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15 Things to Note About Retail Stores Designs: Retail Space Planning and Store Interior

15 Things to Note About Retail Stores Designs: Retail Space Planning and Store Interior-01

Even though the volume of online sales is growing, 74% of consumers still prefer physical shopping. The right retail space planning helps them to feel comfortable and enjoy the shopping process. Retail stores designs guide visitors to the necessary products, make their path smooth and pleasant.

To create such an effect, professional designers have developed a range of approaches tailoring store interiors to customer behavior. We’ve collected these findings and recommendations on our blog.

1. Differentiate retail space planning and store interior

A retail floor plan is the main scheme showing the location of objects, proportions, and dimensions, whereas a store interior reflects the actual look of the future store. To create convenient retail, you will need to start with a store floor plan before an interior design (Find detailed information on how to create a space plan here).

2. Visit shops of the same size to analyze them

The simplest way to understand what consumers need is to step into their shoes. Pick a few similar stores you like or don’t like and visit them. Pay attention to retail space planning, the location of furniture, and the counter. This should help you find inspiration for your next project and avoid the mistakes someone else has already made.

3. Study the usual customer behavior before retail space planning

It is widely known that 90% of visitors turn right when they enter a shop. Hence, the usual shopper direction is clockwise. Take this into account creating the store floor plan to softly lead shoppers through different sections of the shop.

4. Know your target audience

In addition to researching some standard behavioral patterns, you need to narrow down your target audience. The category of potential buyers will depend on the location of the shop and the type of products it sells. Once you know it, it will be easier to design the future interior. For example, a place that offers clothes for teenagers will usually be more colorful and crowded than a high-end boutique of designer bags.

5. Consider several types of store layouts

Remember that store floor plans are based on consumer behavior that doesn’t change much. All business owners that have remodeled their stores picked among the following retail space planning types:

  • Grid retail space planning (Best for groceries, pharmacies, and other places with lots of merchandise) (Source)
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  • Herringbone retail space planning (Similar to the grid store floor plan but with more products) (Source)
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  • Racetrack retail space planning (Best for a wide assortment when consumers don’t need a lot of time to make a purchase decision) (Source)
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  • Free flow retail stores designs (great to create more space for products) (Source)
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    6. Give visitors space when they enter

    The decompression zone is a free space at the entrance that allows customers to adapt to the interior and understand what it offers. At this point, they usually choose their path and decide whether to check out goods. The decompression zone usually takes from 5 to 15 feet depending on the size of the place.

    7. Remember to slow customers down from time to time

    Use speed bumps to make visitors move slower and, hence, nudge them into purchasing more goods. The most common solution is regularly updated displays of products that can attract the attention of customers.

    8. Carefully pick the retail store design of the “power wall”

    A power wall is a place on the right side near the entrance. Since the majority of consumers turn right, it’s the first thing they see. To make the power wall stand out, you can paint it with a bright color, use signage, or put a spotlight. Besides, this place should feature high-profit and in-demand goods. They will inspire customers to explore the rest of the place.

    9. Keep in mind the butt-brush effect

    No one likes it when a stranger touches them. Therefore, it’s important to leave enough space between rows of products to allow people to freely move back and forth.

    10. Make the counter noticeable

    Locate the counter in a place where people end their shopping experience after viewing all the goods. The most common options are on the left near the entrance or in the middle of the store. Also, make sure the counter isn’t too small or low. In case, the area is medium or large, consider adding additional counters.
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    11. Encourage impulse purchase

    Stock affordable items close to the counter to encourage impulse purchase. When consumers have checked all the goods and are heading for the exit, they usually slow down near the counter. Use this moment to offer them a trifle they have always needed but forgotten to buy.

    12. Think about the exterior of retail architecture

    If the shop is located in a mall, you will only need to use the approved signboard and place some products or ads in the window. Yet if you design a shop with a separate entrance, the exterior retail store designs should match the interior and entice customers into going inside. Keep the balance between being creative and the city landscape.

    13. Treat the store interior like a part of the brand

    Even if it’s the first store opened by a company, take the branding seriously. Who knows, maybe in five years, it will grow into a large chain united with the same colors, logos, and style. It’s better to spend some time thinking about the branding elements at the beginning and use them in the interior and shopfront.

    14. Prefer light colors and remember about the 50-30-10-10 rule

    Most retail store designs have white or light walls for a reason. They create a nice background for the products and make the room more spacious. Yet regardless of the color you choose, don’t forget to balance it with secondary accents. Find a detailed explanation of how to use the 50-30-10-10 principle in design on this page.

    15. Use store 3D rendering to visualize the project

    Retail 3D rendering is essential for designers to present their projects. A retail visualization is an exact copy of the future shop completed with CAD software. Since rendering is usually a separate industry from store interior design, it’s better to outsource this stage to professionals. At an affordable cost, they will turn a design project into a detailed 3D image based on your specifications.

    Check out some interior visualizations in our portfolio to view different rendering options. Need a similar 3D model? Contact us for help.