Planning the layout of your store is both an art and a science — it requires creativity, psychological insights, and testing.
In this post, we’ll explore common tactics that you can implement when planning the arrangement of your store. Go through them below and see if you can apply any of these pointers to your store’s layout and merchandising.
1. Use the right floor plan
Your floor plan plays a critical role in managing store flow and traffic. The choice of which one is right for you will depend on a number of factors including the size of your store, the products that you sell, and more importantly, your target market.
2. Be aware of where you “lead” shoppers
There’s quite a bit of debate about whether or not retailers should lead customers in a clockwise or counter-clockwise fashion inside their stores. However, other studies indicate that shopper direction has more to do with their vehicle traffic patterns. Our recommendation is that test out the theory for yourself. If you find that your customers do indeed follow the country’s vehicle patterns, then you’ll know where to place new arrivals and other inviting elements.
3. Have enough space between products and fixtures
It’s ok to have shelves that are packed with merchandise (if that’s what you’re going for) as long as you still give your customers their personal space. You want to avoid the butt-brush effect, which according to Underhill, is a phenomenon where shoppers would abandon a display or product they were looking at when they were bumped once or twice from behind.
4. Freshen up your displays regularly
The rules around how often to change up your displays will vary depending on who you’re talking to and the type of store you run. That said, most experts recommend changing some part of your store around once a week. You could, for example, change the outfits of your mannequins or feature a different upsell every week.
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