Which Layout Suits Your Retail Store Best? (2024)

If you are planning to open a new store or remodel your current one – you must consider your store layout seriously. Choosing the right layout design will help your customers shop easily in your store and boost your sales. The converse is also true. Selecting the wrong layout can lead to losing customers when they struggle to find the items. This causes your customers to dislike shopping at your store, and you end up losing sales.

There is no right or wrong way to lay out your store, but it is important to focus on your target segment, your shelf space, and the type of items you sell in order to design a layout that works for your business. Studies have shown that 90% of people naturally look left first, then right, as they enter a store. Customers also prefer to move right and walk anticlockwise around the store. So that leads to this question: which layout suits your store best? The answer depends on a few factors, including the products you sell and the shoppers you want to entice.

Importance of Customer Flow in Designing the Store Layout

Store space is another factor in deciding the layout design. Before we dive into the various types of store layouts, it is important to know the customer flow and how it can impact your sales. Customer flow is the buying patterns of shoppers coming into your store. You can monitor customer flow by analyzing sales data and analytical reports. It is vital to know about customer flow since it can help you understand flow patterns, frequently visited store locations or less frequently visited areas, and overall customer behavior. Understanding customer flow will help you create a visual merchandising planogram that works for the store. By analyzing which areas of the store are performing well and which need improvement, you can pinpoint whether the store layout design is helping you boost sales or resulting in lost sales. Once you set up the right layout, shoppers will visit your store more often, and your sales will increase. Let us discuss different store layouts, so you may choose the one that suits your store:

1. Grid layout: It is the most traditional design used by most supermarkets, pharmacies, and convenience stores. In a grid layout, merchandise is displayed in long aisles, with impulse buying items near the front and staple items at the back. If you ever wondered why milk is located at the end of a grocery store, it is because this design forces shoppers to walk past an assortment of impulse buying items, both on the way to and from the staple item they need. It provides exposure to items, as the layout encourages shoppers to browse multiple aisles. Grid layout planograms make your store look well organized and has an ambience of efficiency, which leads to customer familiarity.
2. Herringbone: If your store has a very long, narrow retail space, then herringbone layout is the one to consider. Small stores, libraries, and hardware stores use the herringbone layout to pack a tiny space full of wares. Some bookstores encourage shoppers to linger by setting up a comfortable chair at the end, where they can leaf through books before buying. This is best suited for stores with a lot of items on shelves, but minimal space. It provides visual appeal to your store and maximizes store space to drive sales.
3. Loop layout: The loop or racetrack store layout takes the grid’s traffic flows a step further and creates a closed loop to entice shoppers from the front of the store, past every merchandise, and then to the checkout counter. Shoppers are exposed to most merchandise, but the path they take is controlled. This will help create unique displays for your store by providing a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.
4. Free-flow layout: It is considered the simplest type of store layout you can design for your store. This will group your fixtures and merchandise into a free-flowing pattern to drive sales. While designing such a layout, you need to consider the customer behavior and buying patterns in mind. It creates more space between products and reduces the chances of shoppers bumping into one another. This allows customers to browse and wander freely in a store, and leads to increased impulse buying.

Overview of Nexgen POG

Nexgen POG is a robust and user-friendly cloud-based visual merchandising tool. It is designed for quick and efficient planogramming with minimal effort. Planogram in retail can be designed by easily dragging and dropping the products. The multi-device compatibility feature of POG allows you to obtain, share and edit planogram on any device, including your phone. It helps in designing store-specific planograms for increased product visibility and sales.