by Space planning is an art and practice that refers to the manner in which you utilize the space in your store, and how you place your merchandise. It is about using your space efficiently to meet your sales goals and create a great retail experience for your customers. Retail space planning is concerned with factors such as store fixture layout, product placement, and cross-merchandising.
Space planning had been in the retail structure since the time of inception of the retail business, but its applications, benefits, and dimensions keep evolving, reaching new heights with the passage of time. A well arranged store display attracts the shoppers, making them to check out the apparel merchandise, and influencing them to buy the clothing. Using the available space in a right manner will enable the retailer to accentuate his merchandise and arrange them in an optimum position.
A retailer’s goal is to drive sales and improve the customer’s shopping experience. They use a mixture of aisle navigation, product displays, and shelving to maximize sales per square meter while creating the ultimate shopping destination.
Space Planning Techniques get shoppers
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Enter the Decompression Zone
The first space you step into when you enter the store is designed to open your mind to the shopping experience, inviting you to browse and explore. A place designed to make you feel safe and secure. The decompression zone prepares you for what lies ahead, helping you focus.
A good decompression zone:
- Provides a wide, open space, that’s free from clutter;
- Allows easy entrance into the store with an overview of the merchandise;
- Has no distracting marketing or advertising gimmicks;
- Welcomes you by giving you a little space; and
- Flower displays at the entrance that usually entice customers to come inside
Nordstrom, an upscale fashion retailer, rolls out a long red carpet from their decompression zone, guiding customers to their merchandise.
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Clockwise vs Counter-clockwise
It’s critical for retailers to make it easy for shoppers to find the products they’re looking for. Retail stores opt for space planning that goes counter-clockwise, from right to left, because most of the population is right-handed and will instinctively turn to the right.
However, recently many stores have opted for the more unfamiliar clockwise layout, left to right, hoping it may arouse shoppers’ attention and stimulate them more than the familiar counter-clockwise layout.
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Slow Down
Many retailers create little visual breaks, known as speed bumps, to give shoppers the opportunity to make seasonal or impulse buys. “Speed Bumps” are created using signage, specials or placing popular items halfway along a section, so people have to walk all along the aisle looking for them.
Retailers stock the items shoppers buy most frequently (staple items) at the back of the store, to maximise the amount time you spend inside the store, increasing basket size and impulse buying opportunities. This makes it difficult for shoppers to resist grabbing other items when making a quick trip to the grocery store.
Another space planning technique used to slow customers down, is by removing windows. Disconnecting you from the outside world, so you forget that time is passing, essentially keeping you in the store longer.
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Visual Appeal by Blocking
Retailers create a triangular composition, otherwise known as tiered formation, using style or color, blocking certain products together high at the back, tumbling to low in the front.
They start with a center feature and merchandise out symmetrically, placing best seller items in a prominent visual location, enticing you to buy through visual appeal.
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Shelf Spacing
Shelf space is positioned to manipulate shoppers into buying more. This is a highly debatable space planning technique amongst retailers, with some believing eye-level to be the top spot for a product while others reckon higher is better. Some retailers prefer the ‘end caps’ where products are displayed at the end of an aisle, believing those products receive the best visibility.
Benefits of Space Planning
By implementing above space planning techniques, retail stores create an aesthetically pleasing layout, allowing shoppers to find the products they’re looking for while eliminating out of stock items.
Products sell at a more even speed, creating less need for product ordering and shelf restocking.
A retail store might opt to first test these techniques by doing realograms beforehand and then once planograms have been implemented, evaluated the two against one another to determine technique effectiveness.
Of course, an increase in sales would also be an indicator of space planning success.
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It ensures that you use your store efficiently
If you have a small store, for instance, you need to place your merchandise strategically so as to prevent your store from feeling cluttered; if the space feels too small and overloaded with products, the customer may feel uncomfortable and leave before exploring your store. There should be enough space for your customer to browse freely, and there should be enough space for your sales assistants to walk around and assist customers.
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It ensures that customers feel at home:
One of the major concerns of space planning is the customer’s experience. Your goal as a retailer should be to ensure that the customer feels at home and that they are comfortable from the moment they walk into your store, to the moment they check out. Customers must be able to find what they are looking for easily and quickly.
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It can improve your revenue
Space planning has the potential to improve shopper spend and basket size. Strategic placement of your products will make it easy for your customers to find what they are looking for and discover something they never knew they needed!
Space planning refers to the efficient flow of used space, ensuring you’re comfortable while shopping and that the overall experience will lead you to linger longer.
Retail stores spend a lot of time creating the perfect flow across different departments and products, persuading you to spend more money.
