How exactly can retail store design influence potential customers and impact a store’s bottom line?
It’s no secret that part of the success of a retail business comes from an excellent retail store design. How exactly can retail store design influence potential customers and impact a store’s bottom line? Some aspects can be based on strategy, and some would argue it is psychology. Whatever the case, these retail store design details could make a significant difference in customer interaction and, ultimately, your sales performance. You may want to consider keeping the following in mind for your next retail construction or renovation project.
Customers Tend to Move Counterclockwise
At least here in the United States, most customers are inclined to turn right when they enter a store. From there, they will often browse items going counterclockwise around the shop. You may be able to use this principle to your advantage by using retail store design to ensure their journey around the store exposes them to the key displays and products on your shelves.
Don’t Overwhelm the Decompression Zone
Depending on how large your commercial space is, your store’s first few feet after entering is often referred to as a decompression zone. For a customer, this is the critical space where they make their snap impression on your retail store design as they adjust to the environment coming in from the outside. During this mental transition, a customer is likely to overlook many of your products or signage in this entry area. Instead, they’re more focused on the initial impression of how put-together the business is, whether it seems expensive, and whether the physical store seems unfinished or on-brand.
Create Meaningful Pauses and Breaks
Even when customers are browsing your store selections, they can easily skim over and miss many of your products and available items. How, do you ask? They could be unintentionally skipping over the merchandise due to long similar-looking aisles. It may be beneficial to implement a few breaks into your retail store design that would cause the customers to slow down. Then, this allows them to refocus their attention on your products. Often, attention-grabbing or interactive displays will do the trick.
Allocate Comfortable Aisle Space
While store owners want to maximize the value of their store location, it could be unwise to over-pack the shopping floor with too much stuff. It’s also detrimental to not allocate enough space for your customers to navigate the store layout or aisles. Customers may be less inclined to explore an aisle or go after some piece of merchandise if the space around it is too cramped and crowded. As a result, this could drive away a customer’s interest in exploring a product and dissuade them from purchasing it.
Work With Encore Construction
As a premier commercial general contractor, Encore Construction is proud to provide interior and exterior services in Baltimore, Maryland and beyond. We have an impeccable track record, an impressive portfolio, and an experienced team that is ready to tackle your next big project. Our results speak for themselves, and we’re proud of the work we continue to produce for our clients.
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