Interior Design Tip for Retail Business

Clear Layout Improves Flow and Profitability

Designing an beautiful store is crucial for

retail businesses. There's hundreds of pricey business consultants who solely

focus on improving design inside retail stores, and CEOs have been selected

solely because of their ability to make retail stores more profitable.

Thankfully, businesses do not need to pay a consultant or discover a new leader

to improve the retail experience. Here are some tips on interior design for

retail businesses.

Ron Johnson made his name at Apple, where

they created the idea for the Apple Store. At a time when electronics retailers

were going for bigger stores with more departments and retail items, Johnson

took the opposite approach: offer fewer products but make them high-value and

have the whole store's layout be visible from the moment a customer enters the

store. In an age of net commerce, where customers seek variety and value

online, retail stores cannot compete with online vendors on choice or cost.

Successful retail stores offer a compelling, convenient experience to customers

and that experience begins with a clear layout.

Johnson has brought this lesson to

JCPenney, where they currently serves as CEO. Their stores suffered for years

with a cluttered layout due to excessive product lines on the store floor.

Johnson cut clutter by reducing stock and only retaining the highest value

product lines, as well as making a "town center" in the midst of the

store with spokes that lead to each department, giving the store an elegant and

obtainable layout. Tiny business owners can generate the same effect by

de-cluttering their stores and reducing stock in low-value product lines.

Colors Matter

Successful retail stores get their

customers to spend time in their stores. Customers with longer visit times are

more likely to buy items, impulse purchases. Some retail businesses make the

error of painting their store with fascinating or fun colors because they think

it will draw attention to their store. They are right -- it draws negative

attention from customers. A store with bold colors will make customers need to

spend less time there, as bright colors hurt the eyes and overstimulate

customers' senses, distracting them from products on the shelves and drawing

their eyes toward the walls. In lieu, select icy colors in a pastel shade. Customers

will be most relaxed and focused in a room with seafoam green walls; this color

has been used in public schools and hospitals for years because of its soothing

properties.

Light Their Way

Customers love well-lit stores, but stores

that are bright will be distracting and disorienting. To find the right

balance, try to incorporate natural light as much as feasible. Customers will

already be acclimated to the outside light on entering the store, which ends in

less squinting on entering. Natural light also gives stores an authentic feel;

retail stores competing against "big box" stores ought to utilize

natural light to differentiate their shopping experience from competitors. It

also helps that natural light reduces electricity bills, which helps boost the

store's bottom line.