Making Your Bricks-and-Mortar Store Stand Out

With more and more consumers moving online, rents for stores are decreasing, and competition in town centres is reducing. That’s great news for those ambitious business people who are just opening up a new store, and it’s equally chastening for those who are looking to revamp their stores for the modern era. In order to encourage greater footfall and to make your store a landmark in the town or city that you’re based, you’ll need to make it stand out. Below are some tips to help you do just that.

Layout

If you want your brick-and-mortar store to stand out, you need to have an appealing layout to attract more customers. This involves how the products are arranged and how the aisles are organised to promote proper visual merchandising. Generally, the product placements in your store can significantly impact how your visitors spend their money in your store. For example, when they go to your store a bit tired and unable to quickly search around for a particular product, they’ll get frustrated and, in turn, walk away and do business with other stores instead.

Although there’s no specific standard on how products are organised, investing in an attractive layout is essential to ensure an edge against competitors. This is where the concept of a shop fit out enters the picture. It refers to the process of using fittings, fixtures, and equipment to bring your desired store designs and layout to entice customers and help generate more sales. To get the most out of shop fit outs, you should also be creative enough to know which products should be placed on the front and which should be next.

However, if you need help with your layout, you may work with a reliable company specialising in shop fit outs within your area. They have a wide selection of shop fit out products that can help you make the most of your brick-and-mortar store.

Signage

It might sound like a simple tip, but vamping up your signage can significantly increase the footfall that ends up in your store. While a basic sign is something that will attract consumers who are looking out for your store, a bold and well-designed sign will also attract people who are simply window shopping. That can make all the difference when you’re trying to attract wandering shoppers into your store.

Of course, there are different types of signage. There are signs that you place directly outside of your store, jutting out into the concourse, and there are others that you could erect some distance from your store, which you’ll use to show people the way to your shopfront. Speak to local experts who produce signs on demand or who can design stand-out signs for you to learn more about how you can leverage signage to help grow your customer base.

Window Displays

Once your signs have attached a number of consumers to your storefront, the next step is to encourage them inside. Here, you’re looking to dazzle consumers with your window displays, which should always include your most impressive products and your best deals. Here are some ideas to make your window displays a little more dazzling:

• Try using large words to highlight your deals, such as percentages off certain items or the fact that you have a sale on.
• Display those products that you’ve sold most in the previous week or those that you’re particularly keen to clear from your store room.
• Use seasonal decorations, such as Christmas items, Halloween items, and Easter items, to appeal to holiday shoppers.
• Invest in other decorative materials and interesting displays – including moving displays or digital displays – in order to capture more attention from passersby.

All of these tips will help your window displays impress those who come across them when they’re out for their weekly shop.

Lighting

The way in which your store is lit is crucial for the footfall that you’ll experience at your store. If your interiors are dark, they’ll suggest a luxurious or exclusive kind of brand – of course, if this isn’t you at all, you’ll only alienate people who do come into your store. On the other hand, if your store is bright and colourful, you’ll attract people who are looking for exciting products at bargain prices.

Lighting doesn’t stop there, though. You’ll also want to use lighting strategically to highlight certain areas of your store, including podiums where you display your special offers and other aisles and shelving that contains your more expensive products. You can read more online about how to use lighting suggestively in order to draw customers into your store and convince them to part with their money.

Staff

Your staff are incredibly important, both in terms of how committed they are to their jobs and in terms of how they interact with your customers. Surly or unresponsive staff can put consumers off your store for life, whereas enthusiastic and helpful staff will help them feel comfortable and catered for in your store. With this in mind, keeping your staff motivated – and hiring the right personnel for the job – will help you attract and retain more customers.

Meanwhile, you should also incentivise your staff to go the extra mile when it comes to attracting people to your store. This could mean anything from asking them to head out onto the streets to give out leaflets to giving them the initiative to change your window displays to make them more attractive. Empower your staff with rewards in order to encourage more of this behaviour.

Consistency

Finally, consumers like stores that they feel they can trust. If you’re consistent with your themes, your brand, your approach and the products that you sell, you’ll have more of a chance of living long in the memories of those who come to shop with you. This, in turn, encourages repeat custom and will help usher more people through your store’s door in the long run.

There you have it: some key tips to making your bricks-and-mortar store more attractive in the coming months.