Floor layouts
Neatly folded merchandise has been color-blocked to make it easier for customers to shop in Primark, Bristol. Clearly defined walkways make it easy for the shoppers to browse.
Once you have noted your product adjacencies, it is time to plan your detailed floor layout. Any shopper who is struggling to navigate the labyrinth of an IKEA furniture store will have noticed how difficult it is not to be tempted to leave the designated route. Once the customers have entered the store, they have no choice but to traverse the shop to find the exit; while doing so they are led through numerous lifestyle room settings designed to offer inspiration, and then to a warehouse to spend. Even while standing in line, their children can enjoy an ice cream. Few people will understand the ingenious planning that has gone into creating such a disciplined floor layout.
Similarly, the countless aisles of shelves in a supermarket have been rigorously planned. While they may not inspire the customer, they do achieve their aim by making the monotony of grocery shopping effortless and uncomplicated. The exact location of the dairy products in relation to the cleaning products, for example, would have been carefully planned, not only to assist the customer but also to drive sales. Staples such as milk and eggs are not always placed at the front of a supermarket for the customer’s convenience; they are often located in the center of the store or toward the back, ensuring that the shopper has to pass other items before discovering them. While searching, shoppers will probably add additional products, for which they were not necessarily shopping, to their baskets. Even the ends of the fixtures are used to make extra sales, often being used to promote offers. These invaluable spaces are usually placed along a central walkway with heavy traffic, making them a useful commodity to grab the shopper’s attention—and money.
Each of these examples proves the power and effectiveness of a well-planned floor layout.
Milan’s Corso Como features an eclectic mix of old and new furniture to display its products. Quirky lighting and art adorning the walls also help create atmosphere.
The floor layout here clearly shows the most profitable platinum selling space inside the entrance to the store. This area will be expected to take the most money, followed by the gold, silver, and finally bronze areas at the rear of the store.
The same floor layout is shown here with fixtures in place. Each fixture is angled at 45 degrees to funnel customers into the store. Fixtures are also placed in line with displays on the side walls, which create focal points that are designed to attract customers into and through the store, encouraging them to explore the whole shop.
An elevated view of the same floor layout looking in from the entrance. This shows how the eyes should easily focus first on and then through the fixtures to rest on the focal points.
A strong brand will act as an anchor to a floor and pull potential customers into a particular area of the store.
Platinum, gold, silver, and bronze areas
Key to laying out a floor is the positioning of products. Visual merchandisers often divide the floor into four areas and define these by colors: platinum, gold, silver, and bronze (other retailers may use numbers or letters). It is important to comprehend that the first area of the store when entering is the prime selling space; this is why it is called the platinum space. The second, as you walk through the shop, is called the gold area; the third, toward the back of the store, is silver, and finally the area at the back is bronze. The first thing to note on your floor plan is, therefore, the entrances, as they will determine where the customers enter and exit the store and thus the position of the platinum area. The lower-priced, sale, promotional, or high-fashion items should be positioned in the platinum area, as this space will always attract more customers and more sales. The bronze area at the rear of the store will draw fewer customers because of the distance from the main entrance; with this in mind, it is best to place some staple products or a desirable product category there to encourage customers through the store.
In addition to using product placement to attract customers into and through the store, the most significant consideration when laying out a floor is to lead the customers through the platinum part of the store to the designated points where they can be encouraged to browse and spend. If this is done, customers will remain longer in the store, and the longer customers are in the store, the higher the chances that they will make a purchase. In order to keep them content, their shopping experience should be both trouble-free and enjoyable. Clear directions and walkways will guide them, and good product presentations will help them decide what to buy.
In the first illustration, the fixtures are placed in regimented rows at right angles to each other. This type of arrangement can form a barrier, discouraging customers from moving through the store. By moving the fixtures to a 45-degree angle, as shown in the second illustration, they can be used to funnel customers through the store. This is often called chevroning.
Chevroning is useful on large floors where there is plenty of space. In smaller stores, however, keeping all the fixtures straight and square to the walls will create the illusion of space.
Footfall, walkways, sight-lines, and focal points
A key factor that should be considered before laying a floor out is “footfall.” This term refers to the route a customer walks through the store—or preferably the route the retailer wishes them to follow.
