Store Design: How to Design Successful Retail Stores

You only get one chance in life to create a first impression. One moment in time to tell the story of your store. The success of a store may hang on that brief moment, as the customer passes by your store, glances at it and subconsciously evaluates its potential importance to her life. In a flash...the customer's mind will determine the price point of the merchandise for sale, the type and quality of merchandise, the level of service, and many other characteristics potentially relevant to the shopper. This magic moment is created by the design of the store image.

The subconscious factors of influence can be used to reinforce a store image and trigger sales. Professor Robert Cialdini brought forth the concept of "action triggers of buying" in his book Influence. The factors of influence which relate store design are explained in detail. Establishing commitment, social proof, and authority are important elements of the design process for retail stores.

Dr. Betty Edwards taught us how to draw on the right side of the brain, but her ideas on the visual impact of lines and shapes also have application for retail store design. Can the simple shapes of storefront elements make you depressed, elated, peaceful or excited? The answer is, yes. The concepts behind those simple but powerful, basic, unnamed lines and shapes are explained in this lecture.

Music, smells, special lighting and other sensory additions help reinforce the store image and increase customer viewing time and sales. The "science" and art behind these enriching approaches is related in detail.

Each retail store layout presents the same basic functional elements. But successful stores organize them in a manner which maximizes the customer's path through the store and which presents a sequence of buying opportunities satisfying to both the customer and the store owner.

Product display is a key element of the well-designed store, and it is also the area of design that demands the most involvement by the store owner. If a product is displayed well, it will virtually sell itself, and it will also convey to the customer the store's image, scope of goods, concept, price range, and intent. The integration of and impact of product display will bind together the total store design.

You will be able to establish the correct tone for your product displays. Thus automatically screening customers by directing them into the store, and turning away those who would not be interested. Your role will be to create well-organized display areas which maximize the available selling space. Learn the three elements of product display and design any store fixture.

Learn how to determine the elemental qualities of the product for sale. Knowing those qualities you will know how to display them properly with impact. The underlying qualities of the products,one-by-one guide the designer to create the store. Learn how to avoid product price contamination, and which products go where within the store. Impulse, destination, and every product in between are covered in the display lecture.

What is the best way to display a product? From below? Hanging? In context? Isolated? This lecture will inform you as to the grammar of the product display. Once you learn the ABCs of product qualities, you can tie them to obvious and not-so-obvious ways of displaying. Unique products must be sold on the "sizzle". Common products can be displayed with impact...if you know how.

Designing the actual physical store fixture or selecting one off-the-shelf is a matter of judgment. You and your client will determine the best methods of display. Some displays are accessible others are not. Some sell themselves, others require sales assistance. In some cases, authority figures are necessary and their settings must be created. Other displays are derived from the packaging method. In the end, you will learn how to achieve the right balance of store design and image surrounding the product. And how to emphasize the best qualities of each product.

The storefront is the "face" of the store. It acts as a filter and a lens. It invites in those who are interested in the products for sale. From a distance, the storefront is the one physical connection between the shopper and the merchant. This lecture outlines the basic components of storefront design and image creation.

The three components of storefront design are explained in detail. Each storefront has its own job to perform. You will be able to determine the best plan, design statement and level of transparency for your store.

Storefront display windows: backed or un-backed? What is the relationship of the product to the storefront? What do you feature? What do you not reveal? Should you have an intense design statement or a very subtle one? These questions and others are answered in this lecture.

This lecture describes the impact of effective lighting to illuminate the various task areas within the store and to help create the proper image.

Each lighting task area within a typical store is defined ( display, circulation, service, etc.) and the proper lighting for each type of task is explained.

Color is one very important component of lighting. Each lamp presents color in a different way. And each lighting task situation will have different color requirements. This lecture explains the critical factors of color rendition and how to achieve the color effects desired.

Modeling is using lighting to understand the shape of a product. This lecture explains the situations which require modeling effect and those that do not. It also explains which types of light fixtures will create the desired modeling effect.

You will decide what will be bright or highlighted in your store and what will not. Store lighting is sometimes simple and other times complex and theatrical. The definitions of brightness and the reasons for varying brightness are explained.

There are a multitude of lighting solutions. You will find out that lighting is a much an art as it is a science. Lighting is an area of store design which can make or break a store. In addition, there are expense and operational factors to be considered. Lastly lighting can be the core of an energy efficient store. This lecture outlines the various lighting solutions available.

There are lots of different types of lamps and bulbs available (incandescent, discharge, and LED) in all shapes and sizes. Within three general types of lamps, there are variations of modeling effect, color and brightness. Each source has its own strengths and weaknesses. These are explained in detail in this lecture.

The fixture is the device which holds the lamp. Again there are plenty of choices available. The proper light fixtures for retail are explained.

How do you locate fixtures to avoid undesirable reflections? Can you light product displays from different directions at the same time to achieve a special lighting effect? Should your light source be direct or indirect? These and many other questions are covered in this lecture.

A few final comments.

Storefront signs are an essential element of a store design. This lecture covers all the basic types of storefront signs, both illuminated and non-illuminated.