SUCCESSFUL STORES: TOP TIPS ON CREATING A WINNING STORE LAYOUT

By: / Charity Shops, News, Retail Advice / Comments Off on SUCCESSFUL STORES: TOP TIPS ON CREATING A WINNING STORE LAYOUT

All retail shops are designed in a specific way that helps to increase profits and prevent stock loss. Making money is the most important factor for a shop, so the store layout must be planned in a way that makes customers want to come in and spend money – something that is extremely important when competing with other stores in the area.


The way that a shop looks should be both practical and aesthetically pleasing, so that it attracts customers whilst still protecting your store from theft.


As a company who specialises in charity retail systems, we have seen many different store layouts over the years. Therefore, we thought we would share some layout secrets from some of the most successful charity stores that we have worked with.


Group Of Young Friends Shopping In Mall Together


Your Window Displays Matter


Before customers even enter your store, the first impression they get about your business is from what they see in your windows. This can be make or break for a customer – if they like something, they will come in. A smart window display will attract customers, but it might also catch the attention of donors and volunteers. The stock that you display in your window should be seasonal, so it must be changed often to fit in with different events and periods throughout the year. Window displays should also be clearly priced – a good price will make people want to come in.


Give Your Biggest Sellers More Space on The Floor


All retail stores, whether it’s a charity store or not, will have their best sellers. These are the items that are sold on a frequent basis, or are the items that more customers come in and look for. Typically, this will be books or clothes in an average charity shop – these always sell really well. Once you have indentified what your best sellers are, you should make sure that they have the most space on the shop floor. They should be in a place that is seen easily, accessible and attractively displayed.


Position Your Counter Where You Can See Most of The Shop


Saleman


Charity shops often only have a few volunteers working in there at a time, which means that it’s important that your checkout counter is positioned so that you can see most of your stock when stuck behind the till.  For security reasons, you shouldn’t put it too close to the door. You should place your items that are more expensive near the tills, therefore you will spot any theft that may happen (and sadly it does).


Think About What You Place Around Your Checkout


Stock that is placed around your checkout should be things that might persuade waiting customers to make an impulse buy. These are usually small and low cost products, that potentially could of been overlooked whilst browsing in the rest of the shop. These items should be clearly priced, as the low price might provide tempting for those waiting to be served.


The woman pays off in a boutique


Are you thinking of starting up your own charity shop? We can help you find the perfect retail system for your store. We work with hundreds of local and national charities, and we don’t take a penny from any of the sales that you make. We give full training on using our systems, so you can be assured that you’re getting the best possible help.


For more information on EPoS systems, please don’t hesitate to contact us. You can give us a call on 01204 706 000 and a member of our team will be happy to help.