How to create a successful retail interior design

Retail interior design is not just about making a shop look good; it is about promoting the store and encouraging sales. The interior can have a huge effect on whether a shop is a success or not.
The following are key areas to consider in retail interior design.

Layout

A successful store layout leads to good customer flow. Easy navigation through simple floor plans, signage and logical product locations will lead to customers feeling comfortable in their environment, and more willing to spend time in there. Good customer flow will encourage visitors to relax and move freely, giving them time to consider their purchases. You may think this is a bad logic, as you are giving customers more time to reconsider buying something, but think of an overcrowded retail store; you tend to buy only what you need and leave quickly.
Good interior designers also understand that the most purchased items are at the back of the store. This encourages shoppers to view as many other products as possible during their visit. Similarly, shops also have add-on purchase displays near the tills to encourage last-minute additions. The placement of products is also highly important, and good retail interior design practice involves science. Flower displays are kept near the front of supermarkets so you enter the store with a subliminal view of freshness, and higher priced items are shelved at eye level so, when you make an instant decision to purchase an item, it is before the cheaper alternatives are seen.

Lighting

Another important factor to consider for your retail interior design is lighting. The lighting you use depends on the type of atmosphere you want to construct. Supermarkets use harsh and bright overhead lighting to keep shoppers alert and willing to shop more, whereas other stores may use softer lighting for an intimate boutique atmosphere, or accent lighting to highlight specific product displays. Retail design experts will be able to create lighting to suit your retail premises.

Furnishings and Colours

Your furnishings and displays should match the type of store and encourage sales. Retail interior design experts will create attractive yet practical stands, units and counters which add to the atmosphere of the store. The colours and textures featured also add hugely to the shopping environment. Choose a retail interior design agency with experience, and who can not only design, but manufacture and fit too.
Customers are likely to spend more time in your shop if you have an attractive environment and employ some of the tricks above. Retail interior design businesses have an in-depth knowledge of how to maximise sales with design, and hiring one to fit your interior, whether you own a chain of stores or are a small independent retailer, will pay for itself in its increased profitability.