|
Great ads and a good reputation draw shoppers to your store. Once they've
arrived, though, customers need inspiration to open their wallets, and that's
where smart decor pays off. Your retail interior can be a silent salesperson
that turns browsers into buyers.
"A great retail look is critical in today's market," says Barbara Crowhurst,
a retail makeover specialist based in Toronto, Canada. "The interior of your
store is more important than ever because shoppers have more choices as to
where to shop."
Does your own store need a makeover? Here are some ways to create retail
sizzle by fine tuning vital areas such as lighting, color, traffic flow and displays.
Lighting
"Lighting is the number one influencer of sales in your store," notes Crowhurst.
"Many stores rely on a bank of fluorescent bulbs, but the result is often a
monochromatic environment in which nothing really pops out." Crowhurst recommends
track lighting in selected locations as a way of highlighting merchandise displays
to attract customer attention.
Is your store bright enough? A dark store can be a real turn off, cautions
Crowhurst. "A store looks closed if light on the outside is brighter than inside."
Is it too difficult to get the interior sufficiently lit when viewed from the
outside? Add spot lighting to your windows.
Here are some additional lighting tips:
- Light your merchandise--not just your store.
- Position spot lighting to highlight your best displays.
- Mix incandescent lights with fluorescent lights to add variety.
- Got a small store? Make it look bigger by lighting the walls and ceiling;
brightly lit sidewalls can visually stretch a narrow display room.
Color
"A change in color can give your store an exciting new personality," enthuses
Bob Phibbs, a retail consultant in Long Beach, California. "Even the merchandise
will suddenly look fresh under a bright new color scheme." Conversely, he adds,
great merchandise will look drab in a store with faded color. "You want to
occasionally change your store's look so people go 'Wow, that's really different!'"
It's tempting to opt for the easy (and safe) choice of white or off-white for the
entirety of your store. But you can give your display rooms personality without
going overboard. "It's okay to use white, but at least add another color in
selected areas," advises Phibbs. "I have seen good presentations where the front
of the store is in sage green, for example, but the back is white." That helps
brighten the rear of the showroom, which attracts shoppers.
Here are some additional color tips:
- Choose neutral palettes to avoid clashing with merchandise. Beige, cream,
off-white, gray and tan help shoppers stay focused on your displays.
- Use brighter colors to highlight selected departments and draw browsers to
isolated areas of your store. Green, navy blue, ruby and emerald can shout,
"Pay attention!"
- Change wall and ceiling colors to attract customers to smaller display areas
branching off your main showroom.
Display
Relocate key departments to maximize sales. "Position your displays of
destination merchandise to draw customers through your store," suggests David A.
Fields, managing director of Ascendant Consulting, Ridgefield, Connecticut. The
term "destination merchandise" or "demand merchandise" refers to items your
customers have in mind prior to their arrival at your store. "Do people often
visit your store to purchase particular items for which you have built a
reputation?" poses Fields. "Consider putting that merchandise in the back of
your store." When customers walk by your other departments on the way to their
destination items they will be stimulated to load up their shopping carts with
impulse purchases.
Fields also suggests observing your common customer traffic patterns, then
positioning displays that draw people to the less traveled portions of your
show room. "If people tend to enter a certain aisle from one end, put demand
merchandise at the other end to pull traffic down the entire aisle." Each key
department should have a focal display that shows how to use the merchandise
or highlights benefits. If possible, show the product in use and highlight your
presentation with a spotlight.
Pay special attention to the "impulse area" of your store around the checkout.
"Your register area is prime real estate and your best makeover dollars are spent
there," notes Fields. "The front end can be worth 10 times your other store areas.
It can produce an enormous amount of profit if you spend some time on your
displays."
Good displays make impulse buying easier. Design bright, attractive presentations
that communicate benefits and limit the number of displayed items. Don't fall into
the trap of giving shoppers too much variety. "People cannot make impulse decisions
when they have to evaluate a huge number of choices," cautions Fields. "Just
display two or three of your best sellers."
Envelope
No matter how great your sales message, shoppers will be turned off by a shabby
envelope. Floors, walls, ceilings and fixtures together create a merchandise
container. Address them in your store makeover.
"You don't want the condition of your store to detract from your merchandise,"
cautions Crowhurst. "Shabby interiors affect how customers feel about your store.
I often see very poorly kept floors, in particular."
How about your fixtures? Are they fresh and attractive? Or are they a mix of old
and new materials picked up at various times? "Shabby fixtures take away from
product presentation," says Crowhurst.
Signage should be clean and highly visible, with a limited number of colors.
Above each major department hang a sign visible throughout the store. Mount one
that draws people to the back of your store past displays of impulse merchandise.
Finally, post smaller, eye-level signs that describe important benefits of your
best merchandise.
Here are some more envelope tips:
- Fix any missing or stained ceiling tiles.
- Try breaking the monotony of plain walls with selected materials such as
paper, fabric, metal or wood.
- Consider creating a bi-level ceiling or floor.
Storefront
Customers can't respond to your great store interior if they never get inside.
And what will draw them in? Your store exterior. "The front of your store is the
number one marketing opportunity to the consumer world," enthuses Crowhurst.
A great storefront means more than fresh paint and a new sign. It also includes
sparkling window displays that stop passersby in their tracks. While many window
presentations have closed backs, they can prevent people from looking deep into
your store where they may see merchandise they want. Consider either an open
back or the use of materials such as partial shutters or hanging banners that
create a divide without breaking the line of sight. Above the windows, consider
mounting an awning with your store name.
Finally, try to add accoutrements that make your store look warm and inviting.
"Consider buying some urns for your store front and putting flowers in them,"
suggests Phibbs. "This takes a little work but can soften a cold retail space."
Design for success
There's no cookie-cutter formula for a successful store makeover. The best
redesigns are personalized statements that communicate a personality and a
merchandising statement. "As an independent retailer you want to come up with
a look that is your own," advises Tom Shay, a St. Petersburg, Florida retail
consultant. "When customers walk in they should know exactly who you are and
what you stand for. A beautiful store should be a reflection of its owner."
|
