Retail Store Design Concepts

Retail Stores Business

When our consulting practice is contacted by a small retailer regarding “merchandising” assistance we often find that their interpretation of “merchandising” can vary greatly. Some inquiries are focused on assistance with their store design. Some want assistance placing and displaying merchandise in their stores. Some want better looking fixtures. Some want assistance with a retail strategy. All want more sales - and some want all the above.

The frequently repeated pattern of calling any of these activities “merchandising” has prompted us to offer this website in the hope that it may serve to better define a few of the types of retail activities involved in making a retail store more attractive and productive. If you will permit us, we would like to step forward and offer our basic definitions for the key “merchandising related” activities.

A sampling of our perspective on these terms is described in the pages on this website. Please do note that this website is not meant to cover every aspect of these key retail activities, however, it is our hope that the information that follows will assist the reader to further their knowledge about the retail merchandising process and some of the key related components. Feel free to call us more more information.

Note that our comments and this graphic are focused primarily on the key components of the physical "look and feel" of a store and do not address the many "operational aspects" of running a successful store - such as offering a high level of customer service, having a properly staffed store, and having competitive pricing - all of which are also very important considerations that should not be overlooked.

Retail Strategy – Refers to the overall plan you employ to organize and operate your retail store. Examples of potential components of a retail strategy include the following:
·         Corporate vision
·         Corporate mission
·         Brand strategy

   o   What does your Brand stand for

·         Target customer demographic
·         Advertising approach
·         Financial plan
·         Real estate strategy
·         Seasonal plans
·         How you will create a reality for the customer
      o   Let customer envision how they will use your merchandise

Store Design Characteristics – Deals with the physical characteristics of the store. Examples of many of the physical characteristics of the store you may wish to consider in a store design include:
·         Exterior
      o   Condition
   o   Landscaping
   o   Color
   o   Signage
   o   Walkways
   o   Lighting
·         Entrance type
   o   Angled
   o   Arcade
   o   Straight
      o   Corner
   o   Closed or open back
   o   Island
   o   Raised floor
   o   Ceiling type
   o   Lighting
   o   Depth and height
·         Front of interior
   o   Inside foyer
   o   Initial signage
·         Middle store area
·         Back of store area
·         Floors
·         Aisles
·         Ceilings
·         Walls
·         Color
·         Restrooms / fitting rooms
·         Cash wraps / checkout areas
·         Customer Service desk
·         General layout
·         Traffic flow
·         Fixtures
·         Lighting
·         Backroom (stockrooms)
·         Office area (non-sell areas)

If you, the retailer, feel that you cannot adequately apply the various components mentioned, you may want to consider contacting a retail design firm. These firms typically offer very high quality design assistance. They are easily found via a Google search. The design options they produce are normally very attractive and are capable of making your store look very inviting and shop-able. However, do know that the fees charged for their service are often substantial. It is wise to have thought about specifically what you want, and do not want, before you contact a retail design firm to assist them in understanding what may be needed to please you, and how much you are willing to invest to create and implement a new design. They can typically assist with design suggestions that include all of the components mentioned above.

SUGGESTION: A very basic recommendation that may be invaluable in assisting you to improve your store design is to go visit your top three competitors and see how they have dealt with various design components. Note what you like and what you don't like, then return to your store and think about how you might apply some of the concepts that you observed in your store.


Merchandising Activities – Deal with the placement and display of merchandise for sale. Typically, merchandising activities are more related to the items you are selling. Examples of merchandising activities and related characteristics are as follows:
·         Merchandise categories
·         Amount of merchandise you carry
·         Metrics used to monitor your merchandising activities (e.g. GMROI)
·         Merchandising systems employed to control inventory
·         Sources of merchandise
·         Buying activities
·         Seasonality planning
·         Markdown and clearance strategies
·         Price points

Additional ways to get attention with your merchandising approach include:

·         Color
·         Effective lighting
·         Use of lines & composition
·         Varying the scale of your design components
·         Contrast in your design
·         Repetition of themes
·         Humorous design components
·         Tasteful use of mirrors
·         Nostalgia
·         Using motion in a clever manner
·         Employing the element of surprise
·         Various props

Promotions also play a role in your merchandising process. Examples of promotions tied to specific events / holidays include:

·         Christmas
·         Valentines Day
·         Easter
·         Summer
·         Fall
·         Winter
·         Fathers Day / Mothers Day
·         Back-To-School
·         Fourth of July

Additional information, that may be useful to smaller retailers in particular, concerning these points can be found on the other pages of this website. These pages are listed in the top-right Sidebar of this page.

If you feel that your business could benefit from assistance from our consulting team, please feel free to view our main company website at   www.AtlantaRetailConsulting.com. You may also call our office at  770-754-5008.