Why an appealing storefront is key to winning back customers
While local high streets once teemed with big name brands, successful independent shops, and numerous customers looking for a bargain, the business and finance pages tell a different story about modern shopping habits; the high street as we know it is foundering, driven into the ground by trendy shopping malls, out-of-town precincts and the phenomenal rise of online shopping.
Although online shopping is easy and convenient, bricks and mortar stores are an integral part of a local high street’s success and the wider community usually suffers because of their decline. The lure of e-commerce and its promise of maximum exposure are often hard to resist, but many shop owners remain undeterred. Indeed, the right storefront is often all it takes to win customers back and to inspire them by proving there’s still life in the old high street.
The importance of an appealing storefront
We are, by nature, visual beings, often shopping with our eyes as much as we do by necessity. Those that do find themselves perusing the high street shops may think they know what they’re looking for, but will subconsciously be taking note of the storefronts they find the most attractive and the businesses they’re therefore enticed to visit. It will come as no surprise, then, that desperate times call for competitive measures.
Branding and visual merchandising are powerful weapons in any shop owner’s arsenal, and offer businesses an opportunity to exert a little creativity, and win over legions of new customers in the process. The right storefront is absolutely vital to this uphill battle; storefronts allow businesses to show off their very best sides and to demonstrate what it is they offer before a customer has had to set foot inside the premises. There’s an old saying that you never get a second chance to make a first impression and an appealing storefront is a shop’s best way of making such a mark on customers. What is your storefront saying about your business, its brand, and its chances of success?
Give your storefront a little TLC
The most important thing you can do for your shop is to care for it and to prove to customers that you’re invested in its success. After all, how can you expect a customer to part with their hard-earned money if you’ve put less than a little thought into your store’s presentation? Now is the time to give your storefront a makeover and to pay attention to all of those jobs you said you’d do and haven’t got around to doing. Apply a fresh layer of paint to cracked and dull frames and sills, take a moment each morning to clean smudges from the windows and repair the fixtures and fittings that may have started to show their age. Gutters and drains, and woodwork are particularly quick to age unless you take the time to maintain their appearance. If you’re looking to make an impact on the high street you may wish to install new doors and windows completely, turning to a company such as All Emergency Services to provide modern, sleek shop front installations that will turn heads for the right reasons.
Understand your customers
Once you’ve completed a little general maintenance and housekeeping, it’s time to think more carefully about your customers and the reasons they may choose to shop with you. What does your store sell? How do your customers shop? When are they most likely to visit you? It’s vital that you understand your customers’ interests, behaviours, and expectations so that you can make your storefront and customer shopping experience, more appealing. This kind of research will help you to establish the tone of your shop, and enable you to think more clearly about your displays and visual merchandising. Understanding your customers will also help you to see where you fit in amongst the other shops on the high street, and your wider community. How can you aid your high street’s resurgence?
Concentrate on visual merchandising
Visual merchandising is about showing off your products and enticing customers to enter your store and part with their money: the way you choose to decorate your storefront and window display can have a huge impact upon your financial success. Think carefully about your concept before making a start, deciding on a theme, colour scheme, and lighting arrangement that will make the most of everything you have to offer. Now select a focal point, and the items that best represent your business. Don’t choose all of your best products, though; you’ll need to leave a few surprises for the shop. Visual merchandising is your opportunity to introduce and maintain your brand, and to establish its values and aesthetics via perfect product placement. They say that variety is the spice of life, and that’s certainly true for window displays. Choose seasonal displays, or those reflecting a topical theme, and mix things up every few weeks to keep customers interested and engaged.
Don’t be afraid to decorate
Don’t be afraid to give you storefront a little personality, particularly if you’re known for being a quirky or characterful local business; storefronts, signage and shop layout say a lot about the kind of service that customers are likely to receive and their likelihood of