Running a shop sounds simple enough. Buy in some stock, mark it up and sell it on. Right? Nothing could be further from the truth. This is a brutally tough economy for starters. Shoppers are being far more thrifty than they were during the boom years. Plus they can shop online too, often at discounted prices. Consumers are complex creatures. Without proper understanding of how they behave and what their emotional triggers are, retailers will never make a success of their floor space.
Shop design is key. People still love to get out for the afternoon and hit the high street or the shopping mall. It’s a day out. A leisure activity. Price isn’t the only factor that drives decision making. Shoppers want to be wowed and entertained. A well designed retail environment can be a big draw. Bricks and mortar retailers need to offer something that shoppers can’t get online.
Good retail design accounts for how shoppers behave. It will cleverly exploit hot spots in store. A few tweaks here and there in terms of layout can yield a big jump in profits. If successful retailing sounds a little more complicated than first thought, that’s because it is. So it pays to seek out a little external support and help to get the formula just right.
A design consultancy that specialises in retail can help to turn a struggling store or chain around. They’ll assess the layout and general look and feel, before getting to work to make it a more profitable space. Too often this is an area of retail that is overlooked, with disastrous consequences. It’s important not to fall into the same trap. There’s still good money to be made. Attention to detail will pay off. Call in their experts and rework the layout and design of that store.