We spend a lot of money on shopfits. How can we ensure that stores are designed so that we get a good return on this investment?
Mark Fanthorpe, owner of design agency Umbrella, advises retailers to think with their head as well as their heart at every stage of the design process. This means being clear about what will make a difference to the way customers feel about your products.
“Your goal is to build an environment that your target customer will feel good in and helps to tell the story of the product. Get this right and you will produce a positive commercial response.”
He says the Apple store is a wonderful example of this: “This is a shop that knows the emotion it wants to create and the story it wants to tell. The store produces the wonder of an art gallery. Apple makes products on a massive scale, yet you walk out feeling as if you have purchased something special and unique to you.”
However, Fanthorpe advises: “Don’t be seduced by the creative elements of your business or by the designers you employ to develop them for you. There is nothing wrong with creativity as long as it is controlled by profitability. Retail design is a function of business, it’s not fine art,” he points out.
He adds: “You don’t have to spend a fortune to get great results. Have a view of where you want to be in five years time; how many stores, staff and product lines. Know where you are going so that you can budget each step effectively. You don’t want to finish your shopfit to find you don’t have money left for the next stage.”
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