Renovating your high street shop is an important process, one that is fundamental to continued retail success. This is because, in the same way that customers come to expect innovation within products and services, they additionally expect the same from a retailer’s branding and interior design.
High street stores maintain and gain popularity from customers for both the utility and style that they bring to the area. If a shop falls behind, whether, with outdated branding or stagnant retail design, they will soon being to lose custom and support. As such, it is important that retailers incorporate redesigns and renovation into the life-cycle of their high street shops.
Plan Ahead
Renovations are often avoided due to the impact they can have upon sales, especially when the undertaking requires the closure of a department or entire store. While the benefits that arise from a shop renovation are likely to outweigh the potential impact on custom, it is important that retailers plan ahead and thoroughly.
Planning ahead ensures deadlines are clearly defined and that trusted suppliers and contractors are aware of the schedule, preventing unforeseen extensions and disruption.
Consider Quality
Even high-quality products are quickly undermined by ill-considered shop furniture and display assets, which is why renovations are essential for a store’s success. Not only can well-designed retail shelves and stand offs that support the impression a product makes upon customers but they can even elevate its quality and value through association.
Build Upon Feedback
Shop renovations aren’t solely a way for brands to reinvigorate their aesthetics. They also allow a retail space to improve its accessibility and functionality. Before engaging in a renovation, it is important to seek feedback from both staff and customers, seeking to gain insight into how the shop space is perceived.
It may be that certain areas of the shop are less frequented due to low visibility or that a checkout area is hard to find because of obstructing displays. These issues can, and should, be addressed when refitting a high street store.
Eliminate Risk
Shop spaces are not free from risk and both employees and customers should be kept safe when interacting with products. If there are outstanding issues that appear on a risk assessment, a renovation could be the ideal time to resolve them. Additionally, as new designs are installed and different retail furniture assets are introduced, risk assessments should be updated to ensure that stylish elements don’t compromise the safety of those inside the store.
Futureproofing
Renovations should not only consider the present but also the future. This means laying the foundations for future considerations, even if they do not yet exist. Modular design, for example, allows retailers to adapt their stores to various products and seasons, ensuring that spaces remain adaptable to future changes.
Alternatively, futureproofing can occur in the form of wiring and rethinking the technology supported by retail space. If a checkout area is to become mobile or gadgets are to be introduced to shop space, a store’s design should enable this early on so as to prevent the need to later undo construction work.
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