guide - thurston reed€¦ · your mood boards what you find inspirational, and try these ideas to...

with real-life

examples

Use this guide as a workbook— take notes, add to

your mood boards what you find inspirational, and

try these ideas to drive your revenue growth

HOW TO MAKE

YOUR STORE

DISPLAY WORK

GUIDE

Introduction


A well-organized retail display is what can help you win in a fierce

battle for your customers’ attention in today’s visually stimulated

world.

This guide will walk you through how to make your store display

attract customers: you’ll learn what to consider before the start;

get acquainted with best practices, fresh ideas, and real-life

examples of arranging and decorating a store space; and see

how even a small detail can make a difference.

Use this guide as a workbook— take notes, add to your mood

boards what you find inspirational, and start implementing these

ideas to drive your revenue growth

Let’s dive in, shall we?

Happy reading,

Nicholas Reed and Sarah Thurston

Co-Founders | Thurston Reed

Follow us on Instagram @thurstonreed

PART 1. Before You Change

Anything…

Know Your Audience


Ask questions

Who are my customers?

What are they looking

for? What exactly do I

have that is unique for

them and stands out from

all the other shops?

These are the first

questions to be

answered. Curating a

long-term relationship

with them, above all, is

the key to success in your

business.

Build relationships

Learn what your

customers love and yearn

for, talk to them, and build

a long-term relationship.

In the end, people matter,

and relationships with

your customers should be

the ones you cherish

most.

Don’t assume you

know everything

Even if you’ve been in

business for a while and

you know your audience,

there’s always room for

research. Keep learning,

ask questions, and

surround yourself with

people who are smarter

than you in their expertise

areas. This way, you may

find a niche you haven’t

even thought about

Understanding the needs and priorities of your audience and curating a long-term

relationship with them, above all, is the key to success in your business.

.

5

Form Your Own Brand in Customer’s Mind

Guide: How To Make Your Store Display Work

It’s all about the kind of experience you’re creating for your customers when they

walk in the door. It’s an experience where they enjoy beauty, art, and design, and

also have the opportunity to find what they need for their place. In fact, the

experience you build becomes your brand in your customers’ minds.

.

Find your own theme…

Don't ever compromise your shop's integrity just to be like everyone else! There are

tons of lookalikes out there, so listen to yourself and only sell what fits your own

vision!

This might sound contradictory to ‘knowing your audience’ but in fact, it’s not,

because your full alignment with your concept will make your customers believe in

your story.

.

5


…and Stick To Your Vision and Quality

Think about the experience you’re creating and the story you want to

tell


The purpose of arranging your store space is not only to make it look pretty. It’s about

creating the environment that attracts customers and encourages them to explore your

shop and purchase – and ask questions right on the spot. Whether you are opening a

new store or trying to liven up an existing one, these ideas will help you master the

science of store planning.

PART 2. Arranging Your

Store Space


The threshold area, also known as a “decompression zone, is the space just inside

your front door. This area serves as a transition for your customers from whatever

happened before entering your store and refocuses them into a new experience. It’s

here that your customer makes their first critical judgment about your store: its price

category, lighting, and display. So, it should be inviting and easy to navigate.

1. Start With An Invitation: Decompression Zone

NOTE: Better not place any important items there, as your shoppers

are likely to miss them, still being in a transaction mode


It's a well-known fact that 90% Americans unconsciously tend to turn to the right

upon entering a store. So, the first wall your shoppers see after turning right is often

referred to as a "power wall", as it’s another one of those key merchandising areas.

It’s a perception builder that acts as a high-impact first impression vehicle in your

store.

2. Attention! Powerful Wall on Your Right!

Make sure you give it special attention in terms of what and how you choose to

display. Don’t use this area for the basic offerings, but better grab your customer's

attention with your new or seasonal items, high profit or best sellers. It could also

be the place to tell your product's stories and create vignettes. .

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.1028.8696&rep=rep1&type=pdf



















.

9


3. Have Them Walk a Path

Knowing that your customers will likely

turn right, your next priority is to make

sure they continue walking throughout

your store to gain the maximum exposure

to your display.

You can make it even easier by covering

the path with a different texture from the

general flooring.

To make sure your audience aren’t going

to hurry past your products, you can

create "speed bumps". These can be

anything that slow your shoppers down

and encourage them to take a closer look.

