Creating a welcoming retail environment is an essential task for any retail business owner. Customers should enjoy being in your store — the more welcoming it is, the longer customers will stay, and the more likely they are to complete a purchase. With proper retail design techniques, you can improve the overall retail experience for your customers — which can increase your revenue.
Whether you’re an e-commerce seller looking to open your first physical store or already have a retail store and want to look into design trends that could help you breathe new life into your business, spend some time thinking about your retail design strategy.
We’ve put together some ideas and helpful tips so you can find the perfect retail store design for your business.
Retail design is an essential part of the customer experience. You want to create a retail environment that appeals to your customers to ensure they enjoy shopping with you. Happy customers are more likely to become loyal to your brand and shop with you repeatedly.
Effective visual merchandising has also been shown to increase sales in a retail environment. Investing in new signage and ensuring your store looks appealing could boost your bottom line.
Some retail trends come and go quickly, but some design trends seem likely to change the face of retail and become part of the fabric of most retail stores. Following some of these trends when considering retail design could go a long way in improving the customer experience and your visual merchandising.
Retail automation has become more prevalent recently, particularly since the pandemic. Customers want their favorite stores to accept cashless payments, to be able to check stock digitally, and to email them their receipts instead of printing them out. Bringing tech into your store is a great way to move with the times and keep your customers satisfied.
Easy examples of retail automation include integrating your POS system with a self-service kiosk app like KioskBuddy. Many customers prefer paying for their items at self-checkout machines. Kiosks can elevate the in-store experience by reducing customer wait times — especially if you use them alongside staffed checkouts.
Given the increase in global temperatures, it’s more important than ever to consider sustainability when designing your retail store. There are a few easy ways you can do this:
Choose furniture made from ethically sourced materials
Install eco-friendly electronics, such as LED lights and motion sensor
Opt for a classic style that won’t look outdated in a few years
Making sustainable choices is good for the planet, but it can benefit your marketing efforts too. Research shows that sustainability is important to most consumers and impacts their purchasing habits.
Many retail businesses now opt to create a flexible space that can easily adapt to different purposes and trends. Open-plan stores give retail managers the potential to change things quickly. With moveable walls and modular furniture, you can update the look and layout of your store without starting from scratch.
Now that you know some retail design trends, we can get deeper into retail design techniques to see how you can cater your store’s appearance to your customers.
Before you change or decide on your retail design, it’s essential to consider the type of shop you run. Supermarkets will have different design priorities than department stores or smaller retail spaces, just like a fashion brand should have a different style from a cafe. Always consider the type of store you run before making any design choices.
Research your target customer base and consider their priorities while shopping. If your ideal demographic is young, your store should have a different appearance than if you mainly cater to an older client base.
A store that appeals to Gen Z might use a maximalist theme — bright colors, bold patterns, and fun elements like posters and couches. A minimalist approach might be more appropriate if you want to attract a wealthy client base.
Think carefully about who you want to attract before making any retail design decisions.
Once you know your target market, visit shops in your area with the same customer base. You can use them for inspiration. Whether you live in New York or Toronto, London or Shanghai, Australia, or beyond, visiting stores in person can give you great ideas to help your design plans.
If you live in a more remote area, you can also look at the social media channels of brands you like to see photos of their retail interiors. Furniture showrooms can also be a good place for inspiration — even popping into your closest IKEA might spark an idea!
Like external signage, a shop’s window display can greatly impact how customers perceive your store. A well-curated window display could increase the number of people stepping into your business.
Avoid placing too many items in your window, which can overwhelm people and appear messy. Instead, choose a tasteful selection of some of your most popular objects. Make your display appealing to your target market to get them in the door.
The sign on your storefront is the first thing people see when they look at your store, so it must reflect who you are as a business.
Work with a graphic designer to sketch out some ideas for your signage, then choose the option that will speak most directly to your ideal customer.
The ideal store layout can drastically improve your store interior. The perfect floor plan for your store will depend on the type of product you sell. For example, clothing stores will benefit from dressing rooms, whereas a plant shop will need lots of space near windows or doors to ensure the plants get enough light.
Place the most aesthetically pleasing items near the front of your store. This will draw customers in and encourage them to browse the rest of your goods. Placing high-profit items at eye level or near the checkout can also encourage impulse buying.
An often-overlooked aspect of in-store interior design is the checkout experience. Some retail managers simply set up their POS on a desk and leave it there — but the right checkout area can lift your retail design and improve your internal branding.
Start by choosing a suitable space for your checkout station. It should be easy to find but not in the way of your products. Consider internal signage to point customers to the tills if you have a large store.
You should also create a dedicated space for customers to wait in line. This will prevent overspill into the browsing area of your store.
Self-checkout devices can also improve your checkout area’s design. Tablet-based kiosks like KioskBuddy can fit seamlessly into your store design. With a Square Kiosk mount, you can place your self-service device anywhere in your business to make it as easy as possible for customers to browse items and place their orders. (B-Daddy’s BBQ Food Truck mounted one right on the side of their truck!)
KioskBuddy is also customizable, meaning you can tweak its appearance to fit your branding. Add your brand colors to your checkout system, and make your kiosk a seamless part of your store design.
With the right retail design tips, you can improve customer satisfaction levels and could see increased sales in your business. Always consider your ideal customer base and tailor any design choices to them.
KioskBuddy can be an excellent addition to your store’s design and an easy way to bring automation into your store. It’s quick to install, easy to use, and allows customers to pay for their items with just a few taps.
Download KioskBuddy today, and get your first 30 days free.