3 Store Display Ideas That Get Gen Z Excited!

Genecun involves Gen Z members taking the lead to propose new store layouts that align with Gen Z values.

This time, we introduce three store display ideas aligned with seasonal events: "Moon Viewing," "Mother's Day," and "Picnic."

We spoke with the Genecun members who developed each concept: Chisato Hatano and Kohei Yamamoto.

※"Genecun" is a registered trademark of Dentsu tempo Inc. and Dentsu Retail Marketing Inc.

<Table of Contents>

▼Revamp Stale Store Promotions to Attract Gen Z!

▼Store Idea: "#Emotional Moon Viewing". Deliberately choosing a tradition less familiar to Gen Z

▼Store Idea: "Onma Penmi Day". Combining Mother's Day with fan activities!

▼Store Idea: "Nostalgic Picnic! The Heisei Fancy Heart-Fluttering Gathering". Heisei boom meets picnic

▼To engage a broad spectrum of Gen Z, "low-cost participation initiatives" are key!

Revamp stale sales floor concepts and attract Gen Z!

Chisato Hatano, Dentsu tempo Inc.; Kohei Yamamoto, Dentsu Retail Marketing Inc.

──Please introduce yourselves.

Hatano: As an Account Lead (sales representative) at Dentsu tempo Inc., I primarily propose sales promotion plans for cosmetics and food manufacturers. Since joining the company, I've been involved in gift service planning for cosmetics manufacturers' flagship stores, specializing in proposals for in-store experiences and CX (Customer Experience).

Dentsu tempo Inc., Chisato Hatano

Yamamoto: I belong to Dentsu Retail Marketing Inc. but am currently stationed at a company operating drugstores. There, I work in the department driving DX (Digital Transformation). As a producer and planner, I collaborate with manufacturer representatives to support 1-to-1 marketing initiatives, such as coupon campaigns utilizing apps.

Dentsu Retail Marketing Inc., Mr. Yamamoto

──Please tell us about your involvement with GeneCyn.

Hatano: Genecun is a project combining insights from both companies to research and disseminate information on the theme of "Storefronts × Generation Z." The core members consist of two Generation Z employees selected from each company, with additional members joining as needed for specific initiatives.

Genecun's activities fall into four main categories (see table below). The "Gen Z-Exciting Store Layout Ideas" we're introducing today are developed based on insights gathered through Genecun's activities, such as honest surveys and store trend analysis.

Yamamoto: Currently, we plan several store layout ideas for each season and share them internally. While we haven't reached the stage of directly proposing them to clients yet, they are being utilized within the Dentsu Group to inform client sales promotion planning.

──Could you explain your process for developing store display concepts?

Hatano: First, we come up with a "theme" for the sales floor that would likely appeal to Gen Z. We then set the product categories to feature based on that theme. From there, we embody the theme through a catchphrase and key visuals, shaping the vision for its rollout across POP displays, in-store displays, flyers, online supermarkets, web media, and more.

Yamamoto: However, the "shelf allocation"—deciding which products to stock, in what quantities, and on which shelves—is the domain of the retail store's on-site professionals. Our role is strictly to propose the "theme" at the upstream stage of the sales floor planning. We then envision working together with the retail store's personnel to develop practical shelf allocations and other details.

──What challenges do retailers and other distribution companies, as well as manufacturers, face regarding sales floor planning?

Hatano: I often interact with manufacturers, and I frequently hear concerns like this: "We run sales floor campaigns tied to annual events like New Year's, Valentine's Day, and Golden Week, but since it's the same thing every year, it's become stale. Customers are getting bored too, so we need fresh angles for our campaigns."

Yamamoto: In the drugstore industry where I currently handle marketing, the main customer base is women in their 40s and 50s. Compared to that, Gen Z's impact on sales isn't that significant yet, so the retail industry tends to be hesitant about actively promoting "Gen Z-focused initiatives." However, if we don't invest now—or rather, if we don't focus on building Gen Z's lifetime value and turning them into loyal fans—there's a risk that the demographic that will become the future sales volume zone will shrink. This concern isn't limited to the drugstore industry; retailers across the board are aware of it. For example, there are moves to create customer touchpoints through dedicated apps.

On a positive note, as mentioned in our previous article, Generation Z also values the in-store shopping experience. We hope our retail space planning concepts can serve as a "reinforcing element" for retailers when they develop more ambitious in-store initiatives targeting Generation Z.

Hatano: On the other hand, I feel manufacturers are also making a real effort to understand retailers' perspectives, thinking beyond just their own products and even considering shelf space. That's why we aim to propose store layout concepts that create a win-win situation for both manufacturers and retailers.

