Store Layout and Design

Dr. Vijay Prakash Anand

 Store Design
Store design is everything a retailer does to set up their store,
display products, and merchandise as a means to enhance their
brand, drive sales, and foster a great customer experience.
Store design is powerful and, if implemented well, can help grow
your business and drive sales. Done poorly, on the other hand, it
can be a real detriment and drive shoppers away.

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 Store Layout
• Store layout refers to a strategic arrangement of permanent
fixtures within a store designed to create a positive shopping
experience and promote purchases.
• Define the needs and goals of your store layout at the onset
of your design process.
– Grocery vs Fashion Apparel
– Value vs Lifestyle
– Clutter vs sophistication
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 Elements Of Store Design

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 Store Design Objectives
• Implement the Retail Strategy

• Build loyalty – Utilitarian / Hedonic Benefits

• Increase Sales on a Visit

• Control Costs to Increase Profits

• Meet Legal Considerations

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Store Design Elements
Layout

Signage

Feature Areas

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 1. Layouts
Grid Layout

Racetrack Layout

Freeform Layout (Boutique layout)

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 2. Signage and Graphics
• Call to Action Signage – QR Codes, Social

• Category Signage

• Promotional Signage

• Point of Sale Signage

Digital Signage
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 3. Feature Areas
Areas within the store, that are designed to get
customer’s attention

Windows / Entrances / Freestanding Displays /

Mannequins / End Caps / Promotional Aisle / Walls /
Dressing Rooms / Cash Wraps

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 Exterior store design

• The store marquee : A marquee is a structure that bears a signboard,

projecting the entrance of the retail store.

Interior store design

• Space planning
• Atmosphere/ aroma
• Fixtures
• Flooring and ceilings
• Lightings
• Graphics (Theme, campaign and promotional graphics)

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 Types of Store Layout

A. Grid layout
If you ever wondered why milk is at the far end of a grocery store, it's
because this design forces customers to walk past an assortment of impulse
purchase items both on the way to and from the staple item that they need.
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 Grid Layout

• Nearly every convenience store, pharmacy, and

grocery store utilizes this layout.
• Merchandise are displayed on a predictable
pattern of long aisles where customers weave
up and down, browsing as they go.
• The grid maximizes product display and
minimizes white space. This layout is all
about product, product, product.

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 Pros of Grid Layout

• Best for stores with lots of merchandise,

especially when products are varied
• Lots of exposure to products, as the layout
encourages customers to browse multiple aisles
• Familiar for shoppers
• Predictable traffic flow means you can put
promos where you know customers will see them
• Lots of infrastructure suppliers, such as shelving,
are available as this layout is used so much

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 Cons of Grid Layout

• Least likely to create an experiential retail space;

this layout is a dime a dozen
• Customers may be frustrated they can’t shortcut
their way to what they need
• Customers may not understand your product
groupings, leading to frustration and questions (or
worse, departure)
• Cramped aisles often lead to customers bumping
into one another

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 The aisle is not working out!

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 B. Race Track/ Loop Layout

The loop, or racetrack layout

takes the grid’s fairly predictable
traffic flows a step further and
creates a deliberate closed loop
that leads customers from the
front of the store, past every bit of
merchandise, and then to the
check-out. Customers are
exposed to the most merchandise
this way, but the path they take is
controlled.
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 Pros and Cons of a Loop Layout
• Maximum product exposure
• Most predictable traffic pattern; easiest to place
promotions and have highest assurance they’ll be seen
• Can be experiential — may work with retail where a
journey makes sense
CONS are:
• Customers don’t get to browse at will
• May waste customer’s time who knows what they’ve come
for; they may avoid this shop in the future when buying
intent is specific
 C. Freeform Layout

• The free-flow layout philosophy is almost a

rejection of the others.
• Merchandise is arranged in an asymmetrical
manner.
• With free-flow, there is no deliberate attempt to
force customers through predictable traffic
patterns; wandering is encouraged.
• There are far fewer rules.
• This layout doesn’t use the retail space to its
maximum.
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 Freeform layout: Pros and Cons???

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 Signage and Graphics

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 What is a Signage ?

• Any visual representation which gives information to the

customers about a store, any office, building, street, park
and so on is called a signage.
• Signage helps the customers to easily reach their desired
destination or locate a building by simply following the
instructions displayed on it.

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 Role of Signage and Graphics in Retail
Industry
• A customer can easily locate the store with the help
of a signage. It is the signboard which actually
attracts the customers into the store.
• Signboard gives all necessary information about
the store.
• The signboards are an effective medium of
communication between the retailer and the
customer.
• A signage goes a long way in influencing the
customer’s buying decision.
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 Types of signage

A. Category signage

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 B. Promotional Signage

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 C. Point of Sale Signage

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 Digital Signage

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 What can an effective signage do?

• Be a cost effective marketing tool

• Promote products and services
• Communicate essential information
• Create a positive first impression
• Create goodwill
• Commands attention

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 Signage can be placed at?

• Windows / Entrances / Freestanding displays

• End caps - An endcap or end cap is a display for a product
placed at the end of an aisle. It is perceived to give a brand
a competitive advantage.
• Promotional aisle / Walls / Dressing rooms
• Cash wraps - where customers pay for goods, converting
customers lounging in the store into paying customers

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Thank You…

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