In my last blog, I left people on a little bit of a cliff hanger . . . announcing that retailers need to take new measures by rearranging floor patterns in view of the pandemic. Creating environments that feel safe is setting precedence in visual design. It can be distressing to contemplate how to maximize sales with less space with a shortened shopping window for our customers. I assure you; we can take this predicament and not only create a better buying experience, but also be wiser for our effort.
The number one issue that retailers struggled with pre-pandemic was not having enough space. Regardless of the square footage the complaint is real. Given the new social rules, that concern has been amplified. In reality however, it is a great opportunity to learn some simple principles of design and maximize space visually so more product is seen.
Creating tighter, more concise displays, enables retailers to systematically direct a consumer’s eye from one presentation to another. The less noise, the more control over a customer’s sight pattern. Our eyes deliberately scan and capture prevalent differentiations. We are designed for survival and trained to see the tiger amongst the trees. When a store is congested without calculated spaces, a consumer walks in and sees a forest versus seeing the tiger. By tightening displays a retailer draws a customer’s attention through separation which more clearly features their message. The power in compressing our presentations into digestible segments equals greater sales.