Whether it’s online or in real life, the success of your store lives and dies with its presentation. And considering that 94% of all retail sales in the US come from brick-and-mortar stores, it’s time you step back from sprucing up your website and pay more attention to your storefront instead. With that said, check out these 5 tips on how to maximize your retail storefront appearance.
Consider Your Floor Plan
Creating a floor plan for your store is a very important step, and it can make or break your presentation. And even though your customer can’t see the floor plan to appreciate it, they will certainly be influenced by it, and you will feel its benefits.
One of the most common floor plans is the straight floor plan. It’s the plan you see the most often, as it lets you maximize your floor space and arrange your isles in a fashion that allows you to avoid crowding. This kind of floor plan also works with most products, but you’ll see it most often in your local Walmarts and Costcos, as well as clothing stores.
Diagonal floor plans are also relatively popular. They’re useful for stores with a smaller selection of goods, as using every inch of space you have isn’t a priority. Instead, diagonal plans give both you and your customer great visibility, as you can see down your isles a lot more easily, and from any corner of the store.
Angular store plans are very popular among jewelers and high-brow clothing brands. This floor plan focuses on a central piece surrounded by smaller pieces. The reason this store plan is called this way is because it makes the customer move in angular patterns.
In the end, you can always mix and match these styles. No style has an inherent advantage over the other, and you can use all of them to produce a unique experience for your store, and a unique presentation for the customer looking from the outside in.
Declutter Your Decompression Zone
This basically means don’t put stuff at the entrance. People coming into your store are still adjusting to the layout, and deciding where to go first. However, if you put your products at the entrance, it has a good chance of being overlooked. Therefore, it’s better off you leave that space clean and clear for the customer to take in your store.
Add Room for Breaks
Notice that no store is a continuous stream of isles and products just thrown at the shopper. Not even the largest Walmart is an endless set of shelf after shelf. Usually, stores leave certain blank spaces between the isles, and between product groups for the customers to “breathe”.
Consider using this technique in your stores. Leave a bit of empty space between isles, and spice it up with a big sign so your customers have a bit of breather between bouts of browsing.
Consider Your Entrance and Its Dimensions
Notice the stores you yourself visit. Look closely, and you’ll realize one thing – most of them have a very large entrance.
The benefits of having a large entrance are two-fold – not only does it allow you to display more interesting products on your storefront, but it also acts as an invitation to the customer. It’s like you’re saying: ”Hey! We’re here and we’re open! Come on in!”
Make It Glass
Naturally, not all stores can have massive entrances the size of half a city block. In that case, use a lot of glass.
Stores like using glass, and it’s for a very good reason. Glass storefronts let the customer see inside. This way you’re immediately presenting both your products and capturing their attention with your floor plan.
Of course, glass isn’t cheap and requires quality maintenance. If you’ve got a full glass entrance, consider reputable home window glass repair services to ensure you don’t incur additional costs in the long run.
Wrapping Up
And, that’s it, our 5 tips for making your retail storefront appearance fresher and more attractive. As we said in the beginning, retail is all about presentation, and these five tips will allow you to master that art in no time.
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