You want your store to stand out so that when people start coming back in they are wowed and fall in love. People are going to be itching for a community space and vibe, and by updating your store’s layout and features you can do more than just sell products: you can sell a lifestyle. Now is the perfect opportunity to hash out some great new ideas, update your store, and get ready for your grand re-opening:
1. Deep Clean and Repair
Now is the perfect opportunity to put away all of your stock and to deep clean your store from top to bottom. Repaint any areas that are yellowing or cracking, fix any small repairs you see, and generally give the place a much-needed face-lift.
2. Update the Fixtures
Fixtures include things like rails or shelves, the lighting, the doors to the changing rooms, and so on. Updating these fixtures will allow you to give your customers the wow factor once you reopen, and are best done after your spring clean as all your product is off the floor and you can easily change these components around.
3. Add Decorative Elements
Décor can make a place stand out and shine. The decorative elements in question can have a purpose, like custom signs that direct customers to the different areas of your store, or purely for the aesthetic, like a sculpture or painting. All of these will work towards elevating the overall feel and experience of your store, which is what customers are looking for when they are out shopping.
4. Rethink the Layout
The most successful stores draw in customers without the customer feeling corralled. Through it can seem like a simple solution to just have a route through your store the customer needs to take to reach checkout, this can aggravate people. You need to find a layout that draws the customer in naturally. You want them to explore your full store, so that they can discover new treasures rather than be forced past them.
5. Make it Comfortable
You need to understand your shopper’s behavior. If you have a lot of older customers than having plenty of seats and areas to rest can help them with their shopping experience. These chairs and benches can also be useful for those that are waiting while a friend or family member browse.
If you can, a really wonderful way to make your customers more comfortable, increase the amount of time spend in-store, and increase your overall revenue is to add a small café area. Work with a local bakery to sell fresh baked goods and invest in a coffee machine so that customers can sit and enjoy in your store.
This isn’t an option for everyone of course, as it will depend on what you can do with your rented space and whether or not you can get the license to sell food, but similar solutions that help boost comfort and increase time spent in store can boost your sales and overall revenue.
