A clean and inviting store is one of the keys to a successful operation. Your retail space needs to be productive so your salespeople can do what they do best – sell. Visual merchandising and product displays will help optimize the retail aspects of the store. But to get to that point, you first need to declutter.
In general, less is more. While this may see counterintuitive at first, in reality, if your store is messy or crowded, you will drive customers away. Break your store into zones: outside, front of store, merchandise, counter, miscellaneous (rest rooms, stock rooms). Then walk through and determine what needs to be cleaned, rearranged, or decluttered.
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Outside
Cleanliness has a huge impact on your customers’ shopping experience, so start cleaning and then clean again. Begin with the outside since that’s where your customers get their first impression. Is the parking lot clean, the grass mowed and weeded, the trash picked up? Sweep away the cigarette butts and dried leaves and be sure the dumpster is out of sight. Repaint the parking space lines, if needed. Clean your sign. How is the building’s paint job? If it’s dull or faded, schedule a re-painting.
Check the front door. Is it free of grime and stickers (except for your NPA member decal, of course)? Wipe down the knobs and buff to a shine. How about the windows? Are they sparkling clean? Give them a detailed wash and shine inside and out. Remove any old tape residue or unneeded stickers. Go outside and look in the window yourself. Does it entice you to go in and browse?
Inside
Inside the store, check the floor. Are there any cracked tiles that need to be replaced? Does it need a coat of polish or a new buff job? Take care of any ripped or fraying carpet to eliminate tripping and hose down the floor mats.
As you move into the area just inside the front door, look at the floor displays. Are they clean and neatly arranged? Check above, below, and behind to be sure there’s no empty coffee cups or wrappers. Dust the light fixtures and replace any burnt out or missing bulbs. Look up at the ceiling to see if there are any water leaks, cracks, or cobwebs. Replace or clean the air filters and vents.
What about the pawn counter? Clean the register and the area around it removing all post-it notes, stickers, paper clips, and other items that seem to migrate to it. Disinfect all keypads, cash register keys, touchpads, scanners, and monitors. Store or remove all extraneous papers, books, binders, or manuals that take up precious space and make the area look cluttered. Wipe down all of the counters (top to bottom and side to side) with disinfectant.
In the office area, sort through the contents of the desk and file cabinets purging all unneeded papers. Clean out the drawers and put like items together – paper clips, pens/pencils, markers, paper pads, etc. Wipe down the inside and outside of the desk and cabinets. Clean the floors and walls; repaint if needed. Clean the area around the computer and the mouse; replace the mouse pad, if needed. Wipe down the desk chair especially the arms and legs. Put back only what you need on a daily basis on the desktop.
Next is the stock room. Clean and purge the shelves. Check for any mold, mildew, or damp spots and make any needed repairs. Look over any utility carts and dollies to be sure they’re in good working order. Wipe away grease and built-up dirt. Remove all garbage and clean the floors. Replace any missing labels if your shelves are labeled.
Lastly, take a close look at the rest rooms. Do the walls need repainted? Does the grout need redone? Are the doors (and the door knobs) clean? Does it have a fresh scent? Are the paper towel and toilet paper rolls in good working order? Thoroughly clean the soap dispensers, the sink, the faucets, and especially, the commode and the floor around it.
Displays
Now that you have the store clean and decluttered, let’s take a look at how it’s set up. Neat, curated displays visually highlight the items for sale. Use some of the following merchandising techniques to help products sell themselves.
Begin with your target customers in mind. Are they male, female, young, old? Then present your displays using inspiration found on Pinterest, Shopify, Smart Retailer, or Design Retail Online. Make sure you use all five senses when setting them up. Have good lighting and use spotlights whenever possible. Play music for your target customer – 50s music for an older generation; top 40 tunes for a younger audience. Include items that beg to be touched – velvet or satin fabrics, a rustic wood bench, a shiny lacquered box. As an example, when creating a Halloween display, look throughout the store and pull items that are orange and black. Assemble on an orange or black table cloth with stuffed black cats. Add pumpkin-scented candles or oil diffusers. Play Halloween music or show It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on a nearby TV.
