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Your sales floor is your biggest marketing piece. Of course, shoppers visit your store to buy, but they also come in for ideas
and inspiration. And to be entertained. The job of your displays is to encourage them to buy while they are there. Let’s take a look
at the key components necessary to help.
Controlling the Shopper Journey
Your store layout is affected by the shape and size of your sales floor.
That footprint dictates what will work in your store. Studies show that shoppers often won’t see 50 percent of your sales floor so it’s your job to create and control how they shop.
There are many types of layouts for store design but the most common one used by boutiques and specialty retailers is
the Free Flow layout. This gives lots of options, and it’s flexible. In a Free Flow layout, there are no permanent aisles; fixtures are placed to encourage shoppers to easily move throughout the store.
The Decompression Zone
Every store has a space called the Decompression Zone, the area located just inside your front door—generally the first 5 to 15 feet depending on the square footage. It gives shoppers a chance
to transition from whatever is going on outside of your store to shopping.
The Decompression Zone is no man’s land; shoppers will miss anything you place there. Place floor signs, carts/baskets, product displays, etc. just beyond your Decompression Zone where shoppers
are more likely to see them.
Lake Front Property
There are parts of your sales floor that are more important than others; we call them Lake Front Property because a big percentage of your sales come from items displayed here. Use your Lake Front Property to feature new, hot and high-margin product, not every day, basic items— these items are best housed toward the rear of the store. Think milk and eggs in a grocery store. And since 90 percent of customers enter
a store and look or turn to the right, the Lake Front Property should be merchandised with particular care. Our V & Vista Exercise will help you find your store’s unique Lake Front Property:
Start at the end of your Decompression Zone and spread your arms out
at shoulder height with your index fingers extended. What’s inside the “V” your arms make is called is the Vista — this is the first area shoppers see.
The Vista is where you place Speed Bumps, displays that slow shoppers down and set the tone. Create a focal point with small, nesting tables, cross-merchandised groupings of irresistible product that tells a story— why just sell a sweater when you can sell a necklace, too? Speed Bump displays should be changed at least once a week.
The V will help you locate your most important Power Walls. Start by following your nose down your right arm to the tip of your right index finger—the wall you are looking at is your front right Power Wall. It’s a highly profitable space, so use it to feature not-to-be-missed merchandise and update it frequently.
Try not to house your cash wrap at the right front. Ideally, your cash wrap should be located at a natural ending point in the shopping experience, on the left side of the store or at the center of the store, at least 20 feet back from the front door. You don’t want shoppers thinking about checking out as soon as they walk in.
Now, follow your nose down your left arm to the tip of your left
index finger. This left front Power Wall is also important display space; merchandise it with as much thought and care as your right front Power Wall. If your store’s footprint makes it impossible for shoppers to enter your store and turn right, then everything is reversed:
the front left becomes your Lake Front Property.
Begin at the front and walk your entire sales floor to look for other key display areas, noting which areas stand out and will require on-going visual merchandising attention.
Now, grab your smartphone and take photos of your sales floor. This is important because the camera will see what you cannot, highlighting areas that need attention, holes in displays, displays that need signing, etc. >
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