The importance of good store design goes beyond aesthetics. In addition to representing your brand’s identity and quality, the way you layout and arrange your shop affects your customers and, by proxy, your profit too. Shop design is a well-studied area and there are numerous articles dedicated to the benefits of certain retail furniture placements, such as the decompression zone, as well as the natural inclination of customers, such as the invariant right, both of which may be advantageous to incorporate into your store’s design, though, as time goes on, there seem to be many exceptions to these rules.
There is an important balance to be found. The clinical pursuit of store design would result in monotonous shopping experiences, similar to how supermarkets invariably keep the milk far from the main entrance, since it is the item most commonly shopped for, encouraging the majority of shoppers through the aisles. Instead, it’s better to take a measure of both, that is, practical design with considered aesthetics.
Design For Change
Redesigning your store may seem like an expensive undertaking. It is often a task that is performed without foresight, with the assumption that the new design will last. However, this is a false economy because designs will inevitably lose their appeal. Instead, you should design your store with future changeability in mind.
Adjustable furniture, modular shelving, and space are the components that accommodate long-term potential. They allow your store to be changed and redesigned regularly, which is not only great for refreshing the feel of your store but it also allows your store to adjust for seasonal variations in customer numbers too.
Check the Boxes
Depending on your building and business, you will be obligated to ensure a variety of safety measures. These measures can be surprising and, if they are incorporated into your store’s design, they can bring about great stress and potentially damage your business. Whether it’s a fire door survey or electrical rewiring that’s needed, fulfilling these obligations during a store’s redesign will save you money and time as you’ll be able to make your store compliant without unnecessary disruption.
Colour May Vary
By making a retail space your own, you show confidence in your brand. It is when the opposite occurs, and elements of a store’s layout undermine quality, that a brand’s identity suffers. Almost every element of your store can be customised or is readily available in the colours that match. So, when choosing new rails or sales counters, be sure to choose those that amplify your brand. If you don’t you’ll be weakening it instead.
Make Some Room
High street retailers are continuing to face challenges from online purveyors and, to the surprise of some, they are surviving well. There is a continued demand for brick and mortar stores, which is great news for retailers. When considering your store’s design, however, it is important to avoid the pitfalls that many make when trying to compete with online retailers, which is namely quantity.
A physical site simply cannot offer as much as an online store and it should try to do so. Instead, it should do the opposite, which is to offer a brand experience that allows customers to interact with and experience the product. So, when putting together your new store, don’t spend on shelf space and extra rails, instead make some room for your displays and brand icons, as they’ll do much more for customers than an abundance of immediate stock options.
