It’s All in the Design

When you decide on the layout of your store, plan it carefully. How your store is laid out can play an enormous role in your profit margin and your customers’ shopping experiences. In designing your store layout, you need to focus on such concerns as stimulating sales, making your merchandise easily accessible, and practical matters such as where to place your customer service area.

Types of Design Layouts

There are basically three types of layouts to consider when setting up your store. The Free Flow Layout is effective for a store which has a spacious amount of footage. By using racks and shelves placed so that customers can move freely through the store will spur on the impulse buyer. Also with the Free Flow Design, your employees are easier to reach to help with customer buying decisions because there is ample space to put a conveniently located customer service department. The one thing to keep in mind is if your product displays and racks aren’t situated to maximize space, then your store can appear cluttered.

If you have a store where you wish to offer less shopping flexibility, then choose the Grid Pattern Layout. With multiple rows filled with a variety of products in an orderly way, this encourages your customers to search for items on their own. You also can highlight key products or sale items at the end of each aisle. With this type of layout, customers become familiar where merchandise is located and basically wait on themselves. This type of layout is good if you own a drugstore or a supermarket.

The third type of layout is the Spine Layout. This combines elements of both the free flow and grill pattern layouts. By using a single, long main aisle from the front of the store to the back, you can display merchandise on one side or both sides, depending if you use the free flow or the grid or a combination of both. Department stores use this type of layout frequently.

Focusing on the Customer Experience

When a customer enters a store, they tend to turn to the right. Retail strategists Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender of Kizer and Bender, say a psychological shift occurs when customers come inside a store. Most customers don’t notice displays within 15 feet of the door. Display and position your merchandise with this thought in mind as well as using attention grabbing displays. Create a stunning and eye-catching entrance displays. Place signs to entice customers inside and make sure some of your products are displayed in your windows. Aisles and departments should be visible, defined and well lit. Customers need to know when they have reached their desired department without confusion. Also make sure your aisles and floor space provide customers adequate personal space; customers don’t like to feel hemmed in.

Your Practical Concerns

With your store layout will come practical concerns. Traffic flow is one. Are your aisles wide enough accommodate the shopping carts? Also, don’t stack merchandise to the ceiling because it can cause accidents which will raise your insurance premium. A major concern also is security. High-priced merchandise, such as jewelry, needs to be in locked cases. You want to be able to see down your aisles and be able to see every department too, depending on size. Dressing rooms need to be monitored and an item limit enforced.

By creating a diagram of the three types of layouts described, you can decide which one will work best for the amount of space and the type of store you have. By pre-planning, you can make your store all you want it to be.

Photo courtesy of morguefile.com