Store Design

By Dr. Akankshya Patnaik

When customers enter a store, they want the
displays and departments to tell them what
the store is all about.
The image the store is attempting to project
should be immediately obvious to potential
customers.
If the store wants price as the predominant
image, departments emphasizing this aspect
should be placed near the entrance.
Managers should give the best space to the
departments that say to the customer, “This
is what I am”.
 Store design
• Store design is the architectural character or
decorative style of a retail store that conveys to the
customer “what the store is all about.”
• Retail stores vary so much in kind, size, and
geographical location that it is difficult to generalize
about design.
• The architecture of the store’s exterior creates an initial
impression. For example, if a retailer chooses to
remodel an older Victorian home, the customer will get
a different impression from that of a store in the mall.
 Importance of store design
• Creating image
• Communicating image
• Simple to navigate
• Sense of belonging
• Sense of relationship
• Sense of security
• Sense of assurance
• Sense of pleasure
 General Requirements in Retail Store Design
• The first step of retail store design is the
development of a comprehensive plan for the
overall requirements of the store.
• On the basis of market potential (the sales
estimate and dollars received per square foot of
selling area), plans can be made to meet the need
for storage and selling space.
• The plan must specify the ways to achieve the best
traffic circulation possible throughout the store and
the types and sizes of fixture necessary to
display the merchandise in an appealing manner.
• A careful study of these factors helps make stores
attractive, conducive to shopping, and as
operationally efficient as possible.
• Comprehensive planning requires developing a
customer-bases holistic focus for the design and
layout of the store and for the desired store image.
• Only after this customer focus is defined should a
comprehensive plan be developed for both the
exterior and interior of the store that matches the
desired store image.
 1. Customer Focus
• The focus of a retail store design should always be the
customer.
• If the store design and layout are appealing the customer will
from an image that is also appealing.
• It is easy to get into the technical aspects of store design and
forget that the retailer’s reason for existence is the customer.
• The design should be focused on forming and maintaining an
image, while at the same time making the layout as accessible
as possible for shoppers.
• Research should determine the needs, habits, and buying
potential of the shoppers in the area and the need for store
service and overall general customer comfort.
• Management must then determine the overall image that
would best differentiate the store and attract the target market.
 2. Store Image
• A comprehensive plan would include a process for community
obtaining customer feedback regarding improvements and for
continuously updating the design to reflect changing customer
needs wants.
• A store design serves two,
• First, and foremost, the design serves the functional purposes of
protecting, enclosing, and displaying merchandise, while at the
same time serving as a central location where customers can
find the merchandise that they seek during convenient times.
• The second purpose relates to the symbolic needs of the
customer. This includes the social aspects of shopping or owning
a particular good from a particular store. The symbolic aspects of
the store are anything that contributes to the overall store image.
This may include environmental aspects, such as store
atmosphere, or physical aspects, such as brand name products.
 3. Holistic Approach

• A retail store design should match the store’s character.

• This means that consideration should be given to the type of
store image the merchant hopes to project.
• It includes exterior design and interior arrangements for selling
and non selling activities.
• In addition, the design should match with that of other stores
around it; it should also enhance the salability of the
merchandise within the store and be in good taste.
• The store design should have a single theme or image
throughout.
• Attempts to create several images often greater competition.
• This is because the retailer is no longer competing against stores
within a single image category, but instead with stores in several
categories.
 4. Technology and Planning
• Store designs are becoming more complex as new formats
evolve.
• For this and efficiency reasons, it is becoming more
common to rely on technology to assist in developing a
store layout design.
• Computer Aided Design (CAD) helps to plan stores that
more space-efficient.
• Planning can be done quickly and changes are easy to
make.
• new combinations of interactive and multimedia
technologies will change the way retailers design for
direct customer contact and information assistance.
 Store Environment
• It is the combination of
 Store atmosphere (exterior look of store
Store interior)
 Store Image
 Store theme
 Elements of Store design
Frontage and Parking
Entrance
Building
Location
architecture
Ex. Display
Space Access

Health and STORE

Safety DESIGN

Store Theme

Target Merchandise
Customers Mix
 Exterior Store Design
• Exterior store design is a function of the
location of the store site.
• It is the combination of the site itself, facilities
like parking and easy of access.
• Architect of building is a combination of
o Frontage
o Exterior of building
o Display space
o Health and safety provisions provided
• Place where it is located
• Kind of Image projected
o Retail store located in five star hotel carries the
image of five star hotel.
• Store marquee and store frontage is also important
in store design
• Store marquee: first mark of identification of retail
o Required for store identification and customer
attraction.
o Ex: Golden arch of Mc Donald’s
• Store front: It is a reflection of personality of store
• Ex: A cluttered dirty store front will deter the
customer from entering retail.
 Interior Store Design
• It is basically aesthetics with in the store.
• Merchandise sold within and space used.
• Factors considered for space allocation of the
store. Space
Planning

