According to Science Direct, everything from a store’s condition to its staff’s behaviour and its layout play a role in customer satisfaction. However, the atmosphere in your retail store should perform on a more subconscious level, allowing your products to take center stage without disrupting the customer’s experience.
So what can you do to make sure that your store effortlessly conveys a welcoming atmosphere?
Keep reading to discover our five top tips for creating an appealing store atmosphere.
1. Keep it clean and organised
One way to instantly distract your customers from a spending state of mind is to leave your store in disarray. Merchandise should be orderly and organized logically. Clutter should be kept to a minimum (unless, of course, you manage an antique store and that’s the vibe and character you want to give off).
Hire a maintenance crew or have staff perform routine cleaning tasks of dusting and sweeping the floors. Keeping a clean house, so to speak, makes customers aware that products are being taken care of and that inventory is moving.
2. Use Mood Lighting
According to CBMC Lighting Solutions, who designs and installs lighting for Saks Fifth Avenue, a little mood lighting goes a long way – right down to the color temperature of the bulbs.
A warmer, yellow incandescent lighting can be inviting and comforting to customers. It gives off a more nostalgic feel. A cooler, blue-hued light will give off a modern vibe, making customers feel alert. Additionally, tighter store floor plans can feel more spacious if you use cooler lighting.
In the same vein, the installed fixtures and hardware also play an important role. Minimal and contemporary track lighting comes across much more differently than a chandelier adorned in dripping crystals.
3. Use Color Psychology
There’s more to choosing a colour palette than meets the eye. Color psychology has been researched and confirmed for quite some time now. And it’s no surprise it plays a major role in creating store atmospheres conducive to purchasing and customer loyalty. Your colour scheme can heavily influence customers, encouraging them to buy or even become hungry. The col0ur blue evokes trust and loyalty and increases customer return rate by 15 percent.
Dark, moody colors may not work in a store that sells baby cribs and toys. But they work perfectly for a store that sells men’s apparel and fashion. Use colour psychology to consider your flooring as well as your walls, fittings and fixtures. Darker floors create a masculine, rustic and moody vibe, whereas a lighter floor color gives a cleaner, cheerful look.
Again, one is not better over the other. It depends on your clientele. Retailers can install any number of patterns and designs, with a vast array of flooring types available on the market.
But there’s more to flooring than wood. Today, retailers have the option of luxury vinyl planks and tiles made to resemble hardwoods, and there are even linen-like and concrete textures available. Many luxury vinyl tiles are appropriate for light commercial settings and even include bright-colored tiles.
4. Use All Five Senses
It’s not just about a visually-striking store, and a savvy store owner will not ignore the other senses. For retailers, it’s important to rely on each of the five senses to allure and entice customers, including smell, hearing, taste and touch.
Take Anthropologie in the US, for example. Before the doors open, staff burn incense, wafting an inviting aroma throughout the store. Retailers can also engage customers through the music they stream.
For a brick and mortar store, touch is especially important to the shopping experience. According to Forbes, there are several advantages to be had by optimising your customers tactile experiences. The ‘endowment effect’ is a psychological effect where customers are more prone to purchase an item that they have touched. This gives brick-and-mortar shops an advantage over online retailers.
At the end of the day, aim to create a multi-sensory shopping experience that appeals to your customers on multiple levels. Just be sure to be subtle in your endeavours. You don’t want your store’s music, decor, lighting or smell to repel customers.
5. Remember Your Target Audience
With all of these tips in mind, it’s important to focus on your target clientele and attract the right shoppers. For instance, it’s difficult to attract Baby Boomers to a store that plays indie music. Similarly, it would be hard to pull millennials into a department store featuring designer brands in the window display.
If you’re a business owner opening a store, remember that your customers will not only appreciate how a space feels, but will actually change their purchasing habits accordingly.
If you aim to attract new customers to your store, it’s important to consider how it looks from their perspective. Creating the right ambiance in your store will help you create the perfect journey for your customers.
Make Your Store Appealing with Retail Atmospherics
Retail atmospherics go a long way in providing the ultimate customer experience. And this rings true especially in a world where eCommerce shops exist, vying for customers’ attention in the comfort of their own home.
When customers do find themselves passing by your brick and mortar store, creating an appealing store atmosphere could be the ticket you need to draw them inside and convert them into a loyal customer.
“The opinions expressed by BizWitty Contributors are their own, not those of BizCover and should not be relied upon in place of appropriate professional advice. Please read our full disclaimer."
