Redesigning Your Store

New shelf, floor, window layouts can yield better sales

By Diane Benson Harrington, Freelance Writer Diane Benson Harrington

You have the right products, the right prices and the right location — but not nearly enough customers? An ineffective store design may be the culprit. Follow these three steps to turn an off-putting atmosphere into a profitable retail shopping experience:

Make a grand entrance
Focus on the floor plan
Use creative displays

Start with the entry

From the front windows to the doors themselves, the entry is your first impression. Accessible displays let customers get their hands on what they see right away. Glass dividers behind them offer views into the store, enticing customers inside to what's beyond.
Try: Put your checkout counter in the back so "paying" isn't what hits the customer first. Get inspiration from designers like Design Forum, Quest Service Group and Vinick Associates.

Create a fluid floor plan

Narrow aisles and boxy configurations give a discount-store feeling. Roomy, open floor plans with a curvilinear sensibility encourage shoppers to linger and move around the store.
Try: Software like SmartDraw makes easy work of floor plans. To play with different shelving display designs, try Smart Furniture's free "design your own" feature.

Make a difference with details

Brighter, louder color combinations can suggest either bargain items or fun, trendy products. Subtler blues, grays, greens and blacks evoke high-fashion, upscale collections.
Try: A combination of lighting — pendants, track, fluorescent — will make the most of your merchandise. Neutral tones may be great for a spa, but retail venues need more pizzazz. Retail Element illustrates several trends in action. Visual Store offers several resources for retail design. Energy Design Resources provides details on lighting design and energy savings.

Choose functional, creative displays

Incorporate a tactile experience. Experiment with interactive displays. Allow customers to handle all but the most valuable products.
Try: Modular displays like Smart Furniture's can be reconfigured without tools to meet your changing needs. Trio's free store-planning primer and Displays2Go show different display styles. Display & Design Ideas' resource library features dozens of product examples and catalogs.

For a more upscale image, post elegant pricing signs on shelves instead of putting price stickers on products.
Big store? Signs near the ceiling lead customers from one area to another, minimizing frustration.
Think vertical. Displays can run to the ceiling — but don't put too much merchandise up high, or customers will be frustrated.
Choose materials that will hold up to constant customer contact; wood and steel won't chip like inexpensive plastic shelving.