The size of your store no longer measures retail success because customers aren’t shopping with their wallet anymore. Instead, they’re buying with their emotions.
Today, it’s all about how well your store is styled and used. Simple things like effective lighting and functional furniture flow can give your customers a positive retail experience. The best way to make your customers feel more inclined to return to your store is with a new shop fit-out.
Online shopping has had a significant impact on bricks and mortar retail. That’s why you should take extra effort in creating your brand’s offline presence. Provide customers with a unique experience, not just a product or service. Don’t get me wrong, the quality of the product or service you’re selling is just as important, but you can’t afford to ignore your shop fit-out if you want to draw more loyal customers to your brand.
Planning and executing your store’s new look and feel can be an exciting time for your business, with the promise of new customers just around the corner. When it comes to shop fit-outs, the message is simple: choose minimal clutter for maximum effect.
What’s most important is your customers. Consider how you’d like them to feel when entering your shop. A customer will decide whether to enter the space or not based on their first impression of a store. That means you’ve got seconds to capture their attention. Your fit-out is one sure way to heighten customer experience, fulfil their buying desires and build an attachment to your brand.
Don’t forget your brand is more than just a logo. A stunning physical shop should always be supported with a stellar online presence. Still, as customers look for more engaging shopping experiences, the physical experience you offer them can make your brand stand out across all consumer touchpoints.
It’s time to engage the senses and create a strong store identity for customers to make connections, from lighting to texture and even smell! Did you know a scented candle can impact the overall aura of your retail space and invite customers to enter? Some companies also specialise in creating the right scents to compel more interest, sales and repeat business!
Learn the tricks interior designers use to create visual illusions. For example, you could use mirrors in a smaller area to trick customers’ eyes and draw their line of sight towards the ceiling. This creates the illusion that your store footprint is bigger than it really is.
Similarly, a successful shop layout is the key to ensuring the flow of your retail store meets the direct needs of each and every customer. Make it easy for your customers to navigate around your store just how they’d like. Remove the complexity from the day-to-day lives for your customers by making your shop-fit convenient. This is a sure and simple way to maximise sales for your retail shop!
Remember you’re selling an experience – not a product. Aim a new shop fit-out at creating a culture for your business and an experience for customers, rather than just creating space to sell your product or service. Effective design and clever use of space is the best way to ensure this.