When was the last time you updated your retail store’s design? Maybe it was fairly recently, when you had a seasonal display or promotion. But when was the last time you really took a look at your overall space, from the lighting to product placement? If it’s been a while, it might be time to revamp your retail design.

Retail design is crucial to the overall store experience for customers. A good design can take your store to the next level, by optimizing your space to drive sales. Every detail of your design is important to consider, so that your overall retail space is the best it can be for your customers.

In order to improve your retail store, you need to pay special attention to your store design. There are many factors that go into planning out a retail store, but we’re here to help you break it down. Here are our top tips for designing your retail store to drive sales and see results.

 

Create a Purposeful Store Layout

The key to a good store layout is that it needs to be purposeful. Base your layout on the flow of traffic throughout the store. You should use the layout to guide traffic throughout your retail space by creating a walking path.

This walking path needs to be well-thought out, from beginning to end. A good path gives your products maximum exposure by creating a careful balance of product promotion and breaks. You have the power to decide the path in which customers take throughout the store, so take the time to ensure that they are hitting the key areas you would like them to.

Breaks, or “speed bumps,” help to create a pause for customers in the middle of long aisles or displays. These breaks stop customers from moving too quickly and overlooking merchandise, by creating a free space that makes them mentally pause for a moment. Incorporate breaks throughout your walking path.

In order to promote your products well throughout the store layout, place attention-grabbing displays throughout the path. These displays should feature important products or promotions, in order to entice customers to interact with and potentially purchase these products.

 

Don’t Oversaturate Your Space

Another important tip for your retail design is to not oversaturate your space. If your store feels oversaturated or cluttered, customers will feel overwhelmed. When customers are overwhelmed, they tend to overlook products or may even leave the store.

In order to prevent this from happening, make sure you do not allow your retail space to become cluttered. Don’t let bulky displays take up too much space. If you have a lot of products and are running out of space, get creative with your displays and consider optimizing your vertical space.

Also, make sure your displays stay organized. Have your employees pay attention to the displays and keep them as neat as possible. Disorganized displays can make your store feel cluttered and messy, even if you are utilizing space well. Try to keep these displays near-perfect throughout store hours, so that customers have a good impression of your space.

 

Impulse Items Sell

Don’t underestimate the power of impulse items, as they tend to sell pretty well in a brick and mortar retail setting. Scatter impulse items throughout your space to entice customers. It is especially important to display impulse items in the checkout line, as this is when many customers will be convinced to purchase one.

 

Utilize Accents and Focal Points

In each of your display areas, there should be a focal point that draws customers’ attention. This focal point should highlight the main feature or product that you are trying to promote, which will make the display more effective overall.

Accents are also important to include throughout your retail space. An accent wall is a simple touch that can attract customers to a certain location of the store, while also making the store appear larger. Get creative with your accent wall, by using colors or words that represent your brand. An accent wall is a great touch to give your store some personality.

Another idea to incorporate accents into your retail space is to include mirrors in your design. Mirrors can also help to make your space look larger. They also hold functionality in a retail space, especially if you are in the clothing and apparel industry.

 

Incorporate Signage Wisely

When using signs in your retail space, use them in a smart way. Develop signage that draws attention to sales, promotions, or products that you need to sell. Any sign placed in your retail space should be purposeful and never random.

Printing new signage can be expensive, especially if you replace your signs fairly often. If you find yourself running into this issue, consider investing in digital signage. Digital signs are an investment up front, but can end up saving you lots of money in the long term. Digital signs can help provide lots of ease when you change your displays, as they are much easier to change than creating new print signs.

 

Invest in Good Graphics

High quality graphics are a key component of every retail display. Your displays should be well-designed, so that your store appears professional and engaging to every customer that walks through the door.

Strive for eye catching, inviting interiors in your retail store. Use your graphics to enhance your interior. Also, creating bright and colorful window displays with graphics interwoven into their design are crucial to your retail store design strategy.

Graphics are one of the most important elements to your retail store design. Engaging graphics can be the key element that grabs a customer’s attention and gets them into the store, leading to more sales for you over time.

 

Prioritize Customer Comfort

When designing your retail space, one of the most important factors to keep in mind is your customer’s comfort. In order to make sure customers are comfortable in the store, make sure there is adequate space for the amount of people you anticipate being in the store at once. Ensure that the aisles are wide enough for people to shop on both sides.

Another way to ensure that customers are comfortable is to create a relaxing and inviting environment. Create a seating area for customers to rest. Ensure that there is fresh air and warm lighting throughout the store, as well as good background music.

 

Update Your Retail Design Regularly

Keep your retail space looking fresh with regular new designs. Don’t let your repeat customers get bored with your retail design; instead, update things regularly so that your store always has something new to offer. This will make the store exciting for customers and will keep them wanting to come back.

A great, cost-effective way to update your retail design are silicone edge graphics (SEG). These graphics are composed of a fabric graphic that is finished with a silicone strip and then inserted into a frame. These graphics are fairly cheap and easy to replace, making them a great option for promotions and seasonal displays.

 

Conclusion

As you can clearly see, a good retail design is key to driving sales. Incorporating some of these tips into your design can make a huge difference in the customer experience at your retail location, which will lead to more sales in the long run. Take care and pay special attention when planning out your next retail design, and you will see results in no time.