Effective store layouts you need to know. The science of Effective Store Layouts is important. Create the perfect environment for your customers with our 6 tips to effective store design. Customers react both consciously and unconsciously to the way your retail store is set out. How your retail counters, display cabinets, stands and racks, aisles, point-of-sale counters and shelf displays are arranged mean even the slightest change can make the difference between a sale and a lost customer.

Six tips for creating effective store layouts for your shop.

1. Have your store layout reflect your business.

If customers are searching for everyday, regular purchases then the usual grid system used by grocery stores worldwide is perfect because it creates a familiar atmosphere, but if you’re pushing impulse purchases or asking people to test and handle items (such as phones or IT equipment) then a more free-flowing layout works better.

2. Minimise barriers between customers and sales staff.

The old-fashioned days of having store clerks behind counters are long gone and customers need to feel that they are being served by people loaded with information and advice. Make room on the shop floor for sales assistants to be able to browse alongside customers to create a busy but unclogged atmosphere.

3. Use innovation to create an eye-catching entrance.

Your front window might get passers-by to stop but it’s your front door display which tends to get them into the store. This takes clever use of signage, creative thinking in terms of displays and smart choices when it comes to displaying stock. Think about your store’s “narrative” – what do you stand for and how do you want your customers to perceive you? Are you all about price, or is service important to you, are you primed for a specific seasonal purchase, or are you all about variety? Now go and tell that story where the customer is going to see it first.

4. Ease your customers into the buying experience.

Typically, customers turn right as they enter a shop and tend not to get too involved in displays right in front of the main entrance. There’s therefore no point merchandising straight away in what’s known as a “decompression zone”, but you can still guide them subconsciously around the store by placing attention-grabbing displays on the right, and then at intervals around the store to keep them travelling in the right direction.

5. Give customers room to breathe.

Personal space is very important for customers (unless you’re purposefully creating the urgent atmosphere of a new year’s day or “Black Friday” sale). Shoppers are likely to avoid cramped aisles so it’s important to create space.

6. Make security a priority.

It’s important that all shelving – even temporary store displays – don’t create an environment where you can lose stock to thieves or which pose a potential risk to shoppers.

Also read about retail store design

https://millsdisplay.co.nz/2015/02/retail-store-design-top-3-ways/

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For any enquires or to place your order please contact our friendly Customer Services Team on 09 634 5962 or send us an email to sales@millsdisplay.co.nz. Use our online contact form below for further information. Follow us on Facebook and Google My Business for our latest products and NZ Retail updates.

Do not forget you can also Live Chat in real time to Customer Services with any questions.

NZ retail stores update September 2017. Having been in retail for many decades, I cannot help but visit stores and consume retail, even when not officially working. On a recent trip to South Africa I was therefore compelled to see the new developments in Johannesburg, Pretoria (Menlyn Park) and Durban (Umhlanga). These are all major new retail developments in a country known for its strong retailers. My first observation, before delving into store product ranges – and trying to look inconspicuous as there is staff everywhere – was the fantastic ‘space’ that had been created in many of the new stores and malls.

Retail Shopping in 2017 is about “The whole Experience”

Much of the talk around Australian retail at present is about using ‘Experience’ to combat the threat of stagnant sales and in particular the coming Amazon tsunami.

I have not seen many great new fit-outs or new concepts in the newer Australian malls. I am not sure how the costs of shopping fitting here equate to the costs in South Africa, but there is no doubt South African specialty stores are breaking new ground by creating exciting new concepts in ‘good experience’ space and with design elements that are fresh and pleasant.

Is it that our shopping centre landlords have been too inflexible in enforcing a standard set of criteria, which does not encourage ‘out of the box’ thinking and design? Or have we had it too good for too long and become complacent in giving our customers the pleasure of a good experience through design and service?

One of the stand out retailers growing fast is Old Town Italy…

One of the stand out retailers who is growing at a really good pace and expanding throughout South Africa and the world, is a concept named Old Town Italy. It is a large footprint cafe and restaurant that also houses a bakery, a top rate deli, butcher, cheese monger, chocolate shop, wine and cocktail bar plus many interesting collections of home wares and gifting.

So apart from serving delightful, fresh meals, casual dining and snacks with great coffee, it provides a wonderful array of merchandise that is presented in a bold and authentic manner.

It also makes me wonder if our authorities are too stringent in how they allow us to present foodstuff. When one thinks of all the wonderful food experiences available throughout European streets, markets, stores and stalls, are we not too clinical to be authentic?

There are displays and creations evident everywhere in the new South African malls that make for great ‘dwell time’ as well as creating an environment that encourages us to open our wallets. New and inspiring designs of even Australian and other international retailers seem more adventurous than in Australia. These include Cotton On, Starbucks, Typo, and L’Occtane to name a few!

It seems to me that we have fallen behind in the design of good retail space…

It seems to me that we have fallen behind in the design of good retail space and if we are to maintain a first class ‘experience’ in bricks and mortar, then we need to increase our adventurousness, our spend and our tolerance of both clinical and compliance standards. The popularity of farmers markets on weekends should be proof that we are tired of stereotype malls and many people are looking for something new. With little interest in conformity and clinical stores without service that pleases all the senses.

