ARTYSMITH2: WORKSHOPS - SHOPS THAT WORK

Love it or hate it, Marmite Pop-Up Shop

‘Build and operate a retail environment that fits the shopper and you’ve created a successful store.’ Paco Underhill

This is one of my favourite quotes but to get this to work retailers need to understand exactly who their customers are and then, what they must deliver within their retail offer to meet their customers’ needs.

It sounds simple enough but it’s surprising how many shops get this wrong, particularly small shops. Shops need to be shoppable. Understanding the customer base is one thing, getting the right products and services in place are another but then it basically comes down to making the shop easy to shop and a comfortable place to be too! Supermarkets do it really well!

For example, if you’ve got an older customer base you need to keep things at an optimum height (above the knees), they need good lighting, signage and price labelling needs to be consistent and easy to read, remember after 50 our eyesight deteriorates. On the other hand if you’re selling children’s toys then you need to lower your stock to engage the children. All parents know that children have superhuman powers when it comes to persuading a parent to buy something, but don’t forget that the grandparents may be your biggest customers so your shop layout will need to cater for them too!

In general terms to make your shop shoppable products need to be easily accessible, not too high or too low, best sellers need to be in your best selling spaces (hot-spots) and be given priority positioning on the shop shelves, preferably just below eyelevel. It’s always a good idea, even with a small shop to create zones or product drops so you can respond to customer traffic flow. Ninety percent of your customers will always do the same thing, walk in the same direction, stop in the same place, browse and pick up in the same area. A few weeks observing your customers actions from the moment they enter the shop to when they leave will soon help you build up a clear pattern of their behaviour. This should inform your shop layout and merchandising plan so you can optimise sales.

If you can make your shop space work without your sales team imagine what happens when you add in the human element and deliver absolute best customer service – bingo! How hard is your shop working for you?