The T-shirt, while often overlooked, is one of the greatest inventions of all time. A perfect combination of comfort, affordability, and self-expression, T-shirts are for everyone. T-shirts were invented in the late 1800’s by laborers who cut their jump suits in half as a way of keeping cool during the hot summer months. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Navy began using them as undershirts for their servicemen. Today, the worldwide custom t-shirt market exceeds $4 billion in annual sales. T-shirts are sold at every type of retailer imaginable- from gift shops and specialty apparel stores to grocery and sporting goods stores. Given the variety of t-shirts and sizes available, T-shirts can be challenging to merchandise. So, how should you display t-shirts for sale? The answer is: it depends. There are a host of factors that determine the most effective type of t-shirt vendor display ideas to use, including required inventory of t-shirts, floor space availability, and breadth of product selection. Let’s look at 10 t-shirt vendor display booth ideas that are designed to increase sales in different retail environments.
T-Shirt Cubby Displays
T-Shirt cubby displays are a great way to display t-shirts. In addition to being high-capacity fixtures, they provide a space for shoppers to see the graphic on each t-shirt. Each cubby can hold a dozen or more t-shirts. Many t-shirt cubby displays spin so they can be placed almost anywhere in the store- even in corners that might otherwise go unused.
Below is an example of a 4-sided spinning 20-cubby display which holds 240 t-shirts. We made the display out of bamboo so it is also highly sustainable.
Not all 4-sided t-shirt cubby displays need to incorporate 20 cubbies. The example shown below is a 16-cubby display. Although it is designed for fewer t-shirts, we added cap pockets on top to capitalize on cross-merchandising opportunities.
Brands and retailers who are more budget conscious might be interested in a wire version of a T-shirt cubby display like the Calcutta example shown below. This retail t-shirt display has the same carrying capacity as the wood versions and can accommodate t-shirt graphic panels as well as a 2-sided cap attachment with a header.
For small format stores who might not have the space or might not want to invest as much in t-shirt inventory, a 10-cubby t-shirt display is a good option. The Cherished Girl spinning cubby display shown below is a colorful example.
Wall-Mounted T-Shirt Displays
One of the smartest things space-constrained retailers can do is take advantage of wall space. Retailers with slatwall can hang t-shirts on face-outs for a front-facing presentation or on apparel bars for a side-facing presentation. Another approach is to use wall-mounted cabinets. The cabinets can show the t-shirt graphic on the outside of the cabinet while holding neatly-folded inventory on the inside.
Hybrid T-Shirt Cubby and Hang Bar Displays
Combining cubbies with t-shirt hanging accessories is an effective way to create a mixed merchandiser. The example below features 10 cubbies, a middle shelf and hang bar below it, a brand-building header, and informational side graphics.
Free-standing Multi-Product Apparel Displays
T-shirts are also a good fit for freestanding multi-product displays that use waterfalls, faceouts or jet rails. The 2 examples below show how t-shirts can be cross-merchandised with shorts, caps, and shoes. The first is an example of a customized version of our stock 4-WAY-EXT apparel fixture. The second is the same stock display without customization.
A similar approach can be used to create a 2-sided display. The Uscape Apparel display shown below can be found in college book stores across the U.S. It utilizes waterfalls to hang t-shirts and features custom branding on the base and header.
Combining faceouts and apparel bars like the Free Country SFL-HRACK shown below is a good way to attract shopper attention with a front-facing presentation on the ends while using apparel bars on the middle panels to pack in more product. Our example shows jackets, but the same display could be used for t-shirts. You get the idea.
Similar options are available by using another RICH LTD. stock fixture called the WD-HG-TGW-SG. This example shows a merchandising mix that includes folded t-shirts on shelves, side-facing t-shirts hanging on an apparel bar, and front-facing t-shirts on waterfalls.
There are a variety of ways to merchandise t-shirts.Selecting the right type of t-shirt vendor display ideas for your unique retail environment will help to ensure maximum sales impact.