Retail design is a balancing act between style and functionality. On one hand, a great deal of effort, even study, is enacted to ensure that the layout and furniture of a store are composed in a way that is conducive to both customer satisfaction and store profits. This is because design elements of a retail venue can support or inhibit a customer’s spend. On the other, is the often lesser considered curation of aesthetics.

While most retailers will claim to place due effort toward making a store appear stylistically pleasing, there is often an apprehension too. This is because there is a perception of low return, one that does not justify investing a greater spend on design because a basic level of appeal will suffice. This, however, is a fallacy. Many stores would do well to scrutinise and invest in their store’s retail design because there are a number of benefits that come with having an impressive storefront. 

Expression Of Quality

When advertising a product, a brand will seek to ensure that it is portrayed with appropriate quality. What is often neglected, however, is that a retail store is also an advertisement that continuously reaches shoppers on the high street.

As such, a store’s interior should exemplify the intended quality of a product. Apple, for example, ensures that their shop counters and display tables are sleek and clean, matching the minimal design and understated appeal of their products. If, for example, Apple products were removed from the store, a customer would still be able to gauge a sense of the brand’s quality and design solely from the retail furniture.

Local Representation

Shop fittings and retail designs also have the potential to send a message, communicating the messages a brand seeks to share. One way such design considerations can be utilised to attract more customers is to represent local interests. 

By embracing the themes of a local area or collaborating with local businesses and designers, a store is able to have both an appealing store while also reaching out to the local community with a demonstrated interest in regional culture. This can also be achieved simply by utilising certain paint colours, displaying products upon regionally sourced materials, or even incorporating local visual elements and landmarks into a store’s interior.

Experiential Spaces

Beyond a functional and appealing storefront, retailers can create spaces that attract customers with an experience. At its most basic, experiential design can be an impressive or immersive backdrop that customers can use to take photographs of themselves or products. This simple store design feature encourages the tagging and sharing of a shop’s interior and location, leading to effortless social media advertising. 

At its most advanced, stores can create immersive events and interiors that attract customers beyond the products themselves. As many retailers seek to merge their operations with online sales, experiential design within brick and mortar stores seems to be gaining traction, since stores are able to alleviate themselves of certain furniture and assets then allowing for the presence of aesthetics and pop-ups.