Store design as a competitive element

Customers are shopping with all their senses. It would be foolish to think that the final decision is being influenced only by the product quality regardless of package, price or for example environment where shoppers are present. And just the atmosphere of a store, in which decisions are made, may be the finally crucial element. Design is an important component within communication; it directly influences customers, leads to better perception of space and stimulates the will to spend more time in stores.

Retailers must be prepared to respond to changes
Most retailers are aware of this process and they invest to equip points-of-sale. But it is not always so often and effectively as appropriate. Through the years, the offered goods assortment changes as well as the shopping behaviour of customers. So entrepreneurs must be ready to respond to the dynamically changing trends and to build on them within changes in their stores. As there can very easily happen that if they fail to do so, they would sooner or later face a sales decline and outflow of customers.

The store design is significant and important element of a business strategy. And if implemented properly, it is an indisputable competitive advantage. The right time for revitalization comes at the time, when the existing equipment of the store is obsolete. It is ideal to be able to innovate in cycles of three to five years. After this time, it is necessary to replace technologies and mainly the store equipment style.
Too frequent changes of an interior are also not desirable. Plentiful changes can lead to disorientation of customers and thus to their frustration from their purchase. On the contrary, well arranged changes, in reasonable time intervals, strengthen the feeling of attractiveness, while showing the willingness of retailers to invest part of their revenues into improving the shopping environment and satisfaction of shoppers. It´s also suitable to communicate changes appropriately towards those concerned. To explain why the redesign happens and what benefits it gives.

The effort is not enough, the consumer expertise plays first fiddle
A common mistake retailers make is to realize solutions without sufficient knowledge of consumer behaviour. It is absolutely crucial to examine behaviour of customers in stores, the principles of orientation, motivation of shopping decisions, specifics of customer segments and other. There must be evident who is shopping in stores and what they need for good shopping experience. If this step does not proceed, there may happen fatal mistakes that can become evident in incorrect location and implementation of hardware (shape, colour, space ergonomics, irrelevant atmosphere, poor orientation or mix of categories). Unfortunately, this results in failing to achieve the desired effect.

Unambiguously, specialized companies dealing directly with realizations have the advantage of knowledge of the environment. They can correctly grasp the concept and make the implementation so that it attracts shoppers exactly the way it is required. Sophisticated company is capable to propose such approach within a concept of focus, logistics and installation to be maximally effective and could increase the likelihood of better business results.

Nature and space on first place
Among the current trends in equipping stores belong spacious and mainly well-arranged interiors customers perceive as friendly and that are not superficially manipulative. The main requirement is to provide store visitors with a space in which they can easily orient and identify offered products. In the last few years, the environmental cult and sincerity gives direction in the whole world and now also in the Czech Republic. We talk about the emphasis on ecology, real natural materials, clean and simple lines and contrast of offered goods with hardware.

The goal of all retailers is without doubt always primarily that customers return to stores, and just a solution implemented with regard to everything mentioned above can significantly help to achieve this goal. With an effective approach, we can expect keeping existing customers but also attracting new ones. They will spend more time in stores, would like to do shopping and their loyalty will deepen.

Your DAGO team