As a shop owner, you need to continually enhance your customer’s experience. To do that, you can consider updating your look or layout, regardless if you opened last week or decades ago.
Here are some design changes you should consider for your shop:
Design Change 1: Consider Your Storefront
It’s pretty obvious, but the front of your shop is going to be the first thing that people see, and it’s going to decide whether or not a person checks out your goods. When going through a design change, ask yourself.
- Does your signage need changing? If so, what changes can you make?
- Does your signage clearly indicate the kind of products you sell?
- Is your window display enticing? Does it showcase the best of your products?
- Have you changed your window display recently?
A window display that changes every couple of weeks is a good way to tell passersby that yours is a busy shop, and it subconsciously signals to them to check out what makes you so busy in the first place. And remember: while those hipsters might love those handwritten chalkboard signs, those aren’t the most professional. Stick to something traditional and keep it consistent with your branding.
Design Change 2: Clear Up the Clutter
Nobody likes a messy shop: it’s hard to find what you want, and if a customer goes to your shop, it’s pretty much because they’re looking for something specific.
Take a good, hard look at your shop and try to organise it in a logical manner that makes the shopping experience flow seamlessly. Make sure your displays are in good condition. Find yourself a trustworthy slatwall supplier, so everything is hanging about nicely. Your aisles should be clean and neat, and every product in your inventory is accounted for and placed in their appropriate shelves.
Design Change 3: Improve the Lighting
It might not seem like it, but proper lighting really does affect store sales. On average, dimly-lit stores are less profitable than ones with a lot of natural light or have products that are well-lit. When improving your shop’s lighting, here are a few things to consider:
- Natural lighting is arguably the best type of lighting for any shop.
- Use the lights to showcase certain products.
- Make sure all corners of the shop receive light.
- Make sure each shelf is lit.
- Make your POS area brightly lit and enticing.
Design Change 4: Create a More Interactive Space
Now this is a trend that you could bank on. Turning your shop into an interactive space is a great way for shoppers to get a feel of your products, thus improving the overall customer experience. In fact, retailers in the United States have started doing it: Nike shops have in-door basketball hoops and some American Eagle shops even have a built-in laundromat where you can wash your clothes.
Of course, you don’t have to put in a washing machine in your shop, but it’s a good time to consider what exactly you can do to make your shop an interactive destination rather than just a boring, old retail space.