Atmospher
ic and Interior Layout
aesthetics Store
Design
 SPACE PLANNING
• Amount of space allocated within the store.
 Location of various department
 Location of various product
 Pros/cons of specific location
 Relationship of space to profitability.
 AESTHETICS
• Fixtures
• Flooring and Ceilings
• Lighting
• Graphics and Signages
 LAY OUT
• Although there’s no right or wrong retail store design,
the layout that a retail store follows should be focused
on its target market, optimizing its space and showcasing
its products.
• An effective retail store layout takes shopper
engagement into account and leads shoppers around the
store, rather than leaving shoppers to figure out how to
navigate the aisles on their own.
• A store’s layout can either guide the customer’s path
past the most popular, highest selling items or to a
section of the store that doesn’t generate many sales,
depending on which strategy will drive more profits.
 Forced Path

Angular

Geometric
 1. Forced-Path
• The forced-path layout puts customers on a pre-
determined route through a retail store, guiding
customers past whichever products need the most
attention.
• Walking customers in a set path around the store
exposes them to all of the products offered, enticing
them to pick up an item they didn’t plan on purchasing.
• Ultimately, this layout maximizes every aisle and
highlights each piece of merchandise.
• On the other hand, customers who want to run quickly
in and out of the store may not like a forced-path retail
layout.
 2. Straight
• Also referred to as the spine layout, the straight retail
store layout is effective, easy to plan and generates space
for customers to fully peruse the store.
• Essentially, one main aisle — the spine — runs down the
store and connects the various sections on the rest of the
floor. This store design uses space wisely by optimizing the
store walls, corner spaces and shelving fixtures to show
off products everywhere customers look.
• A straight retail store layout is a popular floor plan
because it is convenient and intuitive for shoppers to
follow.
• With the right signage, product displays, and well-
placed merchandise, customers are kept interested and
moving down the store’s main aisle. Because a basic
straight layout helps to lure customers all the way to
the back of the store, this layout guarantees that all of
the store’s products get seen.
• Many small markets, department stores and food
stores benefit from this retail layout because it offers
customers the chance to see everything in the store or
go directly to an aisle if they want to cut their shopping
trip short.
 3. Angular
• An angular retail store layout is easier to picture when
described as a curved store layout.
• Despite having “angular” in its name, an angular retail store
design uses curved and winding product displays and store
fixtures that direct the customer flow to several different
displays.
• The free-standing product displays used in this retail layout
cultivate a perception of higher quality merchandise, making
this layout ideal for luxury stores.
• Luxury stores and boutiques may also benefit from the way an
angular store layout encourages customers to “buy now.”
• Without seeing rows and rows of stock, customers receive the
subliminal message that in-demand items are in short supply,
pushing them toward making a purchase they may not have
planned on.
 4. Geometric
• The geometric retail store design is perfect for fusing
functionality with creativity.
• As its name implies, the geometric store layout incorporates a
variety of merchandise displays of all shapes and sizes, including
squares, rectangles, ovals and more.
• Stores that already have a unique interior due to wall angles,
support columns or ceiling design can embrace and enhance this
pre-existing aesthetic by using a geometric layout.
• A geometric layout can help brands build their identity and
awareness.
• Specifically, combining an array of geometric product displays
and fixtures of various shapes and sizes can make a bold
statement about a brand’s identity.
• Selecting certain artwork, music and even scents to use with a
geometric layout can complete the store’s atmosphere and
heighten the overall customer experience.
 5. Grid
• The grid layout is the traditional retail store floor plan that everyone is
most familiar with.
• Almost every grocery store, pharmacy and convenience store uses a grid
layout.
• In most cases, a grid layout design has several long aisles. The store will
also usually place impulse-buy items at the front of the store and other
items near the back.
• In this way, a grid layout walks customers by impulse-buy items on their
way to and from the products they really need.
• A grid layout can be helpful for directing customer flow because
customers are already highly accustomed to following the grid layout.
• The natural barriers that the grid layout creates with its rows of aisles
both facilitates customer flow and helps to group similar products
together.
• Grouping similar products and separating different products helps
customers find the items they’re looking for quickly and avoid
confusion.
• The grid store layout also works to maximize
product display while minimizing white space.
• In a grid retail store design, the end of an aisle is
one the best places to display your products. You
can also use wing shelves and other features
to make your merchandise stand out within a grid
layout.
• These features encourage customers to pick up
more products as they weave their way up and
down the aisles.
 6. Loop
• The loop retail store layout, also known as the racetrack
layout, creates a deliberately closed-loop path that guides
customers around the store and all the way around to the
checkout.
• In between the store’s entrance and the checkout, the loop
walks customers past every piece of merchandise the store
has to offer.
• Most loop store designs feature a main aisle or corridor that
directs customers through the store in a circular path.
• The looped path provides well-defined parameters that take
customers on a well-marked journey through the store.
• In this way, the loop layout easily controls the flow of traffic
and guarantees that each customer gets exposed to the most
products possible.
 7. Free-Flow
• Also known as the free-form layout, the free-flow
layout follows its own floor plan philosophy.
• A free-flow store design doesn’t attempt to control the
flow of customer traffic at all.
• Instead, the lax layout encourages customers to
wander around free of following any pre-determined
traffic patterns.
• The success of a free-flow retail store design relies on
taking human behavior into account.
• A well-designed free-flow store layout can promote
more browsing and impulse purchases by strategically
using signage, window displays, merchandise
placement and customer traffic paths.
THANK YOU