Sales Floor Idea: "#Emotional-Appeal Moon Viewing". Deliberately choosing an event unfamiliar to Gen Z.
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──Next, we'll focus on the sales floor concepts you two developed. First, Hatano-san's autumn project: "#Emotional Moon Viewing." Why did you choose "moon viewing" as the theme?

Hatano: Primarily because I thought it was an event Gen Z likely wouldn't incorporate into their lives. Moon Viewing had this "somehow old-fashioned image" associated with rice dumplings and rabbits. However, by using "emo" and "art" – which are also Gen Z consumption trends – as hooks, I thought we could create a display that would appear fresh to Gen Z and spark their interest.

Moon Viewing, specifically the Mid-Autumn Moon (Fifteenth Night), is a seasonal event occurring annually from mid-September to early October. In recent years, lingering summer heat often delays the rollout of hot menu items, making this event a notable alternative focus for retailers.

──What kind of products are envisioned for this campaign?

Hatano: Rather than products specifically for the pinpoint date of the "Fifteenth Night," we envision items for enjoying the entire "moon viewing season" from late September through October in an emotionally resonant and cute way.

For cosmetics, think moody-scented fragrances, purple-based makeup, and glittery tattoo stickers. For interiors, mood lights and incense with moon motifs. For food and drinks, round-shaped sweets evoking the moon, cocktails or sodas with floating fruit or ice. We envisioned developing products across clothing, food, and living under the catchphrase "#EmotionalMoonViewing."

Yamamoto: We brought in members with extensive experience in advertising and promotions, older than Gen Z, to support and help bring Hatano-san's ideas to life, right?

Hatano: The "#Emotional Moon Viewing" catchphrase emerged through extensive discussions with the planner supporting Genkyun. When researching whether Gen Z and moon viewing shared compatible aspects, we noticed a trending art festival. By linking "moon viewing" and "art," we aimed to emphasize beauty and emotional resonance. We consciously crafted the catchphrase to resonate clearly with consumers.

Sales Floor Idea: "Onma Penmi Day". Combining Mother's Day with fan activities!
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──Next, for the spring sales floor plan, I hear Mr. Yamamoto came up with an idea for Mother's Day. First, what exactly does "Onma Penmi" mean?

Yamamoto: In Korean, "Onma" means mother, and "Penmi" means fan meeting. "Fan activities" are trending now, right? I think a mother's biggest "favorite" is her own child. For Mother's Day, we flipped the script: children see their mother as their favorite and "show their appreciation through fan activities for Mom."

For the Mother's Day sales floor concept, I thought a straightforward approach like "Let's express gratitude to Mom on Mother's Day" might make kids feel a bit shy and hesitant to take action. By creating a trendy concept package like "idol fandom activities," I thought it would make it easier to convey feelings of gratitude they might not normally express.

──Was there a specific reason you chose Mother's Day for the sales floor campaign?

Yamamoto: For me, the starting point was wanting to create a campaign that truly moves customers, something that strikes a chord. While spring has many events, I focused on Mother's Day because it resonates deeply with so many people's feelings.

──What exactly is a "Penmi" (fan meeting) for Mother's Day?

Yamamoto: A fan meeting is an event where idols or celebrities interact with fans through activities like handshake sessions, photo sessions, talk corners, or games. For this project, we envisioned a day where children and mothers enjoy activities together, treating the mother as the "talent." The idea is for them to enjoy things like cooking together, having a drink, watching a movie or playing games, giving a gift, and taking a Cheki photo together.

We thought the "Onma Penmi" package might help families see their everyday bonding time as something a little more special. Though, to be honest, I wasn't very familiar with fandom activities myself...

Hatano: Genkyun has members who love Korean idols and are passionate about fandom activities, so they teach us all sorts of things (laughs). I think Genkyun's strength is being able to incorporate the real-life experiences of our Gen Z members into various projects.

Yamamoto: Every single anecdote I heard from the members was incredibly helpful. Thanks to that, I think we were able to take the kind of content seen at idol and celebrity fan meetings and adapt it to the Mother's Day theme.

──What kind of products or business formats are you envisioning?

Yamamoto: We're primarily thinking of it as a concept for supermarkets. The products would mainly be food and beverages, but we could also expand into gift items like bouquets, letter sets, and photo props.

Sales Floor Idea: "Nostalgic Picnic! A Gathering to Swoon Over Heisei-Era Fancy Goods" – Combining the Heisei Boom with Picnics

──Could you also introduce your other spring project, "Nostalgic Picnic! A Gathering to Swoon Over Heisei-Era Cuteness"?

