Store Layout and Design

Chapter 13 keep Layout and Design I. Introduction to come in Layout Management. Retailers rear use the retail memory itself to initiate and continue their relationship with customers. A. The depot itself (e. g. , its layout) has the potential to overcome many of the negative attitudes/emotions customers may pass on as they enter a retailers storage. 1. 2. In fact, no another(prenominal)(prenominal) variable in the retail mix mildews the consumers initial perception as a lot as the retailers chime in itself. The ii primary objectives around which solely activities, functions, and aims in the stock revolve atomic number 18 memory image and gross sales fertileness.Store image is the over both perception the consumer has of the investment companys environment. b. plaza productivity represents how effectively the retailer utilizes its takeice and is usually measured by sales per squ ar foot of selling distance or gross ad exclusivelyment dollars per squ ar foot o f selling quadriceps femoris. In cyberspace, retailers essential be touch on with the format of the entire website. In order to drive repeat visits and gain consumer purchasing on ones web site, the e-tailer should a. b. Keep contentedness current. Make the site easy and enjoyable to use. c.Structure an online community where consumers fag act with one another or contribute to the sites content. B. Elements of the Store Environment The successful retailer will place a punishing emphasis on proposeing their physical facilities so as to deepen the retailers boilers suit image and increase its productivity. The elements t eyelid should be considered atomic number 18 a. POS signage. b. c. Visual Communications Retail identity, graphics, and Store Planning outer space allocation, layout, and circulation. Store Design Exterior design, ambiance, and lighting. election, trade in a. 3. d. marketing Fixture innovation, and visual selling. C. The two primary objectives of creating the desired store image and increasing space productivity correspond to the general mission of all retailers, which is to get consumers into the store (traffic) and influence them to buy merchandise once inside (conversion rate) while operating in the most efficient manner possible (operating efficiency). The store planner must constantly balance these objectives, as they ar sometimes at odds. 1.Developing a Store Image the ability to arrive at and change image done the store environment becomes more signifi give the bouncet every day as consumers time poverty increases. 2. Increasing Space Productivity a goal summarized in a simple but powerful truism of retailing The more merchandise customers argon exposed to, the more they tend to buy. To leaven space productivity, retailers must incorporate planning, selling, and design strategies that minimize shrinkage (the de discontinueure of merchandise through theft, loss, and damage). II. Store Planning.Store planning is the development of floor plans, which fence where merchandise and customer service departments are located, how customers circulate through the store, and how much space is dedicated to each department. A. Allocating Space the starting point of store planning is determining how the available store space will be allocated to mingled departments, based on mathematical calculations of the returns generated by divers(prenominal) types of merchandise. 1. Types of Space Needed in that respect are five canonical types of space in a store a. . The gage room includes the receiving area to process arriving inventories and the stock room to store surplus merchandise. Offices and other functional spaces include a advert room for associates, a training room, offices for the store manager and assistant managers, a cash office, bathroom facilities for both customers and employees, and perhaps other areas. The amount of space dedicated to gangboards, service areas, and other nonsellin g areas can be significant, perhaps 15 percent or more of the entire space.While the store planner forever and a day attempts to minimize the amount of nonselling space, customer service is an equally important part of a store and should not be short-changed. The floor merchandise space holds many types of locatings used to demonstration merchandise. The walls are one of the most important elements of a retail store. They serve as fixtures holding tremendous amounts of merchandise, as well as serving as a visual desktop for the merchandise on the floor. c. d. e. 2.Space Allocation Planning to determine the most productive allocation of space, the store planner must analyze the productivity and advantageousness of various categories of merchandise. There are two situations where this is evident planning a new store and revising the space allocation of an existing store. a. alter Space Productivity in Existing Stores When a retailer has been in business for some time, it can d evelop a sales floor on which to evaluate merchandise performance, refine space allocations, and enhance space productivity.Various quantitative measures, such as the space productivity index, can be used to develop a more productive space allocation. Space Allocation for a New Store When a retailer is creating a new store format, it bases space allocation on industry standards, preliminary experience b. with similar formats, or more frequently, the space required to carry the number of items specified by the buyers. B. Circulation there are four basic types of circulation patterns in use today. Shoppers take hold been trained to associate certain circulation patterns with different types of stores. . 2. 3. Free Flow, the simplest type of store layout, is a type of store layout in which fixtures and merchandise are grouped into free-flowing patterns on the sales floor. Grid Layout is another type of store layout in which counters and fixtures are position in dogged rows or ru ns, usually at right angles, throughout the store. Loop Layout is a type of store layout in which a major customer aisle begins at the entrance, loops through the store usually in the shape of a circle, square, or rectangle and then returns the customer to the front of the store.Spine Layout is a type of store layout in which a single main aisle runs from the front to the back of the store, transporting customers in both directions, and where on either side of this spine, merchandise departments using either a free-flow or grid pattern branch off toward the back and side walls. 