How To Make A Small Retail Premises Work For Your Business
There is a growing trend among high street retailers that sees a developing preference for smaller shop spaces. Moving away from those venues with a larger capacity, retailers are finding greater benefit and less risk involved with retail venues that are, by comparison to those spaces traditionally sought-after by retailers, small.
While many benefits are being discovered by retailers who take on smaller high street venues, there are a number of compromises. For those accustomed to spacious sites with great potential for displays and storage, it can be a difficult transition. Thankfully, with smart interior design and the utilisation of shop furniture, small retail premises can be easily mastered, ensuring few compromises are made and that a brand’s quality continues to shine on the high street.
Modular Furniture
Smaller retail spaces more easily feel the pressure of product changes and customer flow. A shop layout that works well during a quieter period is unlikely to be as efficient during a weekend rush. One way to overcome this hurdle is to embrace a modular design within a shop space.
Adjustable shop fittings, from slatwall to greeting card units, each allow a shop space to quickly and easily adapt to retail needs. This means that, if a shop is expecting a greater number of customers, it can alleviate areas of the store to allow individuals to browse more comfortably. Alternatively, during quieter periods, product displays can be prioritised.
Custom Fittings
Catalogue furniture items and accessories are often available in such a variety that many shops are able to meet their design needs. However, in the circumstances of a smaller retail space, it can often be advantageous for retailers to seek custom fittings instead.
By choosing to have bespoke shop fittings designed specifically for their shop space, they can overcome compromises of design that might have otherwise been less efficient for a retail operation. Checkout counters, for example, can be designed to fit more appropriately into an area, enabling staff to use their saved space for storage or displays.
Creative Design
There can often be a concern that a small shop space can deter customers from feeling comfortable. While there is a certain truth in this, with customers generally feeling more able to browse with a certain degree of distance from others, retailers can design their interior space to feel more spacious and, therefore, more welcoming.
Vertical designs, mirrors, and natural light are three elements that each typically encourage space to feel larger. Displays that build upward instead of horizontally, for example, as well as mirrors that accentuate the capacity and brightness of a shopping environment, each contributes to a feeling of space and comfort.
Prioritise Products
A smaller space might mean fewer opportunities for products but this is not necessarily a negative occurrence. Minimalism is a design style with positive associations and can be used to emphasise the quality of certain products, giving them a degree of focus that supports impressions of quality.