So if our bricks and mortar stores are to survive the Amazon invasion, we need to create a level of excitement, experience and enjoyment that brings people back into space that they enjoy being in…if you feel that your retail space is not market leading, then the reason for customers to visit you is diminished!

Can you afford for consumers to be bored with your ‘space’ and experience?

September 7, 2017 Inside Retail NZ

Enquire Now with Mills Display

For any enquires or to place your order please contact our friendly Customer Services Team on 09 634 5962 or send us an email to sales@millsdisplay.co.nz. Use our online contact form below for further information.

Do not forget you can also Live Chat in real time to Customer Services with any questions.

It isn’t just what shoppers put into their shopping baskets NZ that counts. It is why they choose to pick them up in the first place.

Why You Should Have Shopping Baskets NZ At Your Store

New Zealand grocers, supermarkets and small retailers are living through a period of great change when it comes to people’s buying habits. Habits which now mean supplying the best range of shopping baskets NZ possible. And ensuring there are enough on hand to service customers’ demands is now more important than ever.

So why are shopping baskets NZ so important? And how can you change the way you do business to make them work best for you? Read our top 12 reasons to have shopping baskets at your store:

1. Knee-jerk shopping

The days of the weekly shop are well and truly over for most households. Small families, couples, individuals and flat-mates are now more likely to shop for individual meals or for specific items. And they aren’t going to end up at the checkout with a trolley-full of items. These shoppers would much rather use shopping baskets.

2. Top-up shopping

For those who do try to keep a well-stocked larder and might do a regular large shop, it’s still likely that this “big shop” will take place once every couple of weeks. Therefore, they will require the occasional trip to the supermarket or dairy to pick up perishables such as dairy, vegetables or meat. This is where shopping baskets NZ will come in handy.

3. Time-poor shoppers

Customers who are dashing into a store to pick up a specific item or the ingredients for the evening meal don’t want to feel as if they’re tied to a large trolley-load of shopping. Therefore, a shopping basket lets them speed around the aisles while still getting as many items as necessary.

4. Self-service shopping

The rise in popularity of self-service check-outs, where the majority of shoppers will have a basket-load of items to scan, means stores have to cater for customers who want little interaction with staff. The self-service shopper has been designed around shopping baskets.

5. The 24-hour shopper

For those who shop a little and often, the 24-hour store has become increasingly popular. So for these retailers, having a good supply of shopping baskets is vital.

6. The self-controlled shopper

Many shoppers specifically choose shopping baskets NZ. Then they can self-regulate how much they are looking to spend and to prevent impulse buys of 2L bottles of fizzy drink or a box of beer. These shoppers are also the types to choose 12 items or fewer checkouts so make sure they have somewhere to leave the shopping basket after it’s used.

7. Maximising the impulse spend

At the other extreme of the self-controlled supermarket shopper, is the small store shopper. This person might have popped in for a loaf of bread and are almost certain to make additional purchases if they find themselves picking up a basket at the entrance.

8. The small-shop basket trolley

In small stores with tight aisles unsuitable for large trolleys, a shopping basket trolley might suit your store. This offers customers who might have mobility issues or those who want to buy more than a basket-full, the chance to push their shopping around with them.

9. Eco bags and shopping baskets NZ

According to this year’s Countdown Trolley Report into Kiwi buying habits, the purchase of reusable grocery bags increased by 130% on last year. As more eco bags enter circulation, it’s more likely that customers are going to use them inside stores while making their selections and before going to the checkout. Yet something that can be avoided by having easy access to baskets as they enter stores.

10. Serving the basket-shopper

Having trolley set-down areas in car parks or close to the store exits makes sense for those using them. In addition, keeping control of shopping baskets can be more difficult and lead to health and safety hazards if they are abandoned near checkouts. The rise of basket use means all checkouts need to have their own basket stands as well as all entrances.

11. Think about design

Because it’s always easier to push a trolley than lift a basket, it makes sense to choose carefully when it comes to basket design. They shouldn’t be too large so they become too heavy when full. Also, they shouldn’t allow for the handles to pinch the hand when they’re being carried. When you choose baskets from Mills Display, you can also choose to have your store logo and design stamped onto the basket to keep your branding consistent. Contact our team to learn more.

12. Point of Sale habits

Store layouts and POS designs have to accommodate traditional shoppers and customers who want treat the transaction as a swift, seamless, low-interaction activity. Many customers who choose to shop with a basket but don’t have access to self-service checkouts might still choose contactless forms of payment and look for low-queue checkouts.

Contact Us For More Shopping Baskets NZ Information

For any enquires or to place your order please contact our friendly Customer Services Team on 09 634 5962 or send us an email to sales@millsdisplay.co.nz. Use our online contact form below for further information. Also, follow us on Facebook and Google My Business for our latest products and NZ Retail updates.

Do not forget you can also Live Chat in real time to Customer Services with any questions.

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