10 Helpful Ways to Organize Your Retail Store
Organizing a retail store can be daunting as it involves creativity, observation, and testing. How you arrange your store will have a huge effect on the behavior of consumers. So, how should you do it? This article will provide helpful ways you can practice when designing the layout of your retail shop. Check them out below!
Use the Ideal Floor Plan
Your shop’s floor plan plays a crucial role in dealing with the store’s traffic flow. Knowing what method is best for you will rely on several factors, including the size of your outlet, your products, and particularly, your target market.
Although there are many store layouts you can try, here are some types that are commonly used in merchandising stores:
This layout consists of angles and curves to exude a modern vibe. High-end retailers for luxury brands usually use angular floor plans since they have fewer items to display. This style merely focuses on fewer but more popular products.
This plan uses fixtures and racks to create a unique store vibe and design. Go for this layout if you are showcasing popular items.
This floor plan encourages shoppers to loop around your shop. You set your fixtures and merchandise in a guided path to lure the customers all over your store. One good example of a racetrack floor plan is the IKEA store.
This floor design involves placing racks or shelves in straight lines to make an organized traffic flow of your customers. This is one of the most economical store floor plans and is mostly applied in large retail businesses, like supermarkets.
This floor plan gives you the freedom to place your shelves at any angle. You are not nudging consumers to use a path around the store, plus people are encouraged to go in any direction they prefer.
Appeal to Multiple Senses
Appealing to your target market’s senses can help you to get more shoppers. Here are some things you can do:
Make Sure You Have Adequate Stocks
There is no definite answer on how much merchandise you should have on display. Nevertheless, having more product stocks on the sales floor has proven to increase sales. It is better to be prepared and have sufficient stocks than seeing an almost-empty shelf display.
Try to Cross-Merchandise
Arranging your products into neat divisions is a useful method. Still, you can try to find a place to cross-merchandise. Cross-merchandising is a retail technique of displaying items from different categories to generate additional income.
You can start by identifying items that would go well together and place them in a single display. For instance, a bunch of neckties can go next to a rack of white shirts with chinos.
Proper Spacing Between Products and Fixtures
It is fine to have shelves that are piled with merchandise as long as you give your consumers their personal space. Of course, you would want to prevent the butt-brush effect, wherein customers would leave the products they were looking at once they were bumped once or twice from behind.
Regularly Spruce up Your Displays
Changing your store displays may vary on who is your target market and the type of store you run. That being said, most experts suggest modifying some sections of your store once a week. For instance, change the clothing of your mannequins, or feature various kinds of upsell every week. Doing this can quickly grab people’s attention.
Regularly Spruce up Your Displays
Getting the proper furniture and fixtures for your store usually depends on your shop’s theme. Whether you are handling a clothing store, accessories shop, or a supermarket, it is essential to have stable and durable cabinets and racks for your displays. The secret to secure furniture is a high-quality hinge. You can see RMG hinges for high-quality samples.
Lead Your Customers
Whether you should lead customers in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction inside your store is up to you.
Some studies claim that people tend to turn base on their handedness. Since most people are right-handed, they turn instinctively to the right and explore the store in a clockwise direction.
Another research indicates that shopper direction has something to do with their driving patterns. For instance, shoppers in Australia and the UK drive on the left side of the road. Hence, they tend to wander shops in a counter-clockwise manner. Whereas right-hand driving cars, like the US, usually turn right when they enter a store.
So, which buying direction theory should you believe? We highly recommend testing the method for yourself. If you find that your consumers do follow the vehicle or handedness pattern, then you will know where to put the new arrivals section.
Ensure Your Staff Are on Point
How you position your staff in your shop can make or break the shop’s appeal. Having your staff members move around on the floor rather than staying behind the counter is an excellent way to make your business more inviting.
Track Your Efforts
Assess your new arrangements and note if there are positive or negative effects. You can also seek your employees’ and customers’ opinions about the store service. In that way, you can improve on other aspects that you might have overlooked.
Summary
Your store arrangement can significantly influence your store traffic, sales, and dwell time. Remember, when it comes to displays and layouts, your work is never finished. Always step up your game by finding new trends and ideas.
