https://www.bin-store.com/blog

One of the challenges of operating a retail store is viewing it with fresh eyes every day. Since your retail store is your workplace, you probably walk in each day and see just that—your workplace. You can easily become too close to it, and forget to see what your customers are experiencing. One great way to optimize your retail display systems is to walk into your store and think like a customer. Next time you walk into your store in the morning, pretend that you have never been there before, and that you are here to shop, not work. Then ask yourself some questions about the experience.

Utilizing Retail Floor Space
What is your first reaction when you step inside the store? Look around, and think about what draws your eye. Are you instantly pulled in many different directions at once? Do your eyes get lost looking over your displays? Is there a natural, clear path through your shop? Do you feel claustrophobic? Do displays hinder visibility in your store? If you believe a customer would struggle with any of these issues, it may be time to rearrange your displays. If there are visibility issues, you may want to replace some of your displays with gridwall display racks, glass retail display cases, and other types of displays that increase visibility. Retail slatwall panels can also help to free up floor space.

Also pay attention to light and how it highlights certain areas of your store or conceals others. You want to have enough light throughout your store to make the entire shop warm and inviting. You may also want to include lamps or special overhead lights to cast an extra glow on certain product displays. This is a great way to draw the eye to sales or seasonal products or other displays which you want customers to pay special attention to.

Distractions
Later in the day, when business picks up and your store is busy, take another stroll through your shop, and think about whether there are a lot of distractions in your store. Is it particularly noisy? Should you consider replacing hard vinyl floors with noise-dampening carpet? Are there areas where customer traffic gets clogged? Is the music in your store too loud? Is it neutral enough not to irritate anyone? What about your sales team? Are they loud, and are their conversations appropriate for the sales floor? Are there any annoying smells from products like candles or soaps that are wafting around the store? Can you relocate products like these to contain their odors?

Make a checklist of issues that you discover that you want to address. You may be inspired by your new perspective and may easily come up with solutions for many of the problems that you spot. For others, you can check with your sales and merchandising team members to see if anyone else can come up with some great ideas. The quality and setup of your retail displays can have a huge impact on the effectiveness of your store layout, as can eliminating noise and other distractions.