For boutiques and small retailers who don’t have the support of a franchise or corporation, retail design can be a very tricky process. You must capture brand image, proper inventory, and an overall pleasant customer experience within a very small space. The more carefully you craft the customer journey, the better your retail space has a chance of surviving in your market. However, this is a difficult challenge to overcome, especially for local shops and first-time business owners.
The storefront and interior design of your retail store must be both aesthetically pleasing and functional for employees and customers. Overall, the design of the space should:
- Maximize inventory capacity within displays
- Reduce expenses by streamlining retail operations
- Improve the overall customer experience while building brand image
However, in order to achieve these goals, you must think carefully about the way in which you display, order, and store your products to ensure your customer journey is well-articulated. Below are just a few ways you can transform your retail space and make it the best possible for your industry:
Use a cross-merchandising strategy
When choosing display orders and product placement, be sure to group similar items in a logical manner. For example, if you own a small clothing boutique, group by brand, clothing item, and by items that will complement each other well in an outfit. Or, if you own a music store, place your accessories near top-selling instruments to ensure each player can find exactly what they need for their instrument of choice.
Choose the right product quantity for displays.
Product quantity should be determined not only by space but by volume of sales and aesthetics of product displays. You want your retail space to look full without being overcrowded. It’s also important to display smaller, affordable products in larger quantities to make them appealing as impromptu purchases.
Invest in lighting and daily maintenance.
Regardless of how you design them, your displays will look much better with ample lighting in a clean, sanitized space. Dirty floors or flickering, old lights will make your retail space seem outdated even if the products you sell are high-quality. By presenting a clean and inviting space, you’ll make customers feel more at home.
MaintenX helps make retail spaces even better with our preventative care and cleaning services available in 20+ states. We ensure your business is running smoothly so you can focus on what matters – your customers. To learn more about our retail maintenance services, contact your local MaintenX team today!
