Retail is a tough business. It’s always been a tough business, but never more so than today, when online shopping trends are squeezing brick-and-mortar retailers on the high street. That’s the bad news. The good news is that these same trends make physical retail more competitive, and it’s relatively easy to stand out from your rivals. How, you ask? By asking yourself four simple questions:

First, what do you want to achieve with your retail space? This isn’t just somewhere you sell products – it’s a vital extension of your brand, the physical embodiment of what it means to spend money at your store. Should it be relaxing? Should it be fashionable? Should it be cool? The answers to these questions will depend on your own brand values, and it’s crucial that you consider them wisely. You need to ask: what’s the personality of my shop, and how can I reflect it here?

Second, what does the customer’s journey look like? Most of the time, consumers enter a shop with little-to-no prior knowledge of it. They’ll browse your store, pick up clues as to who you are, what you offer, and how; and then, if you tick their boxes, they will purchase something. You need to be aware of how your customers will travel around your store’s layout and customize it accordingly. Does that mean putting the most attractive products at the front? Adding display cards to help your shoppers become informed? It almost certainly means creating a clear path to the point of sale. How the customer interacts with your store’s layout is paramount to the sales process.

Third, what does a customer need? Before your shoppers make a purchase with you, they require certain information: that you are in business, what you sell, how much it costs, etc. This might sound self-evident, but you would be amazed at how many shops fail to make all the necessary information as easy to locate as possible. You might also, if you have never taken the time to consider it, be amazed to find that it’s not as clear as it could be in your shop either.

Finally, what does a customer want? Once you’ve addressed you store’s personality, made sure that the customer journey is sensible, and that the customer has all the knowledge he or she needs to make a purchase, you should be asking yourself why that customer will shop with you? Ultimately, this means discovering what your customers want and supplying it to them. This, of course, relates to products – but it also relates to the mood of your shop. There are some things you can take for granted: no customer wants to shop somewhere dirty, disorganized, and without easily available customer service. Beyond this, you shouldn’t be afraid to experiment, to ask, and – occasionally – trust your gut.

P2 is an experienced facilitator of shop fitting furniture for a variety of different uses. We’ve worked with some of the world’s most iconic brands and retail destinations, and are more than capable of realizing whatever vision the four questions above lead to. Just get in touch with us through this website.