After taking a careful look at the way cosmetics and other consumer products are merchandised, Tarkett Residential says it has created an in-store system that addresses the main concerns of retailers and shoppers. The company says the three-tower merchandiser for its FiberFloor fiberglass-backed line of resilient floors maximizes the product’s visual impact in the showroom while minimizing the unit’s footprint.

“Consumers like it because they can see an entire series of products without having to flip pages,” explained Gary Finseth, director of marketing for Tarkett Residential North America. “Retailers like it because the footprint is small enough for them to find room for it in the store, but also large enough that it can serve as the dominant display,”

The display, which measures 7’ high, 84” wide and 27” deep, can accommodate as many as 153 flooring samples and includes a large panel that lists product key benefits. Tarkett says it is the result of research that began last year in August when display vendors from various industries, including cosmetics, were invited to submit concepts. From the 24 submissions, four prototypes were shown to retailers and consumers.

“The display we ultimately chose was the one that had the highest rating from consumers and retailers” said Finseth, who noted that about 25 retailers and 200 consumers were asked to weigh in. “About 85 percent of consumers and around 89 percent of retailers picked it.” Finseth noted that since its launch in February the display is now in “several hundred” locations. He added that the design was selected based solely on the test results. “It was not necessarily the one we thought we’d be picking.”