How "shoppable" is your store? Does your customers spend time browsing in the aisles or are are they in and out in a flash with their purchase? Or perhaps no purchase at all? The goal of a good floor plan is to direct traffic flow through the farthest reaches of your store. The more time the customer spends in your store, the more exposure the customer has to the merchandise for sale. The more exposure to the merchandise, the greater propensity to buy.
Traffic flow patterns and sharp merchandising are elements that you can control by careful placement of your store fixtures and merchandise categories. Utilizing all the linear footage of selling space available and placing high demand categories of merchandise in the far corners of the store will drive. customer penetration in your store. Creating power departments with visually interesting fixtures, endcaps, displays, and merchandise mix will expose the customer to new buying opportunites for a longer period of time.
But good fixturing and merchandising is not about throwing up fixtures and slapping merchandise on shelves to fill up space. There is a reason for every fixture and display element in the store. Two popular traffic flow patterns used in hardlines store fixturing is the Race Track and Power Aisle approach.
The race track utilizes an wide square or oval " race track " aisle around the store with departments and aisles branching off the race track to the perimeter. The race track aisle is designed for two way traffic flow and exposes your customer to more end-caps , 4-way displays, and Pp-o-p promotions than they would be if they walked staight to the merchandise from the front door. Inside of the race track should be prominent higher margin departments or categories of merchandise.
The power aisle approach, utilizes a main aisle approach utilizes a wide main aisle front to back of the store with departments branching off. This layout works well with a "X" pattern of two intsecting power aisle with the branch aisle coming off the power aisle at a diagonal. The endcaps feature prominent promotions or displays of high margin goods.
Department branch aisles should not be longer than 12ft to 24 ft with end caps at each end and should lead to the perimeter aisle or another power aisle or race track.
Planning for a new store or remodel? I can assist your with the process from space planning, fixturing, and installation. Call Joseph Solinsky @ 410.494.4598 to schedule an an appointment. My e-mail address is joseph.solinsky@indoff.com.