The concept of a retail showroom has evolved and expanded post-pandemic, with customers now wanting a more relaxed, exclusive and personalised shopping experience. With fewer people in ‘store’, sales assistants are able to offer potential buyers their undivided attention and the opportunity to trial the products in their own way, space and time.
How brands configure their retail showroom can significantly enhance customers’ in-store experience and perception of a brand. To ensure that your customers and potential buyers have an engaging, memorable and positive experience, there are a few tips, tricks and trends to building and merchandising your retail space.
It’s time to design a retail showroom that invites, engages and converts!
Make it Warm & Inviting
When designing your retail showroom, you want to make sure it’s inviting for your customers. A great way to do this is by making sure your showroom is warm and welcoming – and we’re not just talking about temperature! Think about everything from the colours you see and scents you smell, to the music playing in the background and the amount of natural light shining through. You want your customers to feel like they can relax while they’re shopping with you
Bring Out The Best In Your Products
People don’t buy what they can’t see – so make sure you’re showcasing your products in their best light! That means using lighting that highlights their colors and textures without making them look washed out or dull, making sure there’s enough space between items so customers can really get a good look at them. If you are designing a space for a fashion brand, include plenty of mirrors so shoppers can see themselves wearing your products from every angle (and try on different pieces if necessary).
Walk The Walk
Planning the layout of your showroom requires consumer insight, testing and a creative flair – it’s an art form. Be sure to consider the floorplan – how and where you lead shoppers – appeal to all the senses and optimise all cross-merchandising opportunities. A good layout includes plenty of space for customers to walk around and browse products. It should also feature areas where customers can sit down and try things on if they need help making a purchase decision – this will allow them to feel comfortable enough in their surroundings to ask questions about different items or sizes.
A Place To Stay & Engage
You’ll want to make sure that your showroom is engaging for your customers. You can do this by having interactive elements in the space so that people will feel like they can touch and trial the products. Consider using creative displays or interactive features in your store, such as touch screens or other technology that allows customers to learn more about the product. This engagement helps create a relationship between you and the customer, making them more likely to buy from you over another retailer who doesn’t have interactive features in their physical or online store.
Keep it Organised
A cluttered store will only cause confusion for your customers, who might be overwhelmed by too many choices or distracted by messiness. In order to keep your retail space looking great, you need to make sure that every item has its own unique place where it can be put away. Every product should have its own spot on a shelf or in a display case so that it doesn’t look like everything is jumbled together. It’s also important to make sure that products are labeled so people know exactly what they’re looking at and how much it costs.
Ready To Convert
Once your customers have engaged with the product they want, they need a way to convert into a sale! This can be done through creating an easy checkout process in-store and allowing for both cash or card payments. Consider the placement of your point of purchase area, is it at the back of the store or near the front entrance?
Designing a retail showroom that invites, engages, and converts is a delicate balance. Our designers will work with you to create an environment that is most suited for your products, while also considering how visitors will use it throughout the day.
If you are looking to build or refresh your brand’s retail showroom, look for support from our experienced team. Talk to us today to start planning or begin work on your retail showroom.