For window displays, create a themed story. The seasons or holidays offer the perfect scenarios – Valentine’s Day, spring, graduation, 4th of July, etc. Place your chosen elements at eye level showing things your customers will want (not just what they need). Keep the space uncrowded giving the impression of higher quality. Use spotlights to highlight the most important item. Be sure signage is professionally printed – not handwritten. Make them short and easy to read with larger fonts. They say your shop is busy, professional, and up to date. Change out the window displays twice a month, if possible, to keep them fresh.
Studies show that most people naturally look to the left upon entering a store, but move to the right and walk counterclockwise through the shop. Use a wider aisle on the right to encourage shoppers in that direction. Customers are known to gravitate towards areas of your store that are clearly demarcated with separate flooring making the sales space so inviting that people will want to approach. Use rugs to create “islands” for various environments.
Try to keep the display units similar in nature, color, and style to give a more cohesive look. Keep the aisles straight and wide. Allow plenty of space between racks and displays to encourage traffic flow. Add impulse purchase items near cash register or checkout line. Use the wall behind the register to show new or best-selling items. Update frequently by changing out smaller items.
When possible, show what the items will look like in the customer’s home by adding homey touches – rugs, artwork, or flowers (yes, even in a pawn store!). Arrange items in groupings, such as a lawn mower, weed eater, and rake, or coffeemaker, coffee mugs, and a bag of coffee. It not only gives the customer additional reasons to buy, they’ll also save time by not having to search for companion items. Use mannequins when displaying clothing to give customers a point of reference.
Follow the rule of three: place three items side by side instead of just one or, if displaying by height, arrange in order by short, medium, and tall. It will keep the customer’s attention longer on the display. Change up the displays on a regular basis – at least once a month or when your sales figures start to decline.
Shake up the endcaps by using non-traditional shelving options. Things like barrels or items displayed on a brightly painted bicycle make great displays. IKEA offers a variety of display solutions that can be adapted for your business needs at a fraction of the price.
To Enlarge Your Space
If your retail space is on the smaller side, there are a couple of design techniques that will help it look larger. One is to paint an accent wall in a bold color. It creates the illusion of receding in space. Another idea is to create a window-like effect. Hang drapes around tall, skinny mirrors to mimic the effect of a window. Make sure your items are not crowded too closely together and use open shelving. They create an airy feel and can be flexible as well allowing you to easily change the layout.
You can also make the room look larger by painting the back wall and the floor the same color. If you have low ceilings, paint the store’s side and rear walls a bright color reducing the depth and width in favor of height. If your ceilings are really high, a horizontal “stripe” achieved with shelving or slat boards will reduce the depth making the ceiling appear lower.
References:
Dizon, A. (2018, January 31). Top 15 Retail Store Design Ideas from the Pros. Retrieved from https://fitsmallbusiness.com/retail-store-design-ideas/
Porter, J. (2019, May 9). 7 Low-Cost Design Ideas for Small Retail Spaces. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/224308
Buscarino, T. (2017, April 20). Ultimate Retain Spring Cleaning Checklist. Retrieved from https://www.precisiontools.com/blog/ultimate-retail-spring-cleaning-checklist/
Subastral Inc. (2018, July 23). Reasons Your Displays Are Hurting Sales. Retrieved from https://subastralinc.com/blog/reasons-your-retail-displays-are-hurting-sales/
Porter, J. (2012, June 25). Tips for Creating a Window Display That Will Draw in New Customers. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/223677
Nugent, P. (2014, September 23). 10 Store Design Ideas that Save Money and Boost Sales. Retrieved from https://www.shopkeep.com/blog/10-steps-to-a-better-looking-retail-store-on-a-shoestring#step-1
Peacock, L. (2019, March 4). Visual Merchandising 101: Shore Up Sales With High-Converting Product Displays. Retrieved from https://www.shopify.com/blog/visual-merchandising
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