First impressions: parking lot and signage
It may sound simplistic, but one of the important pieces of a successful showroom design is making sure the customer can find and enter the store easily. Having a well-maintained store sign and parking lot establishes right from the start that the store is worth taking the time to visit. That said, the store’s signage should be easy to read, in good repair and the night lighting is working, if applicable.
External signage is the face of the business and should attract customers in different ways at different distances, for example:
- At 50 m (160 ft), the main signage should be a brand beacon and make an impact statement about the business;
- At 20 m (66 ft), storefront signs should have a secondary brand statement and reinforce a key offer or buy line;
- At five to 10 m (16 to 33 ft), there needs to be a direct call to action—this should be reduced to three-to-five key sales messages; and
- Ideally, there should also be a key invitation to pull customers inside the threshold of the store.
The parking lot should also be clean and easy to navigate, as this is important to building the brand and visual connection for customers. Even if the store is located in a strip mall or other retail grouping, the areas designated for the retail outlet should be maintained.
The front of the store is also important. Just like the saying, ‘You never get a second chance to make a first impression,’ the storefront is the company’s first impression and the overall goal is to have a well-maintained and professional appearance.
If possible, any advertisements and window graphics should be easy to read and have calls to action, e.g., weekend sale or promotional information. Store hours and other important details should also be easy to read and find. If the store offers emergency service (pool and spa retailers), a contact number can be helpful to a new customer who might have stopped by when the store was closed.
Effective floor plans and showroom composition
Showroom layout is primarily driven by the types of products being displayed, as well as the available square footage and overall retail space design. However, a showroom designed to cause interaction and emotional reaction can help create that remarkable experience.
Showrooms, as well as products, are responsible for emotional brand development. More than any television or radio advertisement, the showroom experience helps build the store’s brand and reputation. An effective showroom should create an emotional engagement with the products and help customers envision a lifestyle.
Showrooms can also help produce brand loyalty by creating a strong positive experience. This is especially true when considering the products used in the design of an outdoor space. Every showroom sends a message to the customer and creates an emotional response.
For instance, showroom design and layout should promote easy interaction with products and customers. Ideally, products should be within 1 m (3.3 ft) of customers on their natural path throughout the inside of the showroom. The path should allow freedom to experience the product and lifestyle. It may sound simple, but making sure customers can interact with the product is very important. It is also important to remember families might be shopping together, so including fun and interesting things for kids to interact with in the overall composition will further promote browsing.
There is always a constant fight between making sure the floor space is making money and creating a pleasant shopping experience. Hot tub retailers, for example, can show the products available in a variety of ways as they come in a number of sizes and styles.
Some hot tub retailers, however, tend to go wrong by putting too many products on the floor. While this might portray a large inventory, it may not allow consumers to see the product from all angles, while also minimizing their ability to interact with them. The best showrooms allow consumers to experience the product easily without feeling cramped or crowded.
The overall goal is to keep customers in the store as long as possible and to help them enjoy the experience. Giving consumers an easy-to-navigate path around the store is always a good way to enhance the visit.
When considering the floor plan, point of purchase (POP) displays can be used in strategic locations to tie in with a displayed product or offer a complimentary product or service. Understanding the decision factors when a consumer buys a product is a vital element of product category management. Once understood, the internal category management can be designed to reflect the natural selection process. For instance, locating the chemical display by the service counter helps customers who are already in the store remember they might need to stock up on their routine chemicals. This simplifies the product selection process, increases customer satisfaction and solidifies the retailer as a product leader in the customers mind.
This connection leaves them with a lasting memory of their experience. In this emotional economy, there is more to shopping than going home with all of the items one went out to buy.
