The last mile in retail display

Opening a store is an easy job but to keep it running successfully is an art in itself. In an era when visual presentation has become an important factor for successful operation of retail businesses worldwide, it is interesting to note that turning a prospect into buyer involves more than merely managing a store. Mr Sandeep Mukherjee, MD, Quetzel says, “Visual Merchandising is the last mile in retail display; it is a science and not just doing flower arrangement for the sake of it.” Great store presentation reflects the personality and the glimpse of merchandise being offered inside. According to Mr George Supreeth, Creative Director, Ixmod Sensible Design, “The retail spaces are the culmination of the entire marketing activity of brands, and the physical space is an actualization of the perceived brand in consumer’s mind.”

Your display window to the world

Have you ever noticed that display window is the best form of advertisement for the brand and acts as the first interface between the retailer and the customer? To the consumer, retail store display is the main attraction and other activities like discounts and festive offers are add-ons. Using the right kind of lighting, paint and décor, a retailer has the complete privilege to entice the consumer and trigger him or her to purchase. The feel of store has the power to strike the right note at the right time and get consumers attached emotionally to the brand. A well-designed store makes way for the very next customer and leads ultimately to generating increased sales. Mr Supreeth says, “Visual Merchandising is an integrated part of the process itself and is not disconnected from sales.”

Shop fitting – an art essentially

Several areas of shop fitting include role of a manufacturer, supply of standard fittings such as shelving, racking and bins; customised shop fittings made of wood, metal and plastic, point of sale (POS) and point of purchase (POP) displays, containers and signage. Mr Gibson G. Vedamani, CEO of Retail Association of India (RAI), says,  “Fixture and furniture play a major role as through VM, the stores tell a story. Ceratin fixtures are only there for creating a good impact. VM contributes a great deal in attracting the customer.”

Other basic aspects consist of lighting, furniture, music, fragrance, hygiene, colour scheme and surface. All these components form the core of any retail outlet and exude an aura of pleasant ambience.  Highlighting the latest trends in shop fitting, Mr Amit Gulati, Director, Incubis, says “Using new technologies to enhance in-store interactivity, using a judicious mix of new materials and traditional craftsmanship, focus on minimalism, well-calibrated lighting levels and building-in the capability to change store design easily without a huge cost-expenditure.” Often shop fitting is to be in synchronization with the brand the outlet is selling. Simple but important features like right colour, paint, music and fragrance draw consumers towards the store and sustain their attention. Mr Nagasubramanian, MD, RD n M, says, “The latest trend in retail design includes glass in different ways like painted or backlit or frosted.”

Shop fit-out is more than creating physical space and selling the goods, it’s the understanding of consumers’ viewpoint via putting yourself into their shoes. Mr Mukherjee says, “ There are two kinds of fixtures; innovative and effective and the other, repeatedly and proven.” Creating visible areas in the store and arranging products in a convenient manner would make the place to be less complicated and make consumers shop easily and more satisfactorily.

Better presentation, increased footfalls

Retailers can no longer treat visual merchandising as an add-on. Mr Gulati says, “ Designing takes into account the brand personality and brand theme, light and space configurations, robust fit-out system that facilitates ease of modularity and scalability while designing a retail outlet.”  Visual merchandising is an essential constituent of the business image. The style and colours convey what your brand stands for and what you want to communicate to the customer. Hence, layouts increases efficiency of putting across message of the brand conveyed through product and customer service. “Retail design is a very sensitive mix between human psychology, visual cues, and the science of effective planned display. Apart from this are the hard aspects like size of space, shape of space, frontage, location etc” says Mr Mukherjee.

Today’s intelligent shopper is a careful choice maker. So, the store design should respond to his wants and requirements. Mr Nagasubramanian opines, “The store layout should allow customers to easily move around the store while purchasing specific products”.

Another day for shopper’s paradise

With ample choices of stores available today, shoppers have become more selective; the catch lies, therefore, in getting a professionally designed retail outlet. Mr Mukherjee says “Designing a stand-alone is a little more difficult as it needs to be a destination unlike a mall where the footfalls are higher and the cost variation is also little more expensive in stand-alone because of its need to be designed from the scratch.” On the contrary, Mr Supreeth believes, “It is not so much a question of difficulty as much as it is about a different point of view. It is the browsing requirements of people but he too is of the same opinion in relation to the cost variations.”  For Mr Nagasubramanian, “ the cost variation is neither unilateral nor specific, the only area of differentiation is that the preparation of the retail spaces in mall is easier while stand-alone locations have to be made retail friendly first.”

