Store interior design may not be one of the first things you think of when contemplating ways to increase your store’s profits. But maybe it should be.
It’s an exciting time to be a store manager or owner. The realities of the worst economy since the great depression are putting extreme downward pressure on sales and earnings. Therefore, it is important that you fight and rise up from this downward pressure with whatever means you find at your disposal. I suggest you consider how a new store layout or store interior design could affect your success.
Too many managers are so attuned to the math of profitability, ie inventory turns, days on the book, gmroi, etc., that they don’t consider how successfully their store design interacts with their customers. In an article titled Reality Check that appeared in the October 2009 issue of Hardware Retailing, author Dan Tratensek made a strong case that managers don’t understand how customers define customer service. While the managers surveyed defined customer service in terms of people, knowledgeable and friendly, many of the customers said it was more about the environment. They also discussed product selection, easy to find product, and easy entry/exit. In fact, more than 30% of respondents said these were more important considerations than friendly and knowledgeable employees.
That’s a strong argument for re-examining the layout and interior design of your store. For example, if you redesign your store layout by exposing views in the longest or deepest areas possible, it will certainly make the store appear larger. Make your store look bigger and your customers will infer that your store has more products and a better selection. Contrast this with a store layout that makes the shopper feel confined by tall gondolas set up in a way that blocks views. If the space in which the customer is shopping feels small or restricted, then the customer not only feels uncomfortable, but also feels that the store is smaller and now the other way around, they feel that your store has fewer options.
Consider introducing some space into your store layout. You may have noticed that the trend is moving away from the towering gondolas that we saw being used so predominantly just a few years ago. It makes sense to me. With lower gondolas, one can improve turns, force your way through to ensure dogs are cleared, and once again, by opening deeper views into the store, make it appear larger.
Good retail store design is both science and art. So go ahead, stay busy. Time to re-examine your retail store design and focus on profit