What are the advantages of glass door display fridges?

Whenever a customer walks into your supermarket, corner shop, deli or takeaway, they all think they’re on a mission to buy that one thing they came in for. But the reality is, if you market it correctly, they’ll probably leave with quite a lot more than they intended. And although they probably never think about it, the only thing standing between them and their product choice is your glass door display fridge.

Compared with open-fronted or even solid door units, glass door display fridges change how customers browse. They change how staff manage stock, too, and do their bit to reduce your energy usage. On this page, we walk you through the four main advantages of glass door display fridges.

Keeping products visible while protecting them

Customers make fast choices when they see what’s on offer. Having a clear view of drinks, food and essentials without needing to open the door and let all the cold air out is a fantastic and widely unappreciated asset of the modern world.

In short, they’ll only buy what they can see, but it’s also really important to invest in presentation. Most high-quality modern display fridges should also come with carefully designed marketing features, such as bright LEDs, adjustable shelving and castors to help you position and reposition your unit. That way, your customers can always see what you’re selling, and see it in the best light.

If you run a shop or deli, glass door multideck fridges offer a strong balance between display and protection. For bars or pubs, glass-front coolers keep bottles visible while saving energy compared with open shelving.

Saving energy with fewer door openings

If a fridge has solid doors, customers rely on memory, habit or guesswork. They’ll open the door, scan the shelves, maybe think about it for a few minutes, and probably decide later anyway. The thing is, although solid door fridges are often more efficient than glass door models, constantly opening and closing them actually makes them less efficient. Those few seconds that they’re open mean all the cold air spills out, and the compressor has to work much harder to cool everything down again. If this is happening all the time, it makes for an expensive energy bill.

Open-fronted units can be great in some instances, such as driving impulse purchases at lunchtime. However, in unsurprising research quoted by the RAC, the Carbon Trust found that adding glass doors to open fridges improves their efficiency by up to 50%. Less cold air spilling into the aisle means fewer kilowatts wasted and steadier product quality. If you run a convenience store or otherwise own multiple large units, this could represent significant utility savings over the course of a year.

But of course, glass doors change everything. Shoppers can see inside, and that makes it far less likely that they need to open the unit before they’ve selected what they want. Then, they’ll reach in, grab what they want, let the door close up, and walk away. The result is shorter openings, less cold air loss, and lower overall running costs.

Smaller shops and cafés often choose single door display fridges for compact spaces, while supermarkets and takeaways may prefer double door models for higher volume.

Guiding customers through the browsing experience

Sometimes, customers power into your shop with a carefully written list. They know exactly what they want, what brand they want, what quantity they want, and where to find it all. Equally, many customers don’t always know what they want until they see it. A well-lit glass door fridge turns the browsing stage into a subtle sales tool. Drinks in rows, snacks at eye level, dairy in a corner; whatever you’re selling, there’s a way to frame it in such a light that nudges shoppers towards an extra purchase.

Impulse purchasing is a fascinating thing to read about. You’ll find all manner of studies on the topic in scientific journals around the world. While there’s no foolproof figure for exactly how many purchases customers make ‘on impulse’ in the store (as in, buying things they didn’t originally go in for), most people take the ballpark figure as quoted in this study in the National Library of Medicine as accurate: between 40% and 80%.

Impulse buying often happens at the chilled section. So, if over half of your sales potentially depend on it, it’s well worth investing the time and money into making it look good. And a soft drink on display has a higher chance of ending up in a basket than one hidden behind a solid door.

Open displays tempt customers, too, but they come at a cost. Without a front, they leave chilled stock exposed to fluctuating temperatures, resulting in food quality dropping sooner. With a shorter shelf life, open-fronted models are best for your quick-selling stuff. For everything else, glass doors keep most of the presentation benefits of open shelving, but with steady conditions that match food safety standards.

Making stock management simpler for staff

Managing your inventory is easier when products stay visible from the shop floor. If there’s no need to open the fridge or pull trays forward, it’s much easier for staff to check levels and know they need to restock. In most cases, a quick glance shows which drinks need restocking, which items are moving fast and which products need shifting before their date passes.

And when you think about it, this actually saves an awful lot of time compared to solid door units. There’s no need to open each fridge to count bottles or cartons, if your small business doesn’t rely so heavily on digital inventories. As such, your employees need to open the door only when they need to double-check quantities or restock. And, of course, less time with doors open helps further preserve cooling efficiency.

The overall effect is smoother operations, better compliance and fewer surprises when tallying at closing time. All of which means that glass door display fridges are the perfect choice for many businesses around the UK. Whether you own a corner shop, a supermarket, a deli, a takeaway or a drinks business, there’s no better way to move your products than by showing them off, behind a transparent, energy-saving barrier.

Find your next glass door display fridge with Fridgesmart

Here at Fridgesmart, we know this market inside out, and we won’t be beaten on price. With market-leading warranty options and delivery options, we’re sure we have the right glass door display fridge for you and your business.

For more information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can reach us on 01792 677169 or by emailing hello@fridgesmart.co.uk. We’d be delighted to have a commitment-free chat about what you do, what you need, and how we can help.