The key to a good fit out

There is much more to fitting a shop or an office space than organising your furnishings or looking for ways to optimise product accessibility/visibility. Sure, these are an important part of the planning process; however, you need to look at the bigger picture.

Shop Fit Out

Whether you plan to have stores in multiple locations or just the one; from the outset you need to be clear on your brand identity and values, so you can accurately convey them through your design i.e. translate them into the bricks and mortar of your store. This will ensure that customers know who you are, what you believe in, and appreciate your goals and ethics. More importantly, this will help to make you memorable.Working with a delivery partner who shares in your brand ethos and goals can help you to achieve this, as you’ll be collaborating with like-minded individuals who understand what you’re trying to achieve. This will give you the peace of mind you crave, as they’ll keep to your exact design and budget requirements. More importantly, by understanding you, they will also have a greater understanding of your customers.

But that is not all you need to consider:

TIP: you need to carefully consider the placement of your fittings and fixtures, and how they will affect the flow of your store. Their positions have the power to both positively and negatively influence customer journeys.

In any case, you should consider the needs and desires of your shoppers, so that every element of your store makes their shopping experience easy, carefree and enjoyable.

TIP : you need to think about the kind of shopping experience you want to deliver. This means you need to offer them well-planned spaces that have been carefully mapped out so your customers can easily move around, locate products and are able to see as much of your stock as possible. In other words, it needs to be functional and usable.

TIP : research indicates that shoppers automatically turn right upon entering a store. Because of this, you should try to put your most tempting offers/displays to the right so they see them straight away.

A guaranteed way to achieve this is to order bespoke fixtures/fittings (if you’ve got the budget for it). This will ensure that your brand identity is consistent and attainable across all stores.

TIP: to save on money, have prototype fixtures created. This will allow you to spot any design weaknesses and resolve them before you spend any further money. NOTE: don’t worry if you haven’t got the budget for prototypes. A thorough review of designs will help you to identify any issues.

TIP : make a list of essential features such as accessible/flexible shelving units, racks, display stands, islands, railing (to showcase products), and consider their usability and dimensions so they are accessible and don’t make your store look overcrowded.

TIP : spotlights, shelving and environmental lights can add colour, tone and texture to your shop. Spotlights in particular can be used to highlight specific areas of the store, and can help guide customers around, influence their pace, dwell time, spend and how appealing they find particular products.

 

Office Fit Out

Offices differ from retail environments because your customer is more specific i.e. they are a business. Unlike shoppers who have got a broad spectrum of needs when browsing; offices are traditionally utilised by companies whose requirements are more focused.For this reason, you need to identity what tenants need in order to effectively carry out their roles. Do they require open spaces where their team can collaborate, communicate and work as one unit? Or do they want a combination of individual offices (for senior management), cubicles and private rooms (where employees can handle more sensitive projects)?

Other things to consider:

 

 

Now, if you’re reading this as a business – and not the landlord – then the reasoning behind this office fit out will be different. On the one hand, your desire to outfit may stem from a need to update your existing workplace to reflect your brand; while on the other, you may be moving into brand new premises.

In either case – whether you’re a landlord or a business owner – you need to consider the following when planning your fit out/office refurbishment:

 

 

Making the decision to refurb your store or design a new office space doesn’t have to be a daunting experience. With careful planning and the support of professional designers, you can successfully transform your store/workspace and achieve the look you want.

For assistance with designing, planning and implementing a fit out, contact our team at Resolution Interiors today.

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