Five costly mistakes in equipping the store. How to avoid them?

Designing and equipping the store may be the beginning of success or failure.

Regardless of whether you are taking the first steps in the retail industry or you are an experienced player, it is important to familiarize yourself with the most common mistakes in shopfitting.

Many of us have in mind not very pleasant memories associated with the visit in the store. Poorly designed interior, disorder on the shelves, lack of access to the goods, squeeze at the counter or poor service – these are the common reasons why we will not return to certain places. Many of these mistakes can be avoided thanks to cooperation with shopfitters.  Below we describe areas where it is easy to make mistakes and where repairing them can be costly.

I see darkness or bad lighting

In the retail industry, the saying “show somebody in bad light” should be treated both metaphorically and literally. Bad lighting may be a nail in the coffin of the brand. There is no exaggeration: scanty or excessive light can effectively scare away customers. It affects the aesthetics of the entire store and can spoil any interior. What is worse, lighting improvements will be an investment that will deepen our pockets.

Design is like the seasons: it must change

Shop equipment is a task for years. It must be universal enough to be able to match to seasonal changes, themed displays, showcases, etc. By ordering furniture at the manufacturer, whether they are tailor-made or specially designed for us, remember that  shop equipment is a “flexible” design element that will be an important component of many diverse exposures.

With a bag under the arm –  not enough space at the cash register

Nothing is so irritating as a cash register that is located too high, too low or does not give a bit of a place to the customer feverishly looking for a wallet in the bag. The cash register area must provide sufficient space to allow the completion of the transaction. This is the place where the customer symbolically ends his meeting with the brand. It should be made in a comfortable atmosphere for both the customer and the staff. We warn that repairing the shop’s equipment in the cash register area is an exceptionally expensive procedure, which should definitely be avoided.

Chaotic interior harms the brand

It is difficult to deny attraction of the wild English gardens. However, in the case of commercial spaces, too nonchalant approach to design principles and equipment will not be enthralled. This can bring confusion and frustration to the customer. We should follow intuitively along the store paths. Customers meandering between shelves and shopping islands is another cardinal mistake to beware of.

Give a rest to the eye or why empty space matters

Shopfitters and retail space designers are familiar with the concept of “speed bumps”. In stores these visual “thresholds” are to make the customer’s eyes rest and slow down instead of galloping between shelves. Regardless of whether we run a bookshop, a clothing store or a jeweler’s shop, it is important that our interior design incorporates the empty spaceor different visual interval between two rows of products from our assortment.

Equipping the store is a demanding task, not easy and expensive. Attempts to reduce expenditure on interior design and finishing may turn out to be catastrophic. Apparent savings can turn to double costs, not just financial. Reconstruction of customer confidence is an even higher price. Therefore it is worth to start cooperation with a shopfitting company experienced in designing and equipping stores.