Shopping is no longer about going to the next store in your neighbourhood or to an adjoining mall and buying the necessary bits and pieces, it’s more of a social event for all age groups and shoppers don't mind going an extra mile for the sake of enjoyment and delight. “The stand-alone, mall-based or a vendor-shop (shop in shop) has to be treated in its own special, distinctive way.  A single design format or approach will not work”, opines Mr Nagasubramanian. Retailers want to create less distracting environments for consumers so that they enjoy spending time shopping and buying what they want. According to the CEO, RAI, “The young designers should be conceptually sound, should be appealing to the customer, create value or experience for a dynamic experience.” Being in tune with the consumer who is on a shopping spree is what helps a retailer in becoming successful in the first place. It has become increasingly difficult for retailers to meet consumer needs as changing lifestyles, disposable income and many places to shop have given rise to increasingly complex consumer shopping preferences.

The smash hit factor

Novelty and friendliness allure consumers and tempt them to shopping till the hilt. Mr Gulati says, “Our USP is experience Design ™, the ability to create the complete DNA for a new or existing brand and strong creative skills tempered with the ability to create systems and processes that facilitate streamlined roll-outs”. The art of window dressing speaks a lot about the products displayed. It refers to sincerity and professionalism you have for your valued consumers. With the right kind of illumination, presentation, signage, you can always make customers come and purchase. “Tacit knowledge, good design and a desire to innovate, a thorough understanding of materials and processes to transform great ideas into reality is our USP,” says Mr Gulati. Retail outlet is the essence of your brand name for it brings out the exclusivity and uniqueness of the brand. It’s your ticket for getting recognition of consumers and attracting maximum footfalls and also for distinguishing your store from other stores.

Understanding the psyche of consumers is equally imperative. The challenge for the retailer is to establish a ‘label or mark’ to which a consumer relates and defines his attitude and preferences. This impression is created when the stores retain their distinctiveness and permanence with the help of changing ideas and consumer interaction. ‘Attending and engagement’ make the consumer feel special and wanted. The retailer is always in the pursuit of leaving an impact. There is a need for constant update of the store environment and presentation. The retail layout adds much to the efficiency of the employees and motivates them to keep up the standard of customer-oriented service in accordance with brand reputation. Many retail design firms have successfully created customised retail environments for particular local communities and audiences. Mr George Supreeth says, “Our ability to cross-pollinate between various skill sets allows us to provide truly innovative solutions and Integrated Experience Modeling is our USP.”

Name of the game is change

Usual and identical outlets in malls give a feeling of monotony to the customers. Customers are looking for ‘change’: they are ready to go an extra mile if the store assures value and their satisfaction. Mr Vedamani believes “Retail stores have their own identity; their design identity has been enhanced particularly with so many malls coming up. The scenario has slightly changed. Malls are becoming design oriented, and have created Value Addition to the outlets, the store environment has improved.” Regardless of the expenditure incurred, store design has become an inevitable activity for every retailer. Renovation of the store ensures interest of the retailer and keeps, at the same time, curiosity of consumers intact. Hence, money spent in creating ‘lively window display’ is always money spent well.

Retailers have to work hard to be relevant and up to date throughout the retail datebook and retail career. Being more design-literate, consumers are posing all together a great threat to retailers and prompt them to keep on changing and generating new ideas for maintaining and increasing sales. To an outlet, retail design firms provide ‘the much needed’ so as to enable it to get hold of the consumer and avail the greatest opportunity for brand publicity and building.

Retail design is an art in itself and shop fitting gives to this art a concrete shape and character. Fundamental ingredient being art, the concept of retail design involves architecture, innovation, points of difference, fun and entertainment and, of course, money too, which forms the bottom line. But, spending on store design is worth and makes the retail outlet special providing a sort of refuge to personal and professional stresses of the consumer. With accessibility of all varieties of products, the key factor lies in giving the consumer an experience beyond the typical ‘see and buy chore’. This experience comes first with the kind of store outlet, which includes the entire set up, and then, with the service offered by the staff of the outlet, irrespective of discounts and festive offers. All retailers eye on just one thing: end result of getting money from consumers, no matter whether the outlet is in mall or stand-alone or shop in shop.

The growth of retail design

Perfect knowledge of shop fitting demands an in-depth understanding of space, brand and budget and also careful attention to the minutest details of designing. With retail sector on its expansion spree, there is a tremendous growth in the design segment. Mr Vedamani says, “External or internal elements would lead to a very advanced design elements. In future, there will be many technical applications in retail design. Innovation in retail design area will be there.” Potential of retail design sector in the country is enormous. Mr Mukherjee says, “Probably the retail design would be the biggest industry after infrastructure. This will also be the largest foreign exchange earner and spinner in the future years, employment generator.” Science of human behaviour and technology have contributed new ideas and concepts in retail design and, therefore, their progress plays an important role and has an almost direct relationship with this art.