Post No.16 in the weekly newsletter series:
‘52 Steps to the Perfect Shop!’
You too can have ‘The Perfect Shop’ by this time next year!
When it comes to creating the layout of your physical shop there are several obvious and fundamental principles that will go a long way to making your shop successful.
And it is always worth bearing in mind that what you are trying to do is to bring your products and your customers together, both physically & emotionally.
If anything you do achieves either or both of these aims then keep going. If your idea does neither then go back to the drawing board.
And although this may sound the most obvious of all, the more products that you make visible to the customer, then the more products you will sell.
And this is the point of the layout you choose for your shop space. To create a layout that makes as many products as possible visible to the customer.
Key to this process is creating a walkway for the customer to take. You need to guide or invite the customer to travel this walkway, so when they do this they are exposed to as much of your assortment as possible.
Your choice of walkways depends on several things. Practically you have the size and shape of the shop to consider. As a rule the larger the shop then the more important it is to create the correct walkway. Equally the longer a shop and the more unusual the space then the more important is the walkway placement.
But also in terms of your proposition you need to select a basic layout principle that is appropriate for your assortment, your brand image and the way that the customer shops.
In terms of customer shopping behaviour your layout must accommodate ‘ease of shop’ for the seekers, as well as ‘interest and discovery’ for the browsers. Do you sell to seekers or browsers? A combination of both? the same customer but on different buying missions for different product categories?
There are fundamentally only 3 types of shop layout – Grids, Racetracks and Free-flow.
A ‘Grid’ uses a repetitive layout. A grid is perfect for more commodity retailing where layouts are created by uniform placement of fixtures in rows. Grids are suitable for a wide array of categories, they are well suited to seekers, and work best with logical adjacencies and clear segmentation and signage. Grids tend to use just a few simple fixture types for cost, practicality and visual simplicity.
A ‘Racetrack’ creates a walkway that takes the customer on a defined journey through the shop including loops and circuits. In its simplest form it can be a simple circuit around the shop floor. Racetracks are good for seekers, and for browsers. The walkway can simply be defined by fixture placement, or by using a different floor material. Using different floor materials for walkways is best used only for large multi-category stores.
‘Free-flow’ layouts are more conducive to the browser customer. They create an interesting shopping experience inviting exploration and often use a wide variety of fixture types, props and shop displays in a more random and relaxed pattern. Free-flow is used in smaller and more exclusive shops, but also within specific departments within larger shops.
It is worth noting that many shops combine grids, race-tracks and some free-flow to create the most appropriate shopping experience for the products on sale and the way the customer shops them. Remember not all products are ‘made the same!’
Essential to everything is the fact that there is only one best layout for any shop! It is based on our single goal of making as much product visible to the customer as possible as they travel through.
Yes, it should be an appropriate layout. But the best layout will ultimately be founded on the physical reality of size & dimensions of the space!
Products will change, ranges and departments may flex in size, seasonality will come and go, but the best way to expose as much product visually to the customer on every journey, using walkways and fixtures, will never change! (Unless the shop size and dimensions change.)
The key to the perfect layout is to segment your shop space into sections that work for your customers and work for your products. A walkway that brings them together.
We’ll be looking at this next.
For everyone looking to improve their physical shops, or thinking of opening their first pop-up or permanent shop.
The weekly newsletters, and the 10 content modules they feature, have been created from my experiences of opening hundreds of shops, of all different sizes, situated across the world, selling just about everything there is to sell.
Every week we explore the sequential process of physical shop development to help you deliver your perfect shop.
Missed any of the previous ’52 Steps’ then just click here to catch up…