5 Reasons to Love Your Crystal Merchandiser®

At Zero Zone, the gold standard is a crystal: a Crystal Merchandiser®. These reach-in display cases have served retailers across every application: beverage, dairy, deli, meat, produce, and frozen food. To understand why, let’s look at 5 reasons that retailers love the Crystal Merchandiser®.

#1: Excellent Energy Efficiency

Up to 84% less energy than open multi-decks

Up to 45% less energy than other reach-in coolers

We know what matters most of all, and that is profit and cost. The Crystal Merchandiser® is the clear choice for maximizing profit while minimizing operating cost. These cases were engineered for excellent energy efficiency, especially against open multi-deck cases (up to 84% less energy) and even against other reach-in coolers (up to 45% less energy).

A retailer’s vice president of facilities and equipment said, “The energy savings are what really make you stop and say, ‘I need to take a serious look at this’. Then you start getting into things that become more apparent once you have the cases in—the comfort in the aisle, how great the product labels appear from the LED lighting—all of those subsequent advantages.”

#2: 74″ Tall CoolView® Doors

Not only do Zero Zone cases have excellent energy efficiency, but they are energy efficient while also having some of the largest doors in the industry. These 74″ tall doors open up the Crystal Merchandiser® to shoppers, making it easy for them to see products and make their selection.

Our 30″ wide CoolView® Illusion® doors for our low-temperature cases are known for glass that goes all the way to the edge of the door, giving the impression that the case is open even when the door is closed. The effect is most dramatic for a lineup of cases where the aisle will look like a wall of enticing product. Shoppers may be under the illusion that the door is not even there.

Crystal Merchandiser® Low Temp RVLC30 with CoolView® Illusion® Doors

The medium-temperature cases use CoolView® Ultra™ doors, which are notable for their broad display and slender frames. These are available as either 24″ wide French-swing doors or as 30″ wide single-swing doors. This lets retailers pick the right door to fit their merchandising strategy and store planogram.

#3: More Facings & More Packout

With taller doors comes increased product facings: up to 35% more facings than other display cases. In addition, the Crystal Merchandiser® also offers more merchandising space with 6 full shelves, which means up to 25% more packout. “We are able to get an entire case of 6-packs out as well as 3 12-packs on each shelf,” a liquor store manager noted. “You might think that with 6 shelves instead of 5, it might be more difficult for the consumer to pull product off of the shelving, but it has actually been easier.”

For even more space, take a look at the Zero Zone Deep cases, which allows you to fit 4 30-packs of 12 oz. cans in the bottom basket.

Extra space can be valuable in any department in a store. Another store manager said, “In the yogurt section, with the old open cases that weren’t self-feeding, you would have to restock after you sold 6 units—or pull it all forward. But in this situation, you fill it once, you go back in mid-day and refill it. I mean, the labor savings is astronomical—about an hour and a half a day. That’s one of the ways we’ve been able to cut some inefficiencies.”

#4: More Efficient Use of Floor Space

Part of the genius of the Crystal Merchandiser® is that in addition to offering more facings and packout, the case actually uses less floor space within stores. The Crystal Merchandiser® is only 39 1/2″ from the back of the case to the front of the door handle. It is up to 7″ narrower than multi-deck cases. This allows retailers to use that space elsewhere or to simply have wider aisles, which shoppers appreciate.

#5: Reduced Shrink & Increased Shelf Life

The Crystal Merchandiser® also helps stores by reducing product shrink and increasing shelf life, which is especially pertinent to meat departments and produce departments.

In the words of a meat department manager, “Are the products holding up better? Absolutely! There’s no question it’s enhanced the shelf-life of the products.” The manager also reported that the meat held its vibrant, fresh color longer. A meat cutter told us, “It actually preserves the meat longer, gives it more life. It’s better for the customer; they get a fresher product. It’s better for us, as a company; we save more money, and we sell more, too.”

This benefit carries over to the produce department. Anything you put in the Crystal Merchandiser® stays fresh and beautiful longer. Spoilage is down, and shoppers take home produce that is fresher. As a produce department manager told us, “Since we began using the Crystal Merchandiser®, our shrink on bagged salad and cut fruit has been reduced by as much as 50%. The consistent temperature is the key.”

Are You Ready?

Have you fallen in love with the Crystal Merchandiser® too? Now is the time to contact the Zero Zone sales team to choose the Crystal Merchandiser® for your next store.