Open Air Merchandisers: Enhancing Shopping Experience and Product Visibility

Open-air merchandisers (air curtain merchandisers) are refrigerated display units without doors that use a curtain of cold air to keep products chilled. They are most commonly used in the retail industry, offering a grab-and-go solution that enhances product visibility and accessibility.

Due to their convenience and efficiency, these units are becoming increasingly popular in grocery stores, convenience stores, and cafes. Unlike traditional refrigerated display cases, open-air merchandisers maintain cold temperatures through a circulating air wall instead of a glass door, ensuring product safety while preventing dirt and insects from entering. With numerous benefits, such as improved visibility, accessibility, air circulation, energy efficiency, and easy maintenance, open-air merchandisers enhance product display while also maintaining safe temperatures. 

What are The Benefits of Open Air Merchandisers?

The main benefits of open-air merchandisers are enhanced product visibility, increased accessibility, better air circulation, energy efficiency, flexibility in merchandising, space efficiency, customer satisfaction, and cost-effective maintenance.

They enhance product visibility by eliminating doors and ensuring customers can easily see and access items, which boosts impulse purchases. Their design offers unparalleled accessibility, allowing customers to reach in without opening doors, thus speeding up the shopping process and making restocking easier. By using fans to circulate chilled air and creating an air curtain, these units maintain consistent temperatures, reducing energy costs.

Flexible in merchandising, they accommodate various products, enhancing display effectiveness. Available in multiple sizes, including compact models, they optimize space and fit high-traffic areas. Easy access and visibility increase customer satisfaction, providing a seamless shopping experience. Their simple design reduces maintenance costs, easier cleaning, and fewer malfunctions.

The eight benefits make open-air merchandisers a smart investment for retail and food service businesses:

Enhanced Product Visibility

Open-air merchandisers provide superior product visibility without doors, ensuring customers can easily see what they need as soon as they enter the store. Without glass doors, which can fog up and obscure the view, open-air merchandisers ensure that products are always clearly visible. This increased visibility makes it easier for customers to find items quickly while enhancing the display’s overall appeal, attracting more attention, and encouraging impulse purchases.

Increased Accessibility

The ease of access that open-air merchandisers offer is one of their key benefits. Without the need for customers to open a door, they can simply reach in and grab the items they want. This convenience speeds up the shopping process and makes it more enjoyable for customers, especially in busy retail environments. The hassle-free access can increase sales, as customers are more likely to pick up additional items when the process is effortless. The absence of the doors also enables easy restocking of the shelves without a need to hold the doors.

Better Air Circulation  

Open-air merchandisers circulate chilled air using fans to maintain cold internal temperatures. The air curtain on the unit’s opening creates an invisible barrier that helps retain the chilled air inside the unit. By preventing the cool air from escaping, these units maintain safe temperatures and reduce the need for frequent operation, leading to lower energy costs and more efficient temperature control.

Energy Efficiency

Energy-efficient open-air merchandisers help reduce energy costs. These open-display coolers are designed to effectively contain cold air. This design minimizes energy loss compared to traditional refrigerators with doors that are constantly being opened and closed. Using nightcover during non-working hours helps reduce energy usage by keeping the cold air inside the unit. By maintaining consistent temperatures without additional cooling efforts, these merchandisers help reduce energy bills.

Flexibility in Merchandising

Open-air merchandisers offer flexibility in merchandising and cooling a variety of products in retail stores and food service businesses. They provide display and cool temperatures for grab-and-go products, drinks, and ready-to-eat foods, with clear sight of the products and no doors.

Space Efficiency

Open-air merchandisers come in various types and sizes, including countertop and undercounter models. Various sizes are designed to fit in places with limited space or to be used as additional display storage. This placement flexibility helps optimize store layout and use of space, making it easier to position merchandisers in high-traffic areas where they can attract the most attention and drive sales.

Customer Satisfaction

The easy access and visibility of open-air merchandisers greatly enhance customer satisfaction. Whether in retail businesses or restaurants and coffee shops, customers appreciate being able to quickly and easily select items without dealing with doors. However, managing the exposure to cold air in refrigerated aisles is important to ensure a comfortable shopping environment.

