Trends in store layouts & design

Target’s store design philosophy

Some days ago, Target provided a behind-the-scenes look at its store design philosophy through the years on its website  , “A Bullseye View.”

Target’s current design, featuring bright lights, wide aisles and branded signage, stems from the Minnesota-based brand’s heritage. The aim has always been to make customers “feel euphoric and comfortable and ready to shop” every time they enter the store.

In 1975, the brand introduced the “racetrack” store prototype: one main aisle circling around the entire store, with additional aisles running through the center and the perimeters. This design allows for more space for product display.

“The racetrack layout prevails today,” said Nancy Devine, senior group manager at Store Planning and Design. “While department stores are typically laid out as a collection of shops, many of which may have distinctly different décor and may even be enclosed with walls, Target features a more open layout with broad sightlines for easy navigation.”

The layout is intended to make shopping a pleasant and consistent experience.

Within this broader design layout, Target has specifically focused on certain elements in each of its departments. For example, the beauty aisles are “trimmed with bright lighting, instantly drawing your eye towards each shelf.” Last year, Target introduced beauty advisors in select stores to help shoppers navigate the newly redesigned department.

By 1980, Target left the grocery business. Some years ago, some of its stores started to offer an expanded selection of fresh food again with the intention that customers could get more done in one store. The design of the fresh grocery area is usually distinguished from other departments, and it “strategically features wood surfaces for a more natural feel.

Sustainable store design

The expanding trend on sustainability, environmental responsibility and effective use of resources now extends beyond individuals into company policies and retail spaces. Sustainable design in the retail environment distinguishes that customers need to be engaged in new and different ways. In essence, sustainability needs to have an impact that goes beyond brands’ press releases.

When companies decide to make the shift into responsible sustainable design and the promotion of sustainable practices, they need to respect these new values and build a relationship with customers based on this. When deciding to “go green”, lightning, flooring, visual design, choice of suppliers, and basically everything else needs to be considered in terms of positive environmental impact.

Here are two examples of completely different companies that have opted for environmental designs for their stores:

As part of the redevelopment of the Austin airport site the H.E. Butt Grocery Company (H-E-B), a supermarket chain with more 350 stores throughout Texas, has invested in the first US store using an R290 hydrocarbon refrigeration system.

The store is registered for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification and Austin Energy Green Building certification. The sustainable store design incudes low flow toilets and faucets; refrigerated cases with shaded doors; computer adjusted LED lighting; reflective roofing material and solar panels. The store also offers covered bicycle parking and a community room.

In 2012, PUMA opened a sustainable store in India, the first one worldwide revolutionizing the concept of retail spaces globally.

“In keeping with our mission of becoming the most desirable and sustainable Sportlifestyle company, PUMA is happy to take this pioneering step forward for the retail industry,” said Franz Koch, CEO of PUMA. “Establishing a sustainable PUMA Store underlines our commitment to reduce CO2 emissions, energy, water and waste in PUMA offices, stores, warehouses and direct supplier factories by 2015.”

The building incorporates a host of innovative sustainability features to make the sustainable PUMA Store a one-of-a-kind retail experience. “We are pleased to be a pioneer in sustainability again with setting new standards for an environmentally-friendly and resource-saving store concept in one of India’s best shopping locations,” said Rajiv Mehta, Managing Director PUMA South Asia.

The retail space is one of the most significant expressions of a brand, which is why a store’s design and layout should always reflect the brand’s manifesto.

Sustainable store design and policies could also bring increasing understanding to people and inspire shoppers to make more sustainable lifestyle decisions.When companies understand what shoppers desire and expect from green and sustainable offerings, they are able to connect with their customers in more meaningful and long-lasting terms.

Stores for intangible products

AT&T has its roots in the invention of the device that would change the communications history of modern man. It is top-of-mind in telephone lines and smartphones. The corporate mission statement and vision of AT&T is all about connection, solutions, innovation, and doing all of it better than any other telecommunications, wireless, or entertainment company.

AT&T’s Michigan Avenue retail flagship store opened one year ago. But, how do you design a brick-and-mortar store for a company whose main product is intangible?

The store was designated as a flagship store because of its square footage (making it one of the largest), and the selection of products and interactive services offered. It was also built with sustainable building materials and interior design features energy efficient lighting and reclaimed wood.

