When it comes to maintaining popularity as a high-street retailer, it is not solely about gaining new customers. While this is certainly important to growth, the interest of regular and familiar customers should not be overlooked. The support of those loyal to your brand and business can easily be lost due to neglect or a stale environment.
As people, we are constantly looking out for new experiences. Even if not consciously, we might find ourselves peeking into an unfamiliar shop’s window or examining a new product. It is a large drive behind what why customers shop and purchase regularly. This is the reason why, as a retailer, it is in your interest to create a continuously refreshed environment, one that will keep the intrigue of those who visit often.
Changing displays in the window encapsulates this idea. For many businesses, this can be a monthly or even weekly practise. It continues to happen along every high street because it works. Those who walk past your store regularly will have their attention captured by an unfamiliar design and will be likely to step inside.
Smart retailers will also extend this into their stores too. By redesigning displays, furniture, and the layout of their retail shelving, customers will be impressed with the feeling of novelty, as if it could be a new store altogether. Or, on a smaller scale, it demonstrates that attention is being paid to the store itself and that the attention of customers is valued by the business.
While it certainly isn’t required for you to strip the entire store and rebuild every season, it is an incredibly valuable strategy to reorganising and change your store’s design regularly. Of course, it is important to be aware that shifting products from one end to the other may cause some confusion and frustration; however, that ‘new store’ feeling can be created while still avoiding this disorientation.
For instance, new colour schemes can be introduced. Supporting displays and modular shelving can be organised to create a new colour scheme throughout the shop or when replacing older furniture with new products you can select a different colour or style. Changing the arrangement of shelving, such as the height or position, is a simple method, but it too creates the impression that something is different. When customers become aware of changes, they are more likely to examine items for longer or look in different places to see what else has changed.
Refreshing your retail space regularly, either with the shopping season or as standard practice, is a simple and low-cost technique that revitalises spaces and staves of the disinterest of your regular custom. Those who do so often encounter their customers paying more compliments to their space or making purchases they may not have before. So, when changing your window display, or bringing out the stock for a new season, consider adjusting or changing your retail furniture too, as the potential benefits may surprise you and your customers.