On entering a store, customers will be challenged with several decisions: do they go left, right, or straight, or decide to leave? Assuming that they stay, it will be the retailer’s task to help them choose which way to walk around the store. Sight-lines and focal points will encourage them to explore the shop.
Sight-lines are imaginary lines that lead the customer to certain areas or specific products. Focal points can be an in-store display, a collection of carefully arranged merchandise, or a display featuring a key brand that immediately catches the eye. A focal point is best used in conjunction with the sight-lines. Once the customer’s eye has followed a sight-line, it should comfortably rest on a focal point. It is therefore important that sight-lines are not obscured by large fixtures or walls.
Customers may be steered through the fixtures by defined walkways that act as sight-lines. Many of these paths are designed to stand out physically from the rest of the floor, either because they are a different color or are made from a different material from the rest of the flooring. However, such defined walkways can also act as a barrier; many nervous shoppers subconsciously do not like to leave the comfort of the walkway. It is for this reason that it is possible to have walkways that are not defined; many stores have one universal floor covering, and cleverly position the fixtures to funnel the customers through the store. Fixtures or tables should, however, not be positioned so that they become obstructions or barriers. They should also be placed far enough apart that strollers, wheelchairs, or other mobility aids can be maneuvered easily between them.
Another feature that can be used to attract customers into and through a store is the walls. Linear (wall) space is a vital part of any shop. The walls surrounding the store can hold a vast number of products without eating up valuable shop-floor space. If key brands or strong product categories are positioned on linear fixtures, the customer will see them and walk through the store toward them.
Positioning the products
With the above techniques for attracting customers into and through the store in mind, and referring to a product adjacency list, you can now start to lay out the floor plan and decide where best to place the products. Always start by placing the largest categories and key brands first: they will undoubtedly take up the most space and, hopefully, generate the most sales. With the adjacencies in mind, the next step is to fill in the gaps. One key factor to remember when doing so is the need to vary the pace—to create gaps between products or to introduce a different type of fixture, for example. This will keep the customers’ attention, preventing them from becoming bored if every rack of clothing looks the same, or even overwhelmed if there is just too much crammed into the space.
In another form of floor layout, the lack of a defined walkway is counteracted by the use of fixtures to break up the floor space and create customer flow.
This prominently delineated red walkway in Selfridges, London, has been designed to steer customers to the back of the store.
Belstaff, London, has adopted a hard interior for its menswear floor, using steel and wood with a polished concrete floor to create a robust, masculine feel.
Sofas and armchairs, although a welcoming gesture, are a luxury as they use up valuable product space.
Overall style of the floor layout
The style of the store’s layout will depend on the products you are selling and what feel you wish the store to have. A designer boutique specializing in expensive garments may justify a spacious contemporary feel with minimal dressed fixtures. A women’s clothing store may benefit from a feminine feel, while a men’s clothing store may work better with harder lines and darker colors. A gift shop may lend itself to a more densely filled emporium with fixtures placed closer together. In this case, the key is to give the appearance of a generously filled store without making it look clumsy and busy. Large fixtures are best positioned toward the perimeter walls unless they are specifically designed to break up an area. Tables can be a useful addition if they are merchandised correctly (see page 131). If you are using the walls to house branding or signage, it is important that it does not encroach into important linear selling space and that it is relevant to the product either beneath or in front of it.
Display areas should also be considered when planning the floor layout; remember that an in-store display may look appealing, but it will take up precious retail space. A group of mannequins might not get the same monetary return as a table of seasonal products. It is always wise to question if the floor is taking on more of the resemblance of a showroom or museum than a shop. Customers will not interact with the products if they feel they should not touch them. Attaining the right mix of fixtures to display is essential in creating customer comfort.
Finally, consideration should be given to the cash desks and changing rooms. If they have not already been positioned, think about placing a cash desk at the back of the store in the least profitable area (bronze). This is not only a commercial decision, but will act as a tool to draw customers into and through the store. Changing rooms are also best sited at the back of the store. Stores with particularly attractive and portable merchandise that may be stolen will benefit from having cash desks at the front of the store as well as toward the back. Although there are no guaranteed ways of preventing shoplifting, positioning staff at the main exit may act as a deterrent.
With traditional floral wallpaper, original period fireplaces, and an opulent chandelier, Stella McCartney’s perfumery department in London has the appearance of a boudoir and gives the store a very feminine touch.