4. C. Shrinkage Prevention. When planning stores, the prevention of shrinkage collectible to theft, damage, and loss must be considered. Some layouts will minimize photo to shoplifters by increasing the visibility of the merchandise. III. Planning Fixtures and switch Presentation.In the theater of retailing, there are two basic types of merchandise presentation visual merchandising intros which are ana logous to the props which set scenes and serve as backdrops and on-shelf merchandising which represents the stars of the performance. A. Fixture Types fall into three basic categories 1. Hardline Fixtures. The workhorse fixture in most hardline departments is the gondola. The gondola can hold a wide variety of merchandise &8212 in fact, virtually all hardlines &8212 by means of hardware hung from the vertical spine.Tables, bragging(a) bins, and flat-base decks are used to display bulk quantities of merchandise when the retailer wants to make a high- apprize statement. Softline Fixtures. A large array of fixtures have been developed to accommodate the special needs of softlines, which much are hung on hangers. The four-way feature rack and the round rack are two of the fixtures most heavily used today. The round rack is cognise as a bulk or capacity fixture, and the four-way rack is considered a feature fixture, because it presents merchandise in a manner, which features certain c haracteristics of the merchandise (such as color, shape, or style).Wall Fixtures. The last type of fixture are those designed to be hung on the wall. To make a plain wall merchandisable, it is usually cover with a vertical skin that is fitted with vertical columns of notches similar to that on the gondola, into which a variety of hardware can be inserted. Shelves, peghooks, bins, baskets, and even hanger bars can be fitted into wall systems. 2. 3. B. Merchandise Presentation Planning With all the various types of fixtures available, there is an endless variety of ways to merchandise product. . The methods of merchandise presentation include the following a. Shelving The majority of merchandise is placed on shelves that are inserted into gondolas or wall systems. Shelving is a flexible, easy-to-maintain merchandising method. Hanging Apparel on hangers can be hung from softlines fixtures such as round racks and four-way racks, or from bars installed on gondolas or wall systems. Pe gging Small merchandise can be hung from peghooks, which are small rods inserted into gondolas or wall systems.Used in both softlines and hardlines, pegging gives a neat, orderly appearance, but can be labor intensive to display and maintain. Folding Higher-margin or large, unwieldy softlines merchandise can be folded and then stacked onto shelves or placed on tables. This can create a high-fashion image, such as when bath towels are taken off peghooks and neatly folded and stacked high up the wall. Stacking Large hardline merchandise can be stacked on shelves, the base decks of gondolas, or flats, which are platforms placed directly on the floor.Stacking is easily maintained and gives an image of high chroma and low price. Dumping Large quantities of small merchandise can be dumped in bins or baskets inserted into gondolas or wall systems. This method can be used in softlines (socks, wash cloths) or hardlines (batteries, candy), and creates a high-volume, low-cost image. b. c. d. e. f. 2. divers(prenominal) merchandising methods can strongly influence our buy habits and cause us to purchase more. There is a certain psychology of merchandise presentation. . encourage/Fashion Image One of merchandisings most important psychological make is its ability to foster an image in the customers mind of how trendy, exclusive, pricey, or value oriented the merchandise is. Angles and Sightlines interrogation has shown that as customers move through a retail store, they view the store at approximately 45 gunpoint angles from the path of travel, so merchandise placed at 45 arcdegree angles to the aisle has better visibility.Vertical Color Blocking To be most effective, merchandise should be displayed in vertical bands of color wherever possible, so that customers are exposed to a greater number of SKUs. b. c. C. Selecting the Proper Fixture and Merchandise Presentation Methods In selecting which fixtures and merchandising methods to use, a good soak upline is to bear on the fixture to the merchandise, not the merchandise to the fixture. This means you should only use fixtures hat are sensitive to the nature of the merchandise, but all too often, retailers are forced to put merchandise on the wrong fixture. D. Visual Merchandising is the artistic display of merchandise and theatrical props used as scene-setting decoration in the store. Visuals dont always include merchandise they may just be interesting displays of items somehow related to the merchandise offering or to a mood the retailer wishes to create. IV. Store Design encompasses both the outdoor and the interior of the store.There are literally hundreds of details in a stores design, and all must work together to create the desired store ambiance, which is the overall feeling or mood projected by a store through its aesthetic appeal to the human senses. A. Storefront Design. If the retail store can be compared to a book, then the storefront or store exterior is like the book cover. It must be noticeable, easily place by passing motorists or mall shoppers, memorable, clearly identify the name and general market positioning of the store, and give some hint as to the merchandise inside.Interior Design can be broken into architectural elements and design finishes, and encompasses floorcoverings, walls, and ceilings. Lighting is one of the most important, though often overlooked, elements in a successful store design. Retailers learned that different types and levels of lighting can have a significant impact on sales. Sounds and Smells Total Sensory Marketing. Research has shown that senses other than sight can be very important. many a(prenominal) retailers are beginning to engineer the sounds and smells in their stores.B. C. D. V. Visual Communications. Visual communications includes in-store signage and graphics. When conservatively balanced with personal service, visual communications, with its reliability and low cost, can create an effective sellin g environment and is therefore an important tool in the store designers toolbox. A. Name, Logo, and Retail Identity. The premiere and most visible element in a comprehensive visual communications program is the retailers identity, composed of the store name, logo mark, and supporting visual elements.The name and logo must be catchy, memorable, and most of all, reflective of the retailers merchandising mission. Institutional Signage. Once inside the store, the first level of visual communications is cognize as institutional signage, or signage that describes the merchandising mission, customer service policies, and other messages on behalf of the retail institution. Directional, Departmental, and kinsperson Signage serve as the next level of organizational signage. These signs help guide the shopper through the shopping trip and assist in locating specialized departments of interest.B. C. D. Point-of-Sale (POS) Signage. The next level of signage is even smaller, placed closer to t he merchandise, and known as point-of-sale signage, or POS signage. POS signage is intended to give details active specific merchandise items and is usually affixed directly to fixtures. E. Lifestyle Graphics. Many stores incorporate large graphic panels showing so-called lifestyle images in important departments. These photo images portray either the merchandise, often as it is creation used, or images of related items or models that convey an image conducive to buying the product.