If your supermarket, grocery, or other food store offers refrigerated foods, you realize the importance of stringent temperatures and cleanliness. Food is not safe if it is at risk of bacteria and other food-borne illnesses because a refrigerator unit runs too warm, or condenser coils are damp enough to promote mold growth.

Take a proactive approach and aggressively maintain your refrigerators regularly. Then, look for new ways to empower your units to increase customer sales. Your refrigerator units can do more than just chill food - they can entice and inspire buyers to make new food purchases. Here are some strategies to help your commercial refrigerators make a greater impact inside your store.

Upgrade Your Units to Better Utilize Glass Doors

Classic refrigerator bins or chests are great at holding large amounts of product. An added benefit of bins is their ease of containing chilled air because colder air naturally settles down into the bin. However, recent changes in energy standards by the Department of Energy may mean an end to old-fashioned refrigerator bins. Older models simply aren't energy efficient.

Fortunately, you can upgrade those refrigerated bins and chests to upright refrigerator shelves with glass doors. Instead of hiding products like cheese packages or yogurt containers deep inside a bin, you can instead display more products on shelves.

Not only do customers get a better view of your product array, you can offer more than one choice. For example, you can display yogurt in many different brands and flavors. Now customers can easily reach for that perfect choice rather than rummage around inside a bin.

Build Upon Your New or Existing Glass Doors

Whether your glass refrigerator doors are a new acquisition or not, you can use them to advertise products. Glass doors are a great location for appropriate signage to accomplish a variety of goals. Signs and decals can:

• Make glass doors look more exciting and inviting.
• Alert shoppers to special product prices and promotions.
• Bring attention to new products and brands.

Signs and decals easily fit on both interiors and exteriors of glass doors and are a meaningful way to encourage shoppers to buy more.

Place Refrigerated Shelves in Smart Places

You don't have to place all your refrigerator units at just the rear and sides of your store. Traditionally this strategy encourages patrons to buy impulse products while they must walk through your store to reach refrigerated sections. These strategies work, but why not also place a few refrigerated shelves in other areas as well?

You can bring more attention to products when you place refrigerated shelves on the ends of aisles. Endcaps are prime real estate in a supermarket because of their high visibility. The relatively limited space on endcaps makes them a great choice for refrigerated shelving, which offers vertical space.

Additionally, place refrigerator shelves that hold ready-to-prepare meal kits near the front of the store. Recent trends show consumers want convenient meals they can prepare in little time. Customers in a hurry can grab packaged meat, vegetables, and other ingredients that are easy to assemble and prepare at home.

Stock Your Refrigerators the Right Way

Just like the product aisles throughout your store, you have a reason for the way you stock them. Popular brands, bulk items, and kid-friendly brands are strategically placed at just the right height to grab attention.

This same principle applies to your refrigerated section. Place product at eye level to attract the most attention. You may want to reserve this area for products you want to highlight, sales items you need to move, or new brands you want to promote.

Refrigerator units in a supermarket can be a great way to increase sales. To keep them running, you need a reliable service company to make sure your cold products stay cold. A M Refrigeration Service offers a range of refrigeration services such as repair and maintenance. Call us and ask about our new and used refrigeration equipment for your supermarket.