Retail shopping experience is not so much about the space—it's about the mood it creates!
A physical store is an opportunity not just to display products but to engage and enthrall shoppers with an unforgettable brand experience.
So, how do you design a multi-faceted retail shopping experience in your store?
Designing your retail space with the customer in mind is vital. Visual merchandisers can use several well-studied principles of retail store design and layout to create a winning in-store shopping experience.
But when it comes to store ambiance, lighting is the most important element that controls the mood of your retail space.
In this article, we'll delve deeper into how to harmonize store layout and lighting to create a conducive retail shopping experience. We'll discuss The Look Company's visual engagement solutions, especially our custom lightbox solutions for every type of retail space or display.
Here's what we cover:
The impact of store layout on shopping behavior
How lighting impacts customers' moods and perceptions of the brand
How to integrate TLC's lightbox solutions into the overall store design
Understanding the Impact of Store Layout
An effective store layout guides customers through the shop floor, ensuring maximum exposure to featured products and key promotions.
For example, Ikea's racetrack-style retail shop design layout guides customers through the entire store, exposing them to many categories of merchandise before leading them to the checkout area.
For some categories of retail stores, like supermarkets, an intuitive layout works best. Take customers down the route they would most prefer. Strategically placed wayfinding signs are crucial to lead customers through various store sections.
Designing spaces where customers can rest or take a break is just as important. After all, you want them to spend more time within your store and continue browsing after a brief break rather than exit and make their way to the next-door coffee shop!
A positive, comfortable and accessible store layout is likely to dictate whether a customer will return to your store or recommend it to others.
PRO TIP: Ultimately, customers look for convenience. They don't want to waste time and energy going around in circles. So remember to review the arrangement of aisles, displays, and store sections to make them customer-friendly. A practical store layout is more powerful than a clever one!
The Look Company's seasoned experts guide you in designing and planning your in-store visual engagement solutions to craft the best retail shopping experience for your customers.
The Role of Lighting in Creating an Engaging Atmosphere
Elements like retail shop lighting, in-store graphic imagery, and multisensory elements like color, scent, and music are known and acknowledged to evoke an emotional response from shoppers and influence their buying decisions.
Lighting, in particular, is a crucial element in retail store design. Visual merchandisers use different lighting techniques to subtly change the mood within various store sections.
For example:
Dim lighting creates a cozy, intimate atmosphere ideal for a bedroom furniture section. In contrast, bright lighting has a stimulating effect, draws attention to highlighted products, and alerts shoppers to last-minute deals or sale price tags.
Warm-toned lighting creates an inviting and enthusiastic ambiance, encouraging shoppers to spend more time in the store. Cool tones convey efficiency and quality that is incredibly effective for electronics and gadgets.
Visual merchandising in retail can leverage different light techniques, such as ambient lighting, accent lighting, or backlighting, to showcase merchandise effectively and create a psychological impact on consumer behavior. Numerous studies show how effective lighting can create drama and ambiance, extend dwell times and enrich the shopping experience.
Backlit signage using LED-powered lightboxes can be used to engage viewers. Lightboxes can also be placed alongside non-lit signage and merchandise to drive engagement. They also complement existing in-store lighting.
By lighting up your retail environment with strategically placed backlit images, you can evoke a specific emotion or trigger a mood that aligns with the brand story.
Add lightboxes to your window displays to draw in passersby.
Add lightboxes to endcaps to appeal to the casual browser:
Use ceiling hung to attract shoppers toward featured product displays or to highlight special promotion areas.
Integrate lightboxes into your existing product display fixtures to highlight brands and products.
TLC's fabric lightboxes are available in a wide range of sizes to meet every need, from space-saving slim designs to seamless corner lightboxes.
Harmonizing Store Layout and Lighting
Efficient store layouts and well-thought-out lighting can significantly enhance the in-store experience and influence purchasing decisions.
Here's how you can use store layout design and lighting to create a cohesive and immersive shopping experience:
You can harmonize your store layout and lighting to create a focal point that directs shoppers' attention toward a featured brand or special promotion. For example, greet shoppers with a power wall soon after they enter your store and use accent lighting and fabric lightboxes to highlight the featured products or brands. Choose from our custom lightboxes, such as corner or ceiling-hung lightboxes for maximum exposure.
Use store design and layout to create aisle arrangements that allow you to put up attractive displays for product placement. Use lighting to create visual appeal and lead the eye to specific product displays or brands. Endcap lightboxes can be a very effective tool here.
Learn more: Discover our full range of lightbox solutions in our Lightbox Guide, and get started adding lightboxes to your in-store brand experience!
TLC: Creating the Perfect Retail Shopping Experience
As we've seen, store layout and lighting can together create a psychological impact on shoppers.
Lighting influences customers' moods and perceptions of the brand or its products. The layout, on the other hand, creates the right space or environment that is conducive to making purchase decisions.
How do you prepare your store for the future of retail shopping experience and stay ahead of the curve?
Future store designs will likely be more harmonized with intelligent lighting solutions. Visual merchandisers are already prioritizing store layout and lighting to create an exceptional retail shopping experience.
At TLC, we understand the need for continuous adaptation and innovation in retail spaces. We constantly strive to meet evolving customer expectations and stay ahead in this dynamic landscape with industry-leading visual engagement solutions for retail.
Talk to The Look Company today to elevate the retail shopping experience for your customers and positively impact their buying decisions.