subject: Think about store layout to increase sales [print this page] Think about store layout to increase sales
Depending on the size of your store, there may not be a great opportunity to implement too many layout changes but it is important to ensure customers can walk around in confidence and see everything that is on offer. A firm may think it is best to provide as many products for a customer to view but if this leaves the shop looking cluttered, many customers will be put off. This creates a problem for many retail outlets as there is a big need to juggle the merits of displaying as much stock with displaying stock in the best way.
One important thing to consider when laying out a store is to ensure people looking in can see your best products. This could mean having a window display or two that lays out your great products or it could mean having some great stock in the eye line of the doorway. If your store is in a shopping precinct or mall, there may be a gap instead of a door and this is something that can be utilised to show off your best stock.
Another interesting angle would be to have some high quality stock at the back of your store but make sure you have retail signs up indicating this quality stock. Doing this should ensure that people have to walk around your store, which means they will see a greater range of products along the way. If your best quality or best value product was in between the front door and the till, many consumers would not deviate from this path. There is a lot to be said about impulse buying so providing customers with a reason to walk around your store to view all of the stock can have a hugely positive impact on a business. A good way to consider this is the way that supermarkets always keep bread and milk apart in their store and usually at opposite ends of the shop. If consumers regularly come in for one or two products spread these products out to ensure they see the rest of your stock.
Sometimes less can be more in retail, with many firms keeping stock in their store-room. A good example of this would be shoe stores which would have one size of a product on display with the rest held in reserve. Placing signs around your store informing customers that other sizes and colours are available can allow a store to make better use of their display space without making customers feel there is a limited amount of stock.
