Sales area layout and zoning: application of visual merchandising
The store plan depends on the type of products sold, the location of the building, and how much the business can afford to invest in store design.
Visual merchandising is part of the art of retailing. Visual merchandising can be defined as the physical presentation of products. It is the coordination of all the physical elements of a business, to project the right image.
Visual merchandising has greatly expanded its spheres of influence with the growth of retailing. The subtleties of product placement have been determined through years of research on consumer buying behavior.
Quality organized visual merchandising can influence a consumer’s decision to make a purchase. The visual merchandising of a store sets the tone or mood of the customers. A beautiful, visible store with attractive merchandise displays contributes to a pleasant atmosphere inside. Careless or disorganized zoning in a clothing store contributes to chaos and reduced traffic. The main benefit of visual merchandising is not in the aesthetics of the store, but in its ability to increase sales.
Visual elements that make up the retail environment:
- entry;
- windows and storefronts;
- client space;
- store interior design;
- furniture;
- illumination.
Well-planned zoning of a clothing store can maximize sales for every square meter of allocated retail space in the store.
Zoning services for grocery store as well as clothing and shoe stores from KOLORO branding agency is an opportunity to make the retail space more attractive and profitable.
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Many retailers focus on revenue and forget about the customer experience. Experience shows that retailers who apply visual merchandising secrets have higher revenues than those who do not.
Sometimes retailers try to fit a lot of merchandise into a small area of the store. While this increases selection and works well in discount stores, it also reduces the space for the customer to move around. Many customers become claustrophobic in such places. They prefer more spacious aisles that don’t make them feel stressed.
The arrangement of goods should be organized logically: similar goods should be in the same place or next to each other. Grouping can be done by style, color, size, price category.
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Zoning the sales area: stages
- Determining the proportion and optimal location of goods in the hall.
- Itinerary Development.
- Placement of equipment in the hall.
- Distribution of impulse goods in hot zones.
Zoning of retail space: peculiarities
Proper zoning of departments helps to showcase products to customers and make the walk through the store comfortable.
- There should be order at the entrance. The entrance is a good place to offer interesting clothing patterns or a booth with upcoming or current promotions. Many retailers put items up front that don’t sell well. This is almost always a mistake. After walking three steps, the visitor should see the best merchandise the store has to offer.
- In a clothing store, the customer can be “guided” the right way by arranging the racks and racks properly. Make sure your customers have enough aisle space to browse and explore different items without bumping into each other. When zoning a men’s clothing store, you need to consider men’s love of straight aisles. And when zoning a children’s clothing store, you can go for more winding aisles because that’s what women, who are more likely to buy children’s products, prefer.
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- Store lighting should complement the overall ambience of the store. If the store caters to a younger audience, you can use nightclub-like lighting with bright walls and colorful shelving. Softer lighting and cool wall colors such as blue or green are appropriate for upscale clothing retailers.
Lighting a mannequin from above can create harsh shadows, while lighting from the sides and front is much softer. Spotlights aimed at specific shelves visually highlight products. - A truly exciting store should engage all five senses of customers. Yes, the layout of the merchandise, the lighting and the products themselves should be top-notch, but don’t forget that sound and smells are important elements of the store’s atmosphere.
- When selecting colors for the interior design of the store, it is worth considering not only marketing needs, but also do not forget about the employees of the store, because they will have to look at bright walls throughout the working day. Therefore, along with motivating colors should be and soft “rest zones”. Color zoning of a pet store, for example, is often done in warm natural tones using beige, green, blue, gray.
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Location of stands
The sales floor of the store is divided into the following areas:
- hot – this is where customers go first, it’s the entrance and checkout areas;
- cold – inner rows that need extra attention;
- impulse shopping area – near cash registers and fitting rooms.
Partitions in the form of shelving, merchandise stands and displays to zone the store can be arranged in several ways.
- Straight zoning or grid zoning
This location for racks is one of the most economical options. Different wall colors and lighting can be used to create small zones. The disadvantage of this plan is limited visibility.
- Diagonal zoning
The diagonal arrangement of stands can be used in a self-service shoe or clothing store.
- Free zoning
Free zoning of the sales area creates the most functional store design. This minimal layout is perfect for stores with a small set of offerings, such as small boutiques or high-end brands.
- Corner zoning
The corner location is suitable for stores with high-end goods. With this location and shape of stands, there is little available space for product demonstration, so it is best suited for specialized stores with a small amount of goods.
- Perimeter
This option creates a defined route for customers to follow through the entire store. The arrangement of stands allows consumers to explore the shelves lengthwise. This is the best option for stores with a wide variety of products.
The buyer’s itinerary is laid out based on the following rules:
- golden triangle – the entrance, the cash desk and the main collection should form a triangle with maximum perimeter coverage of the area;
- available space – the higher the cost, the more space there is around;
- creating obstacles – the conditions of passing through the store are designed so that the consumer needs to change the direction of movement frequently;
- variety of shapes – small goods are placed on the right, larger ones on the left, the increase in the height of the shelves should be gradual.
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The nature of buyer behavior
Whichever option the retailer chooses, the next step in zoning a grocery store (or any other store), will be to organize traffic around the store. It is important to help the customer find the right product among the models presented. To do this, three keys to determining customer behavior are taken into account.
- Customers need a transitional space when entering the store (decompression zone).
- Statistically, 85% of the people who inhabit the Earth are right-handed. Accordingly, they turn to the right when entering a store.
- There should be enough space between racks so that customers don’t push or bump into each other.
The decompression zone should not be cluttered. This is where customers make the mental transition from the outside world to the atmosphere of the store. As they enter, they form a first impression of the store and even form subconscious judgments about the prices they expect to see. This area should be open and inviting because customers tend to ignore stands and signage close to the store entrance.
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Traffic on our roads is right-handed. Accordingly, most consumers are guided by this rule when driving on the street and in the store.
Similarly, in countries like England, where traffic is left-handed, customers are sent to the left as they enter the store.
The right side of the store, outside the decompression zone, is best for advertising racks. Next, customers move counterclockwise. Along the way, you should put up a few displays that will slow customers down.
The size and placement of aisles and pathways dictates the flow of customer traffic in the store. Aisles should be wide enough to allow customers to browse freely and comfortably, rather than worrying that someone needs to pass or someone might push them. Also, narrow aisles create discomfort for customers with small children in strollers and for sedentary people.
The best-selling products can be arranged in the store using the following rule: best-sellers are placed in the “primary zones” located in the back of the store. In this way, customers will pass through “secondary zones” with other products, increasing their exposure and sales potential.
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Zoning a clothing store: creating comfort zones
It is not only the shopper who should be comfortable, but also the attendants. Both are really tired of shopping. Therefore, it is worth providing a minimum “rest zone”. This can be stools next to the cash register or with changing rooms in a store with clothes.
Changing booths take up valuable floor space, so their outer walls can be used to accommodate belts, ties, scarves or other bite-sized accessories.
Booths should also be comfortable for customers of all sizes. Customers should not bump their elbows when trying on clothes. The booth is a rather intimate place where the customer gets acquainted with the product he likes. Accordingly, it should be sufficiently closed from other people’s eyes, and there should be a mirror and a rack for the client’s personal belongings.
Order zoning in the branding agency KOLORO. Let’s raise sales together!
Any questions? Call +38 (044) 223 51 20 and write hi@koloro.ua.