Cost-Effective Maintenance

Open-air merchandisers are designed with simplicity, leading to lower maintenance costs. The absence of doors and seals that require regular maintenance means fewer components that can malfunction or require repairs, making them less costly than traditional refrigerated display cases. Additionally, the design of these units simplifies cleaning and maintenance, further reducing operating costs and ensuring they remain in good working condition with minimal effort.

What are The Types of Open Air Merchandisers 

Open-air merchandisers include vertical, horizontal, island, countertop, hybrid, and mobile models. Vertical and horizontal open-display coolers are the most popular types, but island, countertop, hybrid, and mobile models offer specific features to businesses.

Vertical Open Air Merchandisers

Vertical open-air merchandisers (vertical grab-and-go fridges) are one of the most popular types of open-air cooling units. Their size typically ranges from 57 to 82 inches (144.78 to 208.28 cm) in height and 30 to 97 inches (76.2 to 246.38 cm) in width and can feature up to seven tiers of adjustable shelves. Their vertical structure allows for efficient use of space, making them ideal for supermarkets, grocery stores, and self-serve cafes and restaurants. These units are often made from materials like stainless steel or plastic and can include various enhancements such as LED lighting, climate control, and customizable designs.

Horizontal Open Air Merchandisers

Horizontal open-air merchandisers feature a broader construction to maximize product display on wide shelves. These units are typically between 42 and 46 inches (106.68 and 116.84 cm) tall, placing products at waist height for easy access. They come in widths ranging from 28 to 120 inches (71.12 to 304.8 cm) and usually offer two or three display levels. Horizontal merchandisers are mostly used to store smaller items and are designed to be placed in compact spaces. Placing them near the cashier area enhances impulse sales at the end of shopping, during payment, or while waiting in line. Many models feature glass sides for enhanced product visibility and are available in finishes like white, black, and stainless steel.

Island Open Air Merchandisers

Island open-air merchandisers provide 360-degree product visibility, allowing customers to view and access items from all angles. Their oval design attracts customers and creates a focal point in the store. Combining features of vertical and horizontal merchandisers, they have a low base for additional storage and two to four central shelves for displaying products. Ideal for showcasing best-selling food and beverages, island merchandisers are designed to be placed away from walls, enhancing their ability to draw attention and boost impulse sales.

Countertop Open Air Merchandisers

Countertop open-air merchandisers are short versions of vertical open-air merchandisers designed to be placed on counters, tables, or next to cashier stands. They are ideal for small businesses with limited space, such as school cafeterias, food trucks, and small supermarkets. They can store grab-and-go products, drinks, baked goods, salads, or smaller items near the cashier to increase impulse sales.

Hybrid Open Air Merchandisers

Hybrid open-air or dual-service merchandisers combine refrigerated and non-refrigerated display areas within a single unit. These units typically feature a lower section with an air curtain for self-service access to cold items like bottled drinks and prepackaged foods. In contrast, the upper section, which can be refrigerated or unrefrigerated, displays fresh bakery goods behind sliding rear doors for staff service. They mostly come equipped with tempered side glass for better visibility and LED lights to attract customer attention. They are popular in coffee shops and delis and offer versatile, eye-catching displays that improve customer experience and store efficiency.

Mobile Open Air Merchandisers

Mobile, open-air merchandisers feature casters for transport and placement wherever needed. The casters allow for transferring the mobile unit and using it for seasonal products, promoting specific products, impulse buys, or adding extra storage when necessary. It can be easily dislocated when not in use, saving space in stores or restaurants.

What are The Key Features of Open Air Merchandisers

Key features of open-air merchandisers cover technical specifications such as remote or self-contained systems and temperature ranges, design features such as adjustable shelves, technological features that enhance energy efficiency and ease of usage, and customization options for different preferences and purposes.

Technical Specifications

Open-air merchandisers commonly feature digital thermometers for easy temperature control, ranging between 33°F and 43°F (0.556°C and 6.111°C). The height, weight, and depth of the merchandisers change depending on the type, model, size, and placement of the refrigeration system. An average-sized cold case (30, 36, or 48 inches wide (76.2, 91.44, 121.92 cm)) takes a standard 120V plug, but the largest will require between 208-230V service.

Open-air merchandisers have the refrigeration system either self-contained or placed remotely from the unit. Self-contained open-air merchandisers contain the entire refrigeration system within the unit, including the compressor, condenser, and evaporator. These units are cost-effective and easy to install, requiring only an electrical connection to operate. They offer convenience in servicing since all components are located in one place. However, they can release heat into the surrounding area, potentially increasing the store’s cooling needs, and may produce noticeable noise.

