Just like with digital shopping, retail technology is evolving fast. Customers are expecting more from their favourite brands. Achieve more sales and see more customers talking about your brand when you upgrade and modernize your retail store experience. As you’ll find out, a lot of the time, it’s the simplest of changes that are most effective and that deliver the biggest results.
Here are some key strategies for making a retail store more modern.
Open-Concept Floor Plan
Use an open-concept floor plan to give customers walking into your store lots of space to view branding, signage, and merchandise. This encourages them to explore and reduces congestion, allowing them to self-direct before they take another step.
Set Up Selfie Spaces
Create in-store photo-worthy product displays or Instagram-esque photo areas to encourage young shoppers to take photos and share them on social media. Think of ways to use art and creative design to create displays and backdrops that enhance your brand’s visibility.
Install Smart Lighting
LED lights with customizable colours that can be dimmed or adjusted for different times modernize and enhance the customer experience. This is an inexpensive and eco-friendly way to give your store the right atmosphere.
More Integrated Technology
Find unique ways to integrate tech into your retail store. A Foot Locker recently opened in New York City, with foot-scanning tech, sneaker cleaning and customization, and digital signage software that measures how high someone can jump. Think about what may be possible for your store.
Strategic Placement of Best-Selling Items
Take your best-selling products and high-demand items, and make sure they are strategically placed in-store. Let these big-ticket items suggest the layout. Subtly direct foot traffic to specific product areas.
Self-Checkout Stations
More stores are setting up self-checkout kiosks to get customers in and out faster. While only some customers will use self-checkouts, as many still prefer traditional checkouts, offering both options ensures both types of customers receive the experience they want.
Mobile Payment Options
Implement a system for accepting mobile payments, such as wallets, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Promote contactless payment methods, emphasizing speed and safety for shoppers who want to pay and go immediately.
Upgrade Static Signs to Digital
Remove static signage and replace it with digital signage software. These displays are dynamic, easy to update and program, and add a tech-forward look. Digital signage also makes for an amazing presentation for promotions, discounts, new arrivals, and engaging visuals.
Integrate Digital Touchscreens
Interactive touchscreens are another type of digital signage. They can be integrated into your store layout to share product details, look up product inventory and where to find certain items in-store, and more. They’re a way for customers to get answers without having to find or ask someone.
Offer Click-and-Collect
Some shoppers prefer to buy online and pick up in-store. This is click-and-collect. It allows shoppers to enjoy a hybrid experience with your retail brand, blending online and offline.
Decorate By Your Store’s Theme
Find ways to design and decorate your retail location in a style and aesthetic based on what you sell. For example, a store that sells hunting gear may have product displays, décor, and art and architecture throughout the plays into a hunting theme. Consider what you represent thematically.
Redesign Your Store Once a Year
Consider redesigning your store at least once a year. Look at store analytics to determine if layout changes are necessary. Rotate tired décor out. Consider what the most intuitive path is for customers to navigate in-store. Keep your store design feeling fresh.
Sustainable Packaging
A modern retail store offers reusable bags, sustainable packaging, and eco-friendly options without single-use plastics. To extend your marketing, ensure your bags are branded with your retail store logo.
Offer Free WiFi
More customers are expecting this freebie from major retail stores. Offer free WiFi access. Let your customers browse on your WiFi while they shop. At the same time, you can use WiFi analytics to study customer behaviour and help you further refine your offerings.
Utilize QR Codes
Consider adding QR codes in your store to offer customers additional product info and online promotions. Encourage customers to scan and learn more about the product in front of them. A QR code can also be utilized for loyalty program sign-ups, simplifying the process for new customers.
Enhance Your Curb Appeal
Modernizing a retail store and making updates or upgrades is not exclusive to the interior. Focus heavily on the front of the store and its exterior as well. This is where a customer sees you first. Ensure there is digital signage, a bright and clean design, and large glass windows to see the display inside.
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