If you are in the retail sector, you won’t need to be reminded how difficult it is to create a winning formula, and revamping your interior is something you should consider every two years. It takes creativity and planning to create an in-store ambiance that shoppers love, and with that in mind, here are a few hot tips straight from the interior store designer’s lips.

1. Enablers –

As the name implies, these things empower the shopper, they make the shopper feel welcome; visual aids that attract the store visitor’s attention, baskets for ease of carrying, and wide aisles, are all enablers. There’s a lot of valuable info on the Internet about in-store design and aspects to make the shopper feel empowered. One example would be CTM labeling systems from a leading NJ supplier, which ensure that your labels invoke a positive response from the shopper.

2. Colour combinations –

Of course, you are not limited when it comes to choosing colors; primary, or neutral colors should be around 80%, while secondary, or bold shades make up the rest. Choose colors that work for your concept, with accent colors that grab attention and these should be in the right locations.

3. The free zone –

Also known as the ‘decompression zone, an empty area at the entrance where the store visitor gets a chance to take in the new surroundings. The area needs to be in proportion to the interior and the reason why no products should be displayed is that shoppers just walk by any products placed in this zone – items you can place here are baskets, brochures, and PPE. Click here for tips about re-opening after Covid restrictions.

4. Follow the traffic –

If you have a couple of hours to spare, sit and watch where store visitors go and select busy paths, as this is where CTA signage should be placed. When a shopper knows exactly what they want, they will naturally take the shortest route and when you know the busy pathways, you can place items for maximum exposure. You can gain a lot of insight from CCTV footage; see where people stop and the products they look at and this can help you with in-store design.

5. Background music –

We have 5 senses; sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell, and store owners often overlook sound; we all know how music can evoke certain emotions and the right type of soft, instrumental music in the background adds to the overall experience. If your customers are of a particular age group, you can choose suitable tunes and while we can’t say for sure just how beneficial it will be, soft background music will not do your business any harm.

If you invest time and money to create an effective in-store ambiance, shopper numbers should reflect this. The retail sector has seen challenging times since the start of the pandemic and with the right in-store décor, you create a buying ambience.