WHY IS STORE LAYOUT IMPORTANT?
STORE LAYOUT & MERCHANDISING DIRECTLY AFFECTS YOUR STORE TRAFFIC, HOW MUCH TIME CUSTOMERS SPEND IN THE STORE…
AND… YOUR SALES.
Most of the time I’m working with a renovation and not new builds when it comes to retail design work. One of the very first things I do is come up with a space plan…which would include where we’re going to put things, and equally important, how will the customer get to it!
Let’s explore 8 ideas!
#1 Use the Right Floor Plan
There are several types of floor plans which direct traffic flow through your space. The most common are:
Straight – Shelving & racking are placed in straight lines and often seen in large retail spaces…think supermarkets…up and down the aisles
Racetrack or a Loop Plan – down one side and back the other…a ‘loop’
Free flow Plan – This one encourages customers to browse in any direction
Here’s the best link I’ve found which describes them all and why they work. https://www.creativedisplaysnow.com/types-retail-store-layouts/
See if you can identify which one of these are most like your own store.
# 2 Be aware of where you’re leading your shoppers.
I’m sure you all know that since most people are right handed, they will then instinctively turn to the right and explore your store in a counter-clockwise direction. That being said, most women will avoid spaces that will result in them bumping into bottoms of other shoppers of they are bending to a lower shelf. The BUTT BRUSH effect. Too tight a space is to be avoided at all costs.
Lots of space psychologically conveys higher priced items. Then you think about ‘what is the cost of the items in the path you’ve created’. I.e. you wouldn’t place a sale or lower priced item immediately on the right as you’ve entered the store because it’s the first ‘key area’ that they see.
“Where the eyes go, the feet will follow”. I like to think that every turn you have forced a customer to take with the use of strategically placed fixtures should lead to a new ‘treasure’ that they can’t live without, whether that is a gift or a clothing item.
#3 Are your product quantities appropriate?
Less is more IF your items are pricey!
Otherwise More is more and may be a good strategy for you.
The bottom line? The amount of stock you display will depend on the message or image you want to project and the experience you want to create.
A higher end boutique needs to curate their selection whereas a discount retailer will pack their store with product. Both are perfect depending on your brand message.
#4 Have enough space between products and fixtures.
I hate going into stores where everything is so tight that you can’t move! Often times, I’m removing floor fixtures in a renovation and finding more innovative ways to use the walls to gain that space. Are you guilty of this with too many racks on the floor?
#5 How are you driving impulse sales?
Those end-caps in grocery stores and the gondolas by the cash register are driving those impulse sales. Chocolate bars, Gift cards, gum… Special vendor items at the endcaps…All of these are put front and centre in front of the customer for a reason. They didn’t intend to buy them…but there they are in their grocery cart!
The same thing goes for cross merchandising on shelves. Most of you are great at this! I.e. Sport shorts, tops, and a basket of flip-flops are a prime example. Maybe even a sunglass rack close by.
That said, I’m not a big fan of a cash desk that is so full of those impulse items, that you have no area for a transaction. See below. Editing that space regularly is a good idea! You can keep changing the impulse items.
#6 How often are you freshening up your displays?
This mostly depends on the type of store you own and the nature of your walk-by traffic. I used to do window displays of a wonderful tourist store in Gastown whose primary buyer was a once-in-a-lifetime tourist, so you can see that they wouldn’t need to change their displays often. I would do them seasonally.
That doesn’t work for a store that has the same shopper walking by every day on their way to work for example. You will definitely need to change your displays, both inside and in your windows once a week, and even more often if you have new arrivals. Those customers need to see a ‘major’ change regularly. Major change is often easy with a drastic colour difference from one change to another. Red/White/Blue this change…All White next change Or, a Feature Change. This week it’s Garden Tools, Next time it’s Garden Hats …
#7 Employ your 5 Senses
Creating a store that makes customers want to come in is magical! Creating that EXPERIENCE post Covid, with Ai zooming in on us, Amazon on-line shopping and other economic changes make this so critical. This is a very POWERFUL weapon for you. – the Multi-sensory Engagement. If you can’t do all 5…pick 3 or 4.
Here are some ideas:
- Lighting… Is the lighting appropriate in your space? Is the lighting aimed?
- Colour… Are you using colour to draw people to an area? This could be a bright wall or a colourful collection
- Tactile experiences – to touch, feel, try on. The more a customer is able to do this, the more likely they are to purchase it.
- Scent …This could be a wonderful candle burning in the store, or a spritz of cologne on the wrist, the smell of a fresh cup of coffee or an apple cider. Scents are directly related to what one remembers in their life. Does anyone remember the smell of a hardware store of ‘old’ where you could smell the oil on the floors? One doesn’t forget these smells. Or Fresh Fudge ….you will remember how wonderful that was. Find your scent for your store to give the customer a connection.
- Sound…The right music in-store influences memory, emotion and movement. If you own a ‘Western’ store…then you need to be playing Country Western Music. Get the idea? The right music for the brand of your store and the age of your customer…with no swearing Women often prefer oldies, pop and R&B. Men…Rock, Blues, Bluegrass. Think about your customer base.
- Taste…Not everyone is selling something you can taste-sample like a bakery, but if you are…USE IT. Those taste samples are key to sales. Think about Costco and the sampling! It pays! Even if you’re not selling edible products, you can still offer nibbles and drinks like the store below. A shoe store on Commercial Drive in Vancouver always had a glass of Prosecco ready! 🙂
#8 Movement Matters
People notice colour and movement above all else. No staff should be lingering behind a cash desk. They should be active on the floor. It just makes everything more inviting. When a store looks like there is something going on, it is so less intimidating for someone to enter.
MEASURE THE RESULTS
I would love your feed-back on this post. To do that I’d love you to tell me what you did from the above suggestions and what the impact was. You and your staff need to be observant about how people enter and where they go once they’re in the store. You can benchmark your sales, traffic, and how long a customer remained in the store. I don’t need to know your sales figures. You could just send me a % increase. Don’t be afraid to ask people what they think of your store, or ask your regular customers if they’ve noticed any changes you’ve made, and how it made them feel. You can send me photos too!
The look and feel of your store is never finished when it comes to layouts, displays and merchandising. That’s what makes each day exciting!
If you need some help, please call me @ 604 649 9050 or email me at heddy@urbanspaces.ca
Before I sign off… I want to pay tribute to my long time friend Maisie Thorleifson who passed away this Spring. We shared so many thoughts on retail. She referred me often to clients that she thought I could help. She was definitely exciting to be around and such a powerhouse. I am so grateful to have known her and I wish much peace to her family. Below are a few photos from a Celebration that was held at the FX Building. A red Sziska heart was given to everyone who attended. It is a precious memory!
Susan Gallagher (Susan Cooper Agency) and myself – Maisie’s beautiful daughters Rae-lynne and Jill Goss during an emotional loving tribute. Sending them much love!
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