in club stores, design your display to communicate from all sides to help you capture attention from any angle.
- Educate customers about your product: As products typically need to sell themselves in warehouse club environments, your display and packaging must showcase your product’s benefits and features. Include essential information such as your brand mission, key specifications and your product’s value and potential savings.
2. Maximizing Space and Efficiency
By strategically using horizontal and vertical merchandising techniques, you can create a more visually engaging and functional club store display for bulk items.
Vertically arranging products or placing them on upward-extending pallets can maximize display space while keeping a relatively compact footprint. If you have limited floor space, vertical displays are ideal for enhancing product exposure. This is because customers are encouraged to engage with your selection by looking up and down.
Pallets that focus on breadth instead of height or other horizontal displays are perfect for showcasing bulk items that are complementary. With products arranged horizontally, each item is easily accessible and visible.
3. Driving Impulse Purchases
Consumers often make impulse purchases when shopping in-store. Your pallet needs to be appealing enough that shoppers choose your products over those of competitors. As customers impulsively buy products because they do not want to miss out on savings, exclusive deals are an excellent way to benefit from this loss aversion. Pairing your displays with signage that reads “Available only at [warehouse club name]!” can create a sense of urgency, encouraging people to buy on a whim at their particular store.
Club shoppers are value-driven, so displays must also appeal to this mindset. Highlight the full bundle of your offering, such as add-ons, multi-packs or other extras. For example, a consumer electronics brand could showcase all the bonus accessories included, helping people recognize the deal instantly.
Beyond communicating savings, location is key. Though pallet placement is often assigned, you may be able to secure entrance-run or end-of-aisle spots. These high-traffic areas can encourage customers to engage with and buy your product.
Cross-merchandising is another effective tactic for boosting impulse sales, so place complementary items close together if possible. For example, a manufacturer could set up an end-of-aisle pallet for bulk batteries near a display for string lighting. Customers buying the lights might realize they will need a dependable power source, leading to an impulse purchase of the batteries.
Display Ideas for Warehouse Clubs
In addition to using the above strategies, here are three warehouse club display ideas to help you boost bulk purchases:
- Themed displays: Holidays and days of celebration are fantastic opportunities for manufacturers to facilitate club store engagement through increased purchases. For example, incorporating orange into your display as Halloween approaches or using pink and red in anticipation of Valentine’s Day can help enhance the profitability of seasonal offerings and sales.
- Innovative digital displays: Interactive touch screens or sound formats can take your displays to the next level. Beyond allowing customers to engage with the product, these innovative options can allow you to share more information or even help you upsell by suggesting additional items.
- Value-added bundles and multi-packs: Bundling complementary items or creating packs with multiple units of the same product can make customers feel they are getting more for their money, encouraging them to buy larger quantities. Multi-packs and bundles can also help create more visually compelling displays, helping you stand out in the club store environment.
Partner With Great Northern Instore for Custom Bulk Item Displays
With approximately 60 years of experience, Great Northern Instore is here to be your custom display provider as you enter the warehouse club space. When you partner with us, you can access end-to-end solutions for your brand’s display needs, from consultations, in-depth insights and design to manufacturing and fulfillment.
Our award-winning designers have created displays, packaging and signage for major players in various industries, including food, beverage, consumer electronics, home improvement and health and beauty. We go above and beyond for our clients, and we would love to do the same for your business.
Contact us to learn more about our offerings.
