What does your store design say to your customers?

How your store looks makes that all-important first impression on shoppers. Does your store layout invite them to come in and encourage them to stay? Or does it cause people to turn up their nose and walk away?

Good store design is appealing.

Welcome customers with:

• “Gotta have that!” displays that show creative use of color and placement.
• Good lighting that matches the mood of your merchandise and highlights special displays. Make sure there are never any burned-out bulbs or buzzing fixtures.
• Mood music is great, but not so loud that it becomes annoying.
• Good smells, but only if it's appropriate – food smells in a spice shop or restaurant are OK, employee lunch smells wafting from the back room are not. Your store doesn’t have to be overtly fragrant, but it should never have a smell that puts customers off.
• Clean, neat sales areas, dressing rooms, bathrooms and checkout counters. Keep it spotless, especially the bathrooms.

A fresh interior provides an attractive backdrop for shopping. Unless you're in a 50s resale shop, chipped paint, cracked or broken shelving, flooring or ceiling tiles and stained carpeting all look tacky and say quality is not important to you. You don’t want customers to wonder if your merchandise may also be dirty or damaged.

How your store looks and functions defines the total shopping experience.

Having great products to sell and a nice atmosphere in which to shop are just the beginning. Ultimately, it’s how customers feel about their shopping experience that keeps them coming back and recommending your store to their friends.

Customers expect convenience. Give them:

• Professional quality signage and clear lines of sight that make it easy to see where things are and how to get there. Signage is a great marketing opportunity when it comes to upselling customers, because people can often see your sign before they see the display.
• Aisles that aren’t so wide your store looks barren, but aren’t so narrow shoppers feel cramped or trapped.
• Clear walkways, free of stacked merchandise or boxes that can obstruct views of your displays or trip up unwary browsing customers. Leaving things in the aisles looks messy, too. Restock before or after hours, so your store always looks ready for business when you are, in fact, open for business.
• Complimentary carts or baskets, so they can gather more purchases. Or friendly sales people to hold onto items until they are ready to check out.

Store design that supports a positive, memorable experience helps generate more sales. So what does your store design say about you?