Do you know what goes through most of your customers’ minds as they approach your shop and make the decision to come inside? If the answer is no, then stop whatever you’re doing with your retail displays and shop fittings right now, because you’re not planning properly. There is a lot of data available that you should be using, thanks to decades of market research in pretty much every sector of the retail industry.
Fast service
For example, in February this year, data gathered from quizzing Valentine’s Day shoppers revealed some fascinating statistics about the way people shop in 2016. If your shop is already busy, this might be great news for business on the whole, but bear in mind 54% of people questioned said they would avoid queues and crowds in favour of shops where fast service is available. It’s important to ensure your shop design caters for any number of customers, so at quiet and busy times it’s equally obvious where your customers should go to get help or be served fast.
Inspiration
Almost as many people (51%) admitted they enter a shop willing to be hit with inspiration. This is your golden opportunity as a visual merchandiser, so make sure you take it. Make sure your clothes rails and hangers make your fashion items look fabulous, your pavement signs are pointing out your best offers to passersby, and your window displays are exciting and engaging. Anything you can do with your available space to drum up interest and inspire a purchase will help your profits as well as helping your customers.
Special offers
If you think your customers are strictly limited by their budgets, you might also want to think again. The study found 24% of people would spend more than they planned if it was quicker, and 38% would do so if they could access a special offer on their phones. A quarter of people even prefer to use contactless payment methods now, which saves even more time. These hints all point towards a particular trend – technology that helps save time is essential. Even if you can’t afford the latest in-store tech, however, you can still arrange your layout and displays in such a way that people can find what they need and get around quickly. That way you’ll minimise the number of people becoming frustrated and taking their business elsewhere.