When entering a store, most consumers automatically look left first, then right, according to studies. In addition, most shoppers prefer to move right and walk counterclockwise around the store. If you are thinking about building a new retail store or renovating an existing one, you’re probably looking at store design ideas that will work in your space. But you won’t have to spend a dollar on R&D because we’ve compiled a list of the best retail store layouts and design recommendations science has to give.
What is consumer flow, and why is it crucial in the layout and design of a store?
Before we get into details about many sorts of retail store fixtures, it is crucial to understand what customer flow is and how it affects your sales. The quantity of individuals and patterns of shoppers entering or passing through a retail establishment is referred to as customer flow. There are several techniques to keep track of a store’s client flow, including:
- Counting the number of customers who enter the store
- Analyzing data on purchases
- If you have an in-store camera, you can watch a time-lapse video.
To inform flow patterns, store areas that are frequently frequented or not visited at all, the number of visitors, and general consumer behavior, it’s critical to understand customer flow. Understanding consumer flow will aid you in developing a successful visual merchandising plan or planogram. You may determine whether the store design is helping you turn a profit or resulting in lost sales by examining which aspects of the business are working well and which require improvement.
Customers will flow the way you intended once you’ve put up the correct store layout, and your sales will rise. To inform flow patterns, shop areas that are frequently visited or not visited at all, the number of visitors, and overall, it is critical to understand consumer flow. If you notice that many regions of your business aren’t getting any foot traffic and inventory isn’t moving as a result of customer flow, you can rethink your entire store design or simply the layout of that particular area to increase consumer flow.
What are the many sorts of store designs and layouts?
Your store layout should aid in the achievement of your retail merchandising objectives by leading customers through the store and exposing them to your products, all while controlling crucial stimuli that stimulate purchasing behaviors. The way consumers interact with your store is an important part of your brand and should be treated with the same care as other aspects of your business. There is a lot to think about, but layouts are a good place to begin. The basis that will guide the experience of your retail space is the store layout.
Your store’s real estate benefits from exterior signage and window displays. If you do a good job here, you might be able to convert some of the foot traffic into store traffic. Take a look at these pointers for crafting a fascinating roadside story. When a customer enters your store, they enter the decompression zone, which is the first five to fifteen feet. Consider this a transition zone: when customers take a broad, sweeping look around the store, anything placed right in this area is unlikely to be observed.
