The retail industry has been around for a really long time, and in this time we have seen many brands use vastly different approaches when it comes to creating their retail environment. While there is no ‘One Size Fits All’ tactic to nailing your design strategy, we have identified some recurring techniques for visual merchandisers and marketers.
Are you ready to attract more customers, increase their interaction with your products, and have them strutting down your retail runway towards your POS? Here’s the elements you need to incorporate into your environment:
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Create a Wall of Power
Imagine yourself waling into a store, do you turn to the left first or the right? If you said right, you are not alone, in fact, 90% of consumers in the U.S. do too. You see, the initial wall you see is known as the wall of power because it acts as a big impact vehicle that provides your merchandise with high-impressions.
In order to harness this power, we recommend attracting your customer’s attention with high profit items, and merchandising artwork – like canvas prints or decals – that communicate brand messages, and encourage a customer to belong through purchase.
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Light it Up
Depending on your stores lighting fixtures, we recommend integrating them with your intended fit out, or parts of your displays. By literally shining light on your products, it will send a subconscious cue to shoppers that direct their buying attention.
If you can’t integrate them properly with your product displays, showcasing visual merchandising tools like strut cards can create sales opportunities.
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Intentional Use of Scent
While there is no concrete evidence that suggests scent boosts sales, the majority of retail stores have embraced the element of scent, and incorporated it into their retail ecosystem to further amplify ambience.
Looking to inject your space with scent? Subtle notes of brown sugar, apple, or vanilla are your best bet to attract customers and take their experience in your store to the next level.
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Manage Your Space
Have you heard of the ‘butt brush’ effect? Yes, this is seriously a thing. Initially coined by consumer behaviour expert Paco Underhill, based on their discovery that the typical customer will avoid going to look at an item in an area that they could potentially come into contact with another shopper’s behind. Designing your layouts with ample room for personal space when browsing is the best way to avoid this.
Have you ever gone shopping with your significant other? If so, the chance that you have you ever left a store because they started grumbling when you wanted to try on more than one item is very high. Incorporating seating is another way to encourage people to stay in your store longer, especially if its facing the merchandise. That way they are looking at your product offering, and may see something and end up making a purchase then or at another time.
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K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple Stupid!)
Perhaps one of the oldest principles in the book, but a good one that rarely leads you astray! When it comes to creating the optimal retail environment, don’t overthink it. Group your product in a logical way, and let the pathway it creates to your POS work its magic.
Designing your retail environment is a never ending process. You constantly find yourself switching things up, playing with lighting, adding, or taking away to create the ideal customer journey. It is through the creation and use of cues, visual and others, that will guide your customer towards a purchase – creating a win-win for both of you.
Have you got a promotion in the pipeline that needs some re-vamped marketing cues? Check out our quality product offering and get a free quote today.