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5 signs your retail store needs a makeover

As new stores have opened over the past several years, they have upped the bar, and you may unknowingly be turning off potential customers.

February 21, 2010 by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

When you opened your business however many years ago, everything was fresh — your paint, your signs, your racks and all of your merch. People just loved shopping there. Now, however many years later, your store is still chugging along, but that once shiny layer of paint is now faded, the shelves are chipped, the merch isn't all fresh.

Does this sound familiar?

As new stores have opened over the past several years, they have upped the bar, and although your store may still be completely functional, you may be turning off potential customers without knowing. Here are five questions you need to ask yourself to see if your store needs a redesign.

Question 1: In terms of organization, how do you conform to customers' natural traffic patterns? In North America, people walk into a business and turn to the right, walking counter-clockwise through your store. If your cash wrap desk is on the right, in front, you have a situation where customers constantly have to cross against other customers. This limits and degrades the shopping experience for all.

Question 2: Does your store lack consistency? Do you have some signs in color, some hand written, some black and white? Elements like paint colors, fonts on signage and overall look should show consistency throughout your store because it shows you have attention to detail.

Question 3: Does your merchandise scream sensory overload? If everything is stacked to the gills, all on shelving, all lit the same, nothing will stand out. If you are like the gallery I worked with recently in Maryland, do you mix every style and period and color in the same room? If so you could be overwhelming customers who are trying to figure out what to look at. Information overload will prevent sales because it trips the "I can't figure this out, I'm an idiot" switch and they leave.

Question 4:Does your store look old? Just like hairstyles, jean styles and lapels, styles change, and so do stores. Whatever style your store was in '03 probably isn't what's hot right now. Yes you can simply repaint but look at the color choices in your local paint store; they seem warmer and more cozy than years past. Since great retail is like an idealized home, take your cues from magazines, TV shows and even the majors who have spent a lot of money trying to figure out how to look "new."

Question 5:Are your display areas the same as they've always been? Change them around. Eighty percent of your sales tend to come from the first third of your store, so highlight all the "wants" at the front and all the "needs" in the back with the sale stuff.

So, how'd your store do? If you need to revamp, don't worry. Whether it's a nip and tuck here and there or a complete surgery, devise a plan, a timeline and a budget around it.

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