Designing a floor plan for a store to maximize the space can be more difficult than it sounds. It takes a lot of space to display everything and make sure it all looks great. Yet, there are a number of ways to get more out of the floor plan and make sure the store still looks great. Beyond designing to increase sales, consider the following.
Plan and Sketch the Floor Plan
Plan out and sketch the floor plan to see how everything will look once the shelves are in place. If shelves haven’t been purchased yet, consider alternatives to the generic rectangular shelves every store seems to have. Rounded shelves, adjustable shelves, and numerous other options are available and can be included in the floor plan for the business.
Consider Zones for the Floor Plan
It may be a good idea to separate the store into different zones depending on product types. In a clothing store, for instance, there may be a pants area, a shirt area, a winter clothes area, the checkout area, an area for clearance items, and more. Doing this helps to keep everything organized, which helps maximize space.
Opt For Vertical Displays
Go up. Use the height in the store to help display more merchandise. If keeping products lower is a goal, use higher spaces to showcase what items look like. Shirts can be hung higher up so customers can see them, while folded shirts are on a lower shelf and available to choose from. This uses more height to display the items but still allows the products to be reachable.
Use the Walls for Displays
Instead of purchasing shelves to push up against the walls, consider hanging items on the walls or attaching individual shelves to the walls to take up less space. This provides more room for displays, yet still leaves quite a bit of space around the store for customers to walk around.
Choose Flexible Display Options
Flexible displays make it easier to change the layout of items in the store as needed. If the shelves are adjustable, it’s easy to create or move a clearance section, showcase different new products at the front of the store each month, and a lot more. More flexibility allows for better displays and helps keep everything neat and organized, even if you move products around frequently.
Store Excess Products Properly
It’s not necessary to have everything on display in the front of the store. If possible, use a few shelves in the storage area of the space to hold any excess products. Keep the number that might be sold in a day or two on the shelf in the store, depending on sales, and extras in the storage area. This leaves room for more products to be displayed, yet allows for easy access to restock as needed.
If you’re ready to start planning how your retail store will look, use the tips here to maximize your store’s floorspace and get more out of the space available to you. With the right planning, it’s easy to make sure everything can be displayed, customers have plenty of room to move around, and sales can increase.