Floor models are representative examples of products displayed in retail stores, allowing customers to interact with them. Packaging is necessary for most durable goods, but floor models can be used to outsell packaged items. Retail employees are also referred to as floor models in some stores.
A floor model is traditionally an item displayed as a representative example of a specific product that is or will be offered for sale. The use of floor models is widespread in different types of retail stores. Items featured as floor models tend to be electronics, furniture, and appliances. A new type of floor model is the retail salesperson, which some stores have adopted to call floor models.
The need for exhibition floor models is practical. Some sort of packaging is practically a must for many retail items, making it difficult for a potential customer to see what they are getting. A floor model allows the item to sell itself in some way. It gives the customer the ability to interact with the item in ways not possible with a packaged item.
Most durable goods – consumable items that don’t wear out – are shipped in packaging for a variety of reasons. First, this ensures they won’t be dented, stained, or otherwise damaged before a retailer offers them for sale. Second, packaging makes it easier to store and deliver items; for example, boxed items can be stacked many levels for transit. Thirdly, the boxes allow traceability codes to be applied to products for security purposes or to identify their date or location of manufacture.
Smaller items, typically electronics, are packed for both shipping and loss prevention. Such assets tend to have a high value-to-volume ratio. Packaging can help ensure that the item is much more difficult to steal.
Regardless of why an item is packaged, a traditional floor model is simply an item removed from its packaging and displayed in an attempt to outsell that item. This can be done with multiple objects but more often than not, only one object serves as a model of the floor. Floor patterns are positioned to draw the client’s attention and invite exploration by sight and touch. For a larger item, like a washing machine, a customer might want to measure it or see how it looks on the inside, while smaller items like cell phones might be featured so the customer can experience how the device works. In many cases, floor models of competing types or brands are displayed together for comparison.
A floor model can also present an opportunity to purchase an item at a lower cost. Retailers often discount floor models, especially when an item has been discontinued and the floor model is the only one left available. Floor models are often handled and can sometimes have the characteristics of a used item, such as wear or dirt, so dealers tend to offer price cuts on them.
While product-based flooring patterns are a long-standing feature of retail shopping, a more modern take on the flooring pattern is the retail employee. Some stores, especially clothing stores that cater to a teen or young adult audience, refer to their sales associates as floor models. Despite the name change, these clerks handle the standard duties of folding merchandise, straightening racks and racks of clothing, and assisting customers.
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