Retail Store Design Tips By Shopfitting Experts

Running a retail store isn't an easy task. There are a whole lot of things to consider while fitting out your retail space. One of the fallacies that are often implied by the store owners is fixating more on the merchandise than the store itself. The art of selling involves various components and product placement and store design that go hand in hand to create more sales. It’s an established fact that upgrading your store layout or optimising your retail store design can impact your sales. Employing new supermarket equipment and hiring leading space planners can assist the design and outlook of your retail space. These are the reasons why store owners are prioritizing their store design, supermarket equipment, the space planners they are hiring, the outlook of their store, and so on. Because these factors can directly affect the sales of your business.

For optimally transforming your business space and building an ideal space for your merchandise consider the following tips for your retail store design:

1. Be Mindful About the Traffic Flow of Your Retail Store

What most retailers neglect is what the shoppers do between entering the store and checking out. The manner in which the customers choose to move when they enter your retail store is of utmost significance as it can assist you to boost your sales. The directed movement or traffic flow of your store can be used to place the ‘hot’ merchandise strategically so that it attracts the proper attention of the shoppers.

Studies have proven that shoppers usually choose the direction of their movement based on the road traffic direction of the country they reside in. This tip can help you figure out the direction of movement of your store traffic and you can place the supermarket equipment and ‘hot’ merchandise accordingly.

2. Avoid Placing High-Ticket Items At the Front

The area from the entrance of your retail store to the next few yards is known by some retail experts as ‘the decompression zone’. This is usually the place that entering shoppers use for adjusting to the new and changed surroundings. For instance, if your retail store has different lighting, music, or temperature than outside of the store, then customers might require a couple of minutes to adjust to these changes before they begin to look around the items before them. Shoppers might walk past the items placed in the front of your store. Therefore, most space planners utilise the front space for relatively inexpensive and cheaper items.

High-ticket items or popular products must be placed beyond the decompression zone. This way the merchandise will attract greater attention of the shoppers.

3. Build Up Your Q-Line Potential

The Q-line area is where shoppers wait to be served in case there is a queue. Instead of overlooking the potential of this space, as a store owner, you can utilize this space for alluring the customers with small, inexpensive products that they can purchase along with other items.

Once the customer has decided to purchase a few items and they are waiting to pay for them, a few extra dollars wouldn’t seem like a big deal to buy a couple of inexpensive and useful items. Space planners fill a good Q-line space with products that appeal to everyone, but nobody will visit a store to particularly buy those. Ideal choices for this space can be underwear, socks, toiletries, etc in fashion stores; cold drinks, and snacks in food stores and supermarkets.

4. Refrain From Cluttering and Overcrowding Your Store

Most store owners, in order to use every inch of their store space, end up cluttering and overcrowding their retail store. Whilst it may occur to them as a great tactic to boost sales, overfilled stores are proven to drive the customers away from purchasing products, or in some instances even prevent the shoppers from entering the store.

You can utilize your retail space efficiently by employing apt supermarket equipment and consulting some space planners about your store outlook and design. Employing the right kind of supermarket equipment can increase your sales more than you think.

5. Revitalize Your Store Displays Regularly

Displays such as retail displays, product displays, and window displays are often the reason for customers to enter your store. Keeping the same display for a long time can discourage potential customers from entering your store. They would feel like they have already been through all your stuff and there is nothing new.

Regularly updating your displays can tempt the customer to explore your store and will bring in more customer traffic. Even if you do not want to alter your product line too much, you must try to design a new feature, as it might encourage shoppers to visit your store.

I'm Preben Paulsen and working with Planova and they are leading manufacturer and supplier of Shelving solutions, shop fitting, retail store displays and best space planners in Europe.