Opening up a retail shop is always going to carry with it a certain amount of risk. Even with the absolute best products on the market, there is a lot that goes into determining a business’s success. What this means is that you need to do your best to ensure that you are covering all the basics and doing what you can to attract and build a loyal customer base.
One area that should get a fair amount of focus and planning is how you plan to set up the actual store. The way in which you display your merchandise, the store layout, and flow, and even the lighting can have a huge impact on how many customers you attract and convert into sales. Here we’ll break things down in detail and look at ways you can go about attracting customers into your new retail storefront.
- Put Effort into the Window Displays
Your window provides your curb appeal. This one feature alone is powerful enough to have people stop in their tracks and enter your store, or it will totally cause them to disengage and walk right by. In order for the window display to hit the mark, it should tell a story using the products that you offer, it shouldn’t be too busy or overwhelming, everything should be at eye-level, and you want to rotate what’s in there on a regular basis.
- Display the Best Items at the Front of the Store
Once you’ve managed to get customers into your store, you want to keep them there browsing. A great technique is to display all your best items, the most trending or popular products near the front of the store. Customers shouldn’t have to go digging for goods; they should be in plain sight and easy to sort through.
- Make Sure the Store Fixtures are a Reflection of the Product
Another tip is to make sure that the store fixtures you are using are a reflection of the products you carry. For example, maybe you’re selling high-end or boutique-style clothing. If that’s the case, you want to use clothing hangers that feel more luxurious rather than the standard flimsy plastic ones.
M Fried store fixtures offer a huge variety of retail showcases, shelving, gondolas, and clothing hangers that can work well in a variety of settings. That same boutique style store could benefit from the wooden style hangers, for example, and high-end cube units that are ideal for small accessories. It’s all about setting the tone and atmosphere through the fixtures you choose.
- Don’t Over-Pack Shelves and Racks
Another tip is to make sure you’re not packing your shelves and racks so full that it ends up looking cluttered. Cluttered gives off the vibe that the merchandise isn’t top quality, and it can turn customers right off making a purchase. It also makes it hard for customers to flip through the items looking for a particular size, color, or model.
- Ensure that the Cash Counter is Clearly Visible and Organized
One of the biggest complaints customers can have about retail stores is the lack of organization when it comes to checking out. Cash counters that are hard to locate in the store, don’t have a set place for lining up so people don’t even know whose turn it is next, and not having enough check-outs to accommodate multiple cashiers at once are all a big no-no.
The checkout experience is just as important as the shopping experience. This is the final interaction the customer will have with your store before you leave. You want to be sure it’s pleasant, simple, fast, and friendly.
- Bring in the Customers
Each of these tips will help you to create a retail store that not only captures the attention of people passing by, but draws them in, and converts that experience into a sale.
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