Shopfitting Mistakes to Avoid

In this highly competitive world, you cannot ramp up your sales numbers by just providing high-quality products and services. How you present your products is equally important to promote your brand and gain customers. Your shop and its appearance should speak for your brand. And therefore, more and more retailers are learning about the importance of shopfitting. But due to some common mistakes, many of your competitors are unable to reach their full potential.

To beat your competitors, you need a perfect shop fit-out. To help you, we’ve jotted down six common mistakes that you should avoid when having your shop fitted out.

Poor lighting

A shop fit-out is not just about decorative ceilings or using brand colours. It is also about exhibiting your items in a way that make customers want to purchase them. And this is where lighting plays a vital role that too many retailers fail to understand.

As lighting is a tool that sets the mood of your store, you can use accent lighting to draw customers' attention. It is an excellent way to highlight seasonal products and is also effective in window displays.

You can use other types of lighting, like ambient lighting and task lighting, for various other purposes. The former can be used as the main lighting to make your customers feel comfortable and able to see all products in the store. Whereas the latter one can be used in areas where more lights are required, like in changing rooms.

By combining these three types of lighting, you can draw the attention of customers to key items, enticing them to purchase more items and return regularly.

Fixed shop design

One of the biggest mistakes to avoid during a shop fit-out is to choose a fixed shop design. If trends change so very often, then why can’t you change your shop design frequently too? It is not possible to match customers’ taste all the time with a fixed shop design. If you keep it flexible, then you can keep up with changing trends easily.

Flexible design includes replaceable counters and display fittings which can be easily installed and shifted.

It might take a little more money initially, but it will be pay itself off in the long run. So, be flexible and make your retail store fit changing trends.

Poor layout

Another common mistake many retailers make is thinking from the sales’ perspective instead of the customers. To avoid that, you need to think about how can you influence customers' flow and purchasing behaviour before settling on a store layout.

While shopping, customers always prefer space to check all the products properly, to think about their purchase and even interact with or try on products. Therefore, your store should give maximum access to customers to let them move around. Your choice of furniture and use of space should be such that customers can gather and move freely about your store.

Remember, you need to create customer traffic therefore your store layout should be in such a manner that customers are easily led to your new displays. This will help you to increase your sales.

Overlooking the sales counter

Many retailers get so busy looking after other areas of the store that they overlook the sales counter. But in reality, the sales counter leaves a deep and solid impression on customers. Therefore, it is very important to make it spacious to handle cash, returns and storage without feeling cluttered.

During busy shopping hours, customers don’t mind waiting in a queue. But to keep them busy, it would be good if you can place some small popular items for sale on the counters or shelves near to the checkout areas. This can increase your sales numbers as well.

Forgetting the exterior

As important as getting of your store right is, many retailers fail to look at the exterior during a shop fit-out. Your shopfront is the first thing customers see, generating their first impression of your store. This impression affects the shoppers’ inferences about your store and could also tweak their shopping behaviours.

Therefore, you need to use some customised signage and branding displays which make your store appear and positively promote your brand. Ultimately, you want to encourage customers to come inside and look at your products.

Prioritising sales over customer satisfaction

Another common mistake which you should avoid is prioritising product sales over customer satisfaction. It’s quite simple:satisfy your customers and they will help you to grow your business. A successful shop fit-out needs to offer adequate stock levels but at the same time, you need to make sure the space is not cluttered.

The design of your store should be in such a way that it customers feel comfortable spending money and time in your store.

Conclusion

Are your sales falling despite high-quality products and services? Think about making over your business and giving your store a unique look. For this, contact a shop fit-out company and let them craft you the perfect store but do remember to avoid the above mistakes. Read our another blog on “Signs it’s time to renovate and repair your ceiling”