In remote refrigeration systems, the condenser and compressor are placed outside the merchandiser, either in another room or outdoors. This setup keeps heat and noise away from the sales floor and can provide more interior space for product display. However, remote systems require more complex and costly installation, involving piping and connections to the external refrigeration source. These units are less flexible for relocation and have higher upfront costs than self-contained systems.

Design and Aesthetic

Open-air merchandisers are designed with adjustable shelving, allowing for flexible and dynamic product displays that can accommodate various-sized products and drinks. This enhances both space utilization and product visibility. Advanced LED lighting is another design feature that most open-air merchandisers include, as it efficiently illuminates products to make them more attractive to customers while minimizing energy costs and preventing heat interference with the unit’s internal temperature. Together, these features create an appealing and effective product display solution.

Technological Advancements

Open-air merchandisers have multiple advanced features for enhanced energy efficiency and ease of use. Night covers are used during non-operating hours to conserve energy by maintaining the unit’s internal temperatures and also help deter theft in public areas. Integrated monitoring and alert mechanisms provide real-time updates on temperature fluctuations or mechanical issues, enabling proactive maintenance. Smart technology integration, including IoT connectivity and AI-driven analytics, enhances operational efficiency and provides valuable insights for business decisions. Energy-efficient components contribute to lower electricity consumption and support eco-friendly practices, promoting sustainability and reducing operational costs.

Variety and Customization

Open-air merchandisers can be customized to suit specific business needs, considering available space, layout preferences, and product types. This tailored approach ensures the merchandiser aligns with operational requirements and enhances product display. Custom branding options allow the merchandiser to seamlessly integrate with a business’s brand theme, turning it into an effective marketing tool. Customized merchandisers can be designed to fit particular layouts and highlight key products, ensuring optimal visibility for best sellers and improving overall merchandising strategy.

What are The Factors to Consider When Buying the Right Open Air Merchandiser?

When choosing the right open-air merchandiser, space considerations, product types, and customer traffic patterns should be considered. (Selecting the appropriate open-air merchandiser is important for ensuring the longevity and quality of your products, the success of your business, and customer satisfaction. You can read our Considerations for Industrial Refrigerators article to learn general considerations related to all types of industrial refrigeration.)

Determining the intended menu items, their quantities, and whether reinforced shelving is needed for heavy items like beverages helps decide the size and type of the unit. Considering the number of display shelves and how often employees will restock determines if you need a back-loading door for convenience.

When placing the unit, don’t forget to evaluate the location using the 5-10-15 rule: at least 5 ft (1.524 m) from windows, 10 ft (3.048) from vents, and 15 ft (4.572 m) from exterior doors to avoid heat and humidity. Also, the placement of merchandisers in retail stores should be done strategically, as their placement has a huge impact on purchase decisions and impulse buys. When placing open-air merchandisers, consider foot traffic, aisle width, product accessibility, and cross-merchandising opportunities. The ideal placement entices customers, stimulates spontaneous purchases, and makes shopping easier.

Popular Open Air Merchandiser Manufacturer and Models

There is an open-air merchandiser suitable for every need and budget. Here are the most popular open-air merchandiser brands and models:

TOAM-48-HC~TSL01 48″ vertical air curtain merchandiser by True and TOM-W-40SB-N 38″ horizontal combination open air merchandiser and TOM-50B-SP(-A)-N 50″ vertical open air merchandiser by Turbo Air are popular open-air merchandiser models in the market. 

Which Industries Can Benefit From Open Air Merchandisers?

Supermarkets, delis, quick-service restaurants, bakeries, and bars are some of the most common industries that benefit from open-air merchandisers. Open-air merchandisers help display and maintain safe temperatures for products from grab-and-go foods, fresh fruit, and veggies to beverages and meat products.

Conclusion

In conclusion, open-air merchandisers efficiently display and refrigerate products in various industries, including retail and food service. By enhancing product visibility, easy access to air circulation, and customer satisfaction, they provide a pleasant shopping experience and boost sales by promoting impulse buys. Their diverse types and customizable features cater to different business needs and preferences, making them a valuable investment for any retail or food service business. As a result, open-air merchandisers contribute to operational efficiency and significantly enhance customer satisfaction and overall store aesthetics.