How to Lay Out Your Retail Store with Shop Fittings

In the modern world of shopping, e-commerce is changing the way that people do all of their shopping. From gifts and fun purchases to everyday staples and even groceries, the internet has worked hard to make physical stores all but obsolete. As a brick-and-mortar business, it’s going to be crucial that you set up your retail store with an efficient, useful layout and do something with your shop fittings to get people’s attention.

Make Your Displays Work for You

Have you ever walked into a multi-national chain grocery store and tried to get a gallon of milk? Most stores keep this popular item in the back of the store, and they do it on purpose. You’ll have to walk past aisles of product and resist dozens of impulse displays on your way to and from the dairy department. The idea is that anyone “just stopping for milk” will likely buy more than just milk before the trip is through.

Here are a few good tips for success when setting up your store:

1. Keep the entrance clear. The last thing that people want is to be bombarded with shelves, displays, and other shop fittings as soon as they walk in the door. In fact, unless it is in their way, many consumers don’t even notice products that are within 15 feet of the front door.
2. Use fewer counters for a more inviting space. Counters may be convenient and useful in daily business operations, but they automatically create a division in the mind of the consumer.
3. Leave adequate room for customers between displays and other fittings. If you have shopping trolleys, make sure they have adequate space to move freely around, as well.
4. Consumers are attracted to u-shapes and round designs. Whether it is a sign, a display, or a permanent shop fitting, the u-shape is inviting and makes people want to stop. A long, uninterrupted aisle of product is often ignored.

When you’re ready to set up shop fittings, think like you are the shopper. Imagine coming into your own shop and what you would want to see. That will probably provide you with more valuable insight than you realise when you are trying to create the perfect layout.