Hatano: We noticed that among us Gen Zers, things popular during our childhood in the early to mid-Heisei era—like Tamagotchi and Oshare Majo Love and Berry—are experiencing a revival. I thought about combining this "return to Heisei" concept with the spring theme.

While "Oshapic" (stylish picnics) has become a standard way to enjoy picnics, recently concept-driven picnics like "Ballet Core Picnics(※)" and "Idol Activity Picnics"—not just about being fashionable—have become trends.

※1 Ballet Core Style = Girly fashion inspired by ballerina costumes, featuring lace, ribbons, toe shoes, leg warmers, etc.

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──So you linked "Heisei nostalgia" and "picnics," two things popular with Gen Z right now.

Hatano: Yes. However, no matter how interesting an idea seems, if it can't be tied to merchandising or products, it's meaningless as a "sales floor concept." In that regard, the Heisei × Picnic theme seems like it could be linked to a wide range of foods and goods at supermarkets and variety stores, right?

──I see. So the concept is to curate Heisei-era-style food and goods specifically for picnics?

Hatano: Exactly. And even though it's a Heisei boom, this isn't a proposal to just line up copyrighted goods like anime characters on the shelves. We're focusing on the trend of "Generation Z coming up with their own picnic concepts." The idea is to gather and display items useful for "making" your own picnic.

Specifically, this includes ingredients for recreating childhood "homemade nostalgic bento" like roll sandwiches or character bento, or products useful for the recently popular "nori art" (*2). Plus, picnic essentials like picnic sheets and paper cups, and photogenic miscellaneous items like "deco clocks" and "jingle keychains."

※2 Nori art = Decorating bento boxes with nori (seaweed) cut into character faces or patterns.

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──How did the tagline "Nostalgic Picnic! A Gathering to Swoon Over Heisei Fancy" come about?

Hatano: We brainstormed extensively with Genkyun members, trying to capture the essence of "Heisei nostalgia" in words. "Sparkly" didn't feel right, nor did "Heisei girls." After much deliberation, we landed on the term "Heisei Fancy." We believed emphasizing the "fancy" concept within Heisei trends would make the store's intent clearer to consumers.

Even within Generation Z, the age range is broad (※3). I believe this strategy successfully captures both the late-20s demographic who actually experienced Heisei trends and the 10-20s demographic who feel a sense of longing for Heisei culture.

※3 Generation Z = While definitions vary, here we refer to those born from the mid-1990s to the early 2010s (ages 15-27 as of 2025).

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To engage the broad spectrum of Gen Z, "initiatives accessible with small investments" are crucial!

──You introduced three store promotions targeting Gen Z. I understand Genkyun develops such initiatives daily. How would you like manufacturers and retailers to utilize them?

Hatano: As I mentioned initially, I hope they help break the monotony of conventional sales floor initiatives. Beyond that, I'd be delighted if these initiatives shine a light on products that haven't received much attention before.

Yamamoto: We hope manufacturers and retail buyers will discuss these as potential sales floor ideas during negotiations. When it comes time to implement an idea, the Dentsu Group can assist, so we encourage them to consult with us.

──What are the most important points you both focus on when considering store display planning?

Yamamoto: For me, there are two. First, whether Genecun can add value. We believe we can contribute in cases requiring unprecedented creativity or extensive coordination with multiple companies for implementation.

The other is whether the "frontline" perspective is properly considered. What I strongly feel from being stationed at a retail company is that headquarters genuinely values the frontline. No matter how innovative a plan is, if it places excessive burden on frontline staff or requires major sales floor layout changes, it won't be accepted. We need to properly observe the frontline, listen to their voices, and create feasible plans.

Hatano: The perspective of the retail floor is paramount. No matter how interesting a plan seems, if it focuses on too narrow a theme of products when considering sales, it becomes difficult to handle as a plan. So, I consciously aim for "involving as many different products as possible." And for consumers, I strive to come up with catchy themes that resonate in a single phrase.

Yamamoto: Another key point for Gen Z-focused projects is keeping costs low and enabling participation with small amounts. Gen Z includes not just working adults but also middle and high school students. Projects that allow students with limited allowances to participate easily are needed, right? Even if they don't directly drive massive sales, this demographic will become the next major consumer base.

──In terms of making things feasible while keeping products and on-site realities in mind, the expertise of GeneCyn and the Dentsu Group seems incredibly valuable. Thank you for your time today.