Store Design and Store Layout
- 1. STORE DESIGN A store design can usually be considered as a combination of five key elements. 1.The exterior 2.The interior 3.Fixture 4.Merchandise 5. people these all should be designed in a longer term frame work. The way these changing elements impact on the store means that some degree of flexibility needs to be build into design.
- 2. The exterior • The store entrance, the architectural features of the building and windows. • The contribution of these parts of a store’s exterior to an overall design can vary in impotence according to the type of store format and the product s on offer. For eg. Super stores, Hypermarkets and category killers rarely use window displays, but have bold fascias and easy to access entrance. A key consideration for retailers is the need to be accessible for all members of the society.
- 3. The interior • The interior of a store can be viewed in a similar way to living apace. It comprises ceiling, walls, flooring and lighting, but instead of furniture a retail outlet houses fixtures for presentation of merchandise. • In choosing the material used for interior, retailers have to consider the type of product being sold, cost, store traffic, health and safety. – For eg. For food retailer it needs to be easy to clean and hygienic. – Fashionable retailer will place more emphasis on less expensive and fashionable materials.
- 4. Atmospherics • Creating an aura or an atmosphere can include the use of different aromas, sounds, colors, lighting, textures and temperatures. • Aromas : bread, coffee, chocolate, floral pine. • Sounds : popular music, classical music, voice (announcements, shop radio) • Colors : neutrals-black, grey, white – Warm colors - red, orange, pink, yellow, – Cool colors – blues, pale greens, – Earthy colors – brown, greens, orange
- 5. • Lighting – – Cool lighting – blue, bright – Warm lighting – orange, yellow, pink, – Spot lighting – Sculptural lighting - in alcoves, behind panels. – Illuminated paneling and signage. Texture – shiny and smooth, metallic, textile, wood, stone, brick.
- 6. The strategic role of store design • It is being done to keep a high level of customer traffic moving through the store in order to maintain an adequate return on that investment. • When customers have high level of choice, they will visit places where they feel comfortable, inspired and even entertained. • Competitive threat from home shopping means that the store environment has to have something special to offer and international competition also force retailers to pay more attention to their selling environment.
- 7. Retail web site design • Retail web sites follow a set formula, this moves from opening page, to company information, to categories of products available, then open up to pages of tiny product photos that can be clicked on for a closer look, finishing with a ordering facility. • But it does not provide much opportunity for differentiation. • The successful website needs to balance visual interest with ease of navigation and use. • The whole attraction and competitive advantage of website shopping is based on convenience, and so reminding the customer of the frustration incurred in store shopping such as not able to locate items or waiting is bound to cause shopper dissatisfaction.
- 8. Visual Merchandising • Visual merchandising is concerned with the presenting products to customers with in the retail space. • Now it includes choice of store layout the method of product presentation, the choice of fixture and fittings, the construction of display, and the use of point of sale material. • Fashion and home furnishing retailers have always devoted considerable resources to display products in a visually appealing way, whilst grocery retailers are much more concern with space efficiency. • This function may get done by a team of regional visual merchandise professionals but their centralized approach may prevent the retailer from adapting to local themes, preferences and competition in the visual merchandising activity.
- 9. Store Layout • The layout used will be dependent on the width and depth of the product range, the nature of the product categories sold, the type of fixturing used and the constraints of the layout is to maximize the interface between customer and merchandise. Types – Grid layout – fixturing in a shelving format (the gandola), separated by aisles through which customers flow.
- 10. Fish bone layout - grids are angled rather than straight; however, space utilization is less. Freedom layout – a less systematized and can accommodate a wider variety of fixturing. Boutique layout – when high level of personal selling is required, the customer can be surround with merchandise, or store may be divided into ‘service stations’ where a customer and sales person can sit to gather to discuss the purchase. or merchandise can be hide behind the counter in case of high value items.
- 11. Product presentation • There are two ways of presenting merchandise in a store. The first is to place or stack a product on some kind of fixture; The second way is to hang the product; either directly onto a hanger, or onto a prong, using some kind of specially designed packaging. This is being done to enhance the visual appeal of the merchandise, for eg. Clothes are often presented according to color themes, and greeting cards are according to end use. Other techniques include grouping according to price, technical features and size.
- 12. Fixturing Fixture Merchandise Presentation Shelves home accessories stacked Gondola grocery staked Railing clothing hanging Four ways clothing hanging Round stationery bubble packed Bins/baskets small products dumped Tables gifts placed
- 13. displays • Fixturing is generally concern with the housing of merchandise in what is sometimes termed as ‘on shelf’ displays. This is a routine display of goods from which customers are expected to make their purchase. • ‘off shelf’ or feature displays are used to create a visual impact with the merchandise, or to show how the product might be used. • This might also be used to introduce and promote new products or to support supplier promotion or trade fairs.
- 14. • Fixturing is generally concern with the housing of merchandise in what is sometimes termed as ‘on shelf’ displays. This is a routine display of goods from which customers are expected to make their purchase. • ‘off shelf’ or feature displays are used to create a visual impact with the merchandise, or to show how the product might be used. • This might also be used to introduce and promote new products or to support supplier promotion or trade fairs.
- 15. Space allocation • Allocation of space to products within a retail outlet links the designed selling environment to the financial productivity of the retail space. • Space management has to consider • long run objective – market positioning, and customer loyalty. • Short run objective – stock turn, sales and profit. • The usual method for measuring retail performance is according to the amount of sale (or profit) generated by given amount of space. Sales per square meter.