“The brand is age-old but focused on evolution,” Lindsay Wadelton – Flagship Customer Experience Manager AT&T Mobility – told Digital Signage Today.“We’re not just the old phone company, but people didn’t know everything that AT&T was working on.”

Visitors to the store can learn about various apps in the Explorer Lounge, and in the Apps Bar, “app-tenders” serve up one-on-one and group demos which are also displayed on multiple video monitors on the Apps Wall. An 18-foot high Connect Wall shows interactive content and product information, visible to the entire store and passersby.

The Experience Platform helps shoppers test home security, entertainment, music and automobile products Smartphones, tablets, and mobile devices.

“The goal with this area was to have people walking away knowing something that they didn’t know before,” Wadelton said.

Wadelton explained that they also focused on the importance of the store employee. In any innovative project, enthusiasm from the store’s workers is key to create a truthful enriching experience inside stores.

Avoid getting lost inside stores

In-store navigation can have a deep impact on the customer experience and that is why this is almost always considered when defining store design and layout.For many years, the only “tool” available for retailers was the use of signs posted way up above the aisles naming general categories like beverages or personal care.

“Within expansive retail spaces, we hunt like the human animals we are for the elusive dish soap or vitamins or organic greens. In-store navigation can have a profound impact on the customer experience,” wrote Jeannie Walters of Customer Service Insights.

In the era of omnichannel shopping, creating in-store navigation that helps shoppers navigate stores more easily and intuitively becomes vital to bridge the gap between online navigation and in-store experience.

While Walters’ advice applies more to large retailers that carry a broad array of products, there are some tips for every retailer:

- Update signs: In an attempt to revamp signage, some retailers have added more detailed signs at the end of the aisles for shoppers. This helps them move through the store without stopping at each aisle to look up. Instead of listing “Beverages” for example, Target uses more distinct categories like “Juice” or “Sports Drinks.”

- Mobile Help: Many retailers have launched mobile apps to assist shoppers with in-store navigation. Home Depot launched a significant mobile redesign, adding user localization which allows users to access real-time inventory, pricing and aisle location for any given store, and more. Pros and Contractors, one of the store’s main audiences, want to get in and out of the store quickly and the company surely understands the impact of its mobile website on its physical stores. Thus, visits originating from a mobile phone tripled in one year.

- In-Store Guidance: Some retailers could focus on specific audiences and offer a map showcasing a targeted shopping list of products around the store. For example, Babies R Us receives expectant mothers with a list of “what you’ll need” complete with aisle numbers to personalize their shopping experience.

Lauren Shanley, from the SAP Graduate Academy, explained that Millennials do not want to buy groceries from a list; they want to be guided “through the entire process of making the delicious meal their best friend just posted to their timeline.”

Apple trademarks its layout

Nothing speaks more clearly about the importance of a proficient layout that trying to protect it by law! That is what Apple did. The process begun some years ago but this January, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple’s request for trademarks on the minimalist design and layout of its retail outlets.

It might have been triggered by the number of fake Apple Stores popping up in China and other countries over the past few years. Probably, these new trademarks will aid the company take them down more effectively. Several large companies have implied they were planning makeovers in Apple-like fashion, including Verizon and Best Buy. After all, Apple has spent years perfecting the look and feel of its retail shops, with their iconic large glass windows, clutter-free product tables and walls of accessories.

Apple has 396 Stores, 150 outside of the United States. Each of them receives 23,000 weekly visitors on average and earns $3,017 in sales per square foot—more than any other US retailer.

The description of the trademarks includes “a clear glass storefront surrounded by a paneled facade” and, within the store, the rectangular tables arranged in a line in the middle of the store parallel to the walls and extending from the storefront to the back of the store. In the certificate of registration, individual features are not claimed but the placement of the various items is what Apple claims to be part of the overall mark.

Interestingly, this trademark proves that architectural layout can be perceived as a form of intellectual property and thus it can be possessed and branded.

It is clear that the retail leaders are making an extra effort in personalizing and creating and testing strategies regarding store layout and design as an attempt to create engagement and build unique shopping experiences for their shoppers.

Source: Shopperception (http://goo.gl/0kZg7G)