How important is shop design for customer experience?

The thing about customers is that if you were to give them a choice between reading about your business and looking at it; they would go for option two. That is because customers are highly visual beings and respond best to visual prompts and direction.

Sure, websites and product descriptions are important as consumers like having something to refer to. However, what sticks with them most about their customer experience is what they can see, experience and be a part of when they enter your store.

This goes far beyond having fully stocked shelves and having the right product at the right price…

What customers truly crave is an enjoyable, unique shopping experience that begins from the moment they walk into your store and lasts until the second they leave. As such, it is pivotal that you take steps to create the perfect retail design, as these features will help to strengthen their customer experience and imprint a positive memory in their mind.

Let us explain…

Why is a store design important for the customer experience?

We might not intend to judge a business based on its appearance; however, it is a subconscious action which affects us all. That is why, before you’ve even thought about physically shopfitting your store, you need to seriously consider its design – is it easy to navigate? Will your customers feel comfortable? – as this is the one first thing your customers will notice before they even think about looking at the quality or price of your products.Essentially, it is all about making a positive and powerful first impression, so that they want to venture into your store and look at your product offerings.

At the same time, store designs can help to convey your brand identity and values. And this is important, as it is these which will help you to connect with your target audience and make the right impression about who you are. Fail to show your brand, ethics and values, and not only will you not be memorable; you risk failing to engage with your customers or ruining the opportunity to turn them into repeat visitors.

Take the following information…

According to research by the University of Sussex, customers primarily rely on the feeling brands evoke – as well as past experiences – to help them assess businesses.

This suggests that you need to rely on more than creating the perfect physical space. You also need to tell a story and stimulate emotions in your customers, so that they can form a connection with you. One that inspires loyalty, trust and repeat service.

Tips

• to ensure maximum consumer engagement, create eye-catching window displays as well as harnessing fancy décor and digital signage to give you the opportunity to be flexible in your messaging.
• use visual prompts e.g. furnishings, windows and lighting to give customers direction. A spotlight for example can be used to highlight specific areas of your store, helping to guide customers on their shopping journey.
• according to Calus Ebster most people turn to the right and move anti-clockwise when browsing around stores. As such, aim to place your leading products and marketing campaigns to the right of the entrance.

When should this be taken into consideration?

Whether you’re opening a new store or redesigning your current one, by this point you should already understand your target audience and local demographic. You should already know about their wants, desires and requirements, and be knowledgeable about their expectations of your business.Once armed with this knowledge you can prevent your design project from going in the wrong direction.

Think about it…

If you were to blindly design your store without analysing customer behaviour and data, you could create a space that is all wrong for your customers, failing to appeal to their wants and needs or stimulate an emotional connection within them. For instance, if you specialised in products targeted at new parents, then the last thing you want to do is make your aisles tight and hard to navigate, as it is likely that they’ll visit you with a pram. Not only will this turn them off from your store, but they’ll recognise that you haven’t taken their needs into consideration leading to disappointment and disengagement with your brand values.

So what can you do?

The key is to remember that customer experience should always be at the forefront of your retail design. This means, you should be making allowances for it from the moment you start creating a project brief, ensuring that your entire design phase is consumer-centric.. As well as ensuring that your space will connect with your audience, it also helps to highlight any necessary features you need to include in your store such as ramps for prams and wheelchairs.

At Resolution Interiors we can help you to create the ultimate customer experience and ensure every need of your target audience is addressed. We have a long, proven history of helping our customers to achieve the best results improving customer engagement and in turn sales results.

Our case studies

Clarks

At Clarks we ensured there were plenty of places for customers to sit down and try on shoes. This improved ease of use, as it allowed them to comfortably try on products without blocking aisles or having to stand on one foot.

Trotters

With Trotters, we created wide aisles to incorporate parents bringing their children in either on foot or in prams. This extra space gave them the ability to watch their children, hold their hands and manoeuvre around the store. In addition we added low level ‘play’ spots that children could engage with while their parents browsed at higher level.

DeGruchy

At DeGruchy, as there was such a large space for customers to explore, we utilised transparent and translucent display fittings to enable customers to see products from a distance – even if there was another display in front of it. This helped them to better plan their journey around the store, as they could see where they wanted to go next. This also helped to entice them into browsing other aisles, as these displays encouraged them to make spontaneous purchases.

As you can see, your shop design can greatly influence how customers engage with your business, and is not something you can tackle blindly or overlook. So if you’re considering re-designing your store or transitioning your digital business into the offline physical world , then allow us to apply our years of professional experience.

At Resolution Interiors our team can guide you through the design and installation process seamlessly, and ensure that you create a space that will have your customers coming back for more.

For more information on designing or shopfitting your space, contact us today.