You can grab their attention by introducing

cool products for sale - new and seasonal

items will work here well, too. Use special

fixtures and small tables to give your

shoppers a visual break.

4. Slow Them Down With

Speed Bumps

NOTE: Be sure to rotate the product displayed on

your speed bumps regularly

IMAGE SOURCE: IDEALISTA.FI

10 Guide: How To Make Your Store Display Work

5. Make Sure They’re

Comfortable

6. Final Step:

Smooth Check Out

Make your customers feel

comfortable by arranging a kind of

lounge area with relaxing seats.

This will encourage them

(especially those who aren’t

interested directly in the purchase

but are accompanying someone) to

spend more time in your store.

TIP: Place the seats facing the

merchandise, so that they still gain

the attention of those lounging

around.

Your checkout should be located at a

natural stopping point in the shopping

experience. So, if shoppers turn right

when they enter and then circle all the

way around the path that you've

created for them, the left-hand side at

the front would be the perfect location

for your checkout counter.

NOTE: This decision depends on the

size and layout of the store. Whatever

you decide, make sure your checkout

is comfortable and friendly.


“Retail is detail,” is one of

the most famous

principles in retailing. In

other words, to be able

to manage all your

products on a satisfying

level and improve the

understanding of your

customer, you need to

pay attention to every

detail.

How do I become more

detailed and what

detail should I focus

on?

Let’s find answers to

these questions and

have a look at the most

effective methods to

create an effective

product display

PART 3. Re-arranging Your Display

and Experimenting

http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing-strategy/retail/the-five-principles-of-retail







Create a Focal Point

To attract customers’ attention, it’s important to

put some display in your shop where they can

focus their eyes on. Make sure the focal point is

on the eye level of the shoppers.

TIP: Arrange your display in a set of 3. This is

based on a scientific research which proves

that symmetrical things attract human attention

much easier than asymmetrical ones.

IMAGE SOURCE: CERESHOME-DECOR.XYZ

http://www.science20.com/rogue_neuron/science_pleasure_part_one_allure_asymmetry




Experiment With Light

Well-placed lighting can attract more

attention to your store’s displays, highlight

your products, and even make them more

enticing than they actually are.

Keep these in mind and ensure your check

the placement of all lights, so that every

place in your store got enough lighting,

even the corners.

NOTE: Make sure you don’t use too much

light – this might have the opposite effect

TIP: Mix uplight and downlight - it’ll make

the atmosphere in your store more relaxed and

comforting


Change Your Display

Regularly

The world is changing every day,

and so are the design trends. As a

store owner, you have to keep up

with the trends and make regular

changes to your store display.

Why?

Your customers want to stay tuned

with the new fashion trends and rely

on your display to keep them in the

know.

How often should I change my

display?

It’s up to you to decide. Watch the

news and trends in your business

area and keep experimenting to

know what frequency will work best

for your store.

.


When filling the space of your store with

items to sell, don’t overdo this and feel

like you have to occupy every empty

space.

NOTE: your store should be easy to

navigate and have enough room for

multiple people to study your products

without running into one another.

Use Empty Space Wisely

TIP: Create the right

ambience using all 5 senses:

try custom scent, offer treats,

experiment with music and

textures to build a unique

experience

IMAGE SOURCE: DECOR8BLOG.COM

We hope that diving in to these practices

has given you a starting place for

optimizing your store display. Whether

you’re looking for attracting more

shoppers, having more returning

customers, growing your revenue, or all

three, it all starts when customers walk in

your door – or ends if they don’t.

Your audience are particular to you, and

no two audiences are exactly alike. By

paying close attention to the bottom line,

making hard choices when buying and

selling, cutting costs, re-arranging your

display and merchandise mix many times,

and training your personnel, you’ll

eventually be able to develop your own

practices for the perfect display

It’s all about the little things that make the

shop run - sometimes a few simple swaps

make a great difference.

Good luck — go ahead and make your store display work!

Final Thought


V I E W T H E

C A T A L O G U E

J O I N M E M B E R S H I P

P R O G R A M

B R O W S E

O N L I N E S H O P

http://www.thurstonreed.com/decorative-pillows/

http://www.thurstonreed.com/wholesale















guide - thurston reed€¦ · your mood boards what you find inspirational, and try these ideas to...

Documents