10 Top Tips for Retail Store Design That Will Make a Difference

Did you know the retail industry reached $3.8 trillion in revenue in the United States?

If you own a store, chances are your revenue falls into that number. However, if you want to maximize your sales in the new year, it’s important you step up the game.

In this article, we’ll show you how these retail store design ideas can take your store to the next level.

1. Think About the Big Picture

When thinking about a layout for your store, focus on creating an immersive experience for your customers.

Decide what’s the experience you want your customers to have when walking in your store. It’s up to you to decide which feelings you should evoke in your customers.

For example, if your products are all about beauty and skincare, then you should give your customers an experience that will lead them to self-care. Don’t place a product on a shelf without thinking about how it will enhance the experience.

2. The Layout of the Floorplan Should Flow

As a shop owner, you want your customers to see your best products as soon as they walk into your store. However, you need to guide your customers to the items if you want them to find them.

The first step is to set up your store the way you want your customers to move around. Create a floor plan using displays and signs to show your customers how to move around your store.

Spend some time observing the foot pattern of your clients — do they walk to the left or the right?

3. Avoid the Decompression Zone

Your first thought might be to put items in the front of the store to entice your customers to walk in the store.

The front of a store or shop is also known as the decompression zone — the part of the store where your customers start to adjust to a new environment. Since they’re still adjusting to their surroundings, they might not pay attention to the fixtures.

In order to help your customers acclimate, use the decompression zone to adjust Use lighting to create a contrast between the outside and inside of the store. Also, give customers a little taste of your products without overwhelming them.

4. Make them Turn to the Right

Whether or not it is something they’re aware of, customers tend to steer to the right when they walk into a store.

Keeping this in mind, you should take advantage of this behavior and target the right side of your store. The “power wall” will be the focal point for your customers and is where you should put the large ticketed items.

Make sure all of the items on the power wall are well organized and always kept neat.

5. Create Speed Bumps for Your Customers

If you make things too repetitive and have all of the same features in your store, your customers might overlook things. To help your customers navigate through your store and create a form of a palate cleanser,

For example, customers don’t want to walk through aisles and aisles of merchandise, or they will lose interest. It’s important you give your customers an area for them to slow down.

Grocery or liquor stores, for example, would use this opportunity to provide samples for their customers. You can get creative depending on your store as long as you keep in mind the purpose of a speed bump is to break the monotony.

6. Displays Should Have a Focal Point

While you might want to show your customers every product you have to offer, not having a focal point makes it hard to sell.

If you don’t create a focal point for your displays, your customers won’t have a place to focus. Before you set up a fixture or display, keep a focal point in mind.

You can do so by guiding your customer’s eye to a specific item or items. If you have a table of scarves, for example, you could display a mannequin wearing one of the scarves.

7. Avoid Cluttered Displays

It’s always tempting to show customers everything you have to offer, but doing so could overwhelm them.

If you have too many fixtures, your customers will have less space to move around and will bump into other customers.

Having fewer displays and not too many items will create a better shopping experience for your customers. If you’re having trouble with cluttered displays, you should hire shopfitting services.

8. Use Signs to Your Advantage

Signs provide your customers with valuable information and can help you get their attention. However, it’s important you use signs around your store wisely.

It could be tempting to place items all around the store to provide your customers with valuable information. Using too many signs could overwhelm your customers since they don’t want to spend their entire time reading.

Use the sings in key places of your store to notify your customers’ special offers.

9. Keep Updating Your Displays

If you have loyal and regular customers, the last thing you want is for them to come back and discover there’s nothing new for them at your store.

Without updating your displays consistently, your store can get dull. Depending on what products you sell, you might have to update your displays at least once a season.

However, you will want to showcase the new items and move out the older ones to a display that is not a focus point.

10. Add Impulse Items in the Checkout Counter

What are your customers supposed to do while they wait in line? Since customers can spend a long time waiting in line, you should give them something to look at.

It’s important you take advantage of the checkout area to add extra items for your customers to purchase. This is a great opportunity to add a few extra dollars with each purchase.

Check Out These Retail Store Design Ideas

Now that you know about these retail store design ideas, it’s time to take your store to the next level. Remember to continue updating your displays, use signs, avoid clutter, and think about the big picture.

Are you looking for more business ideas? Check out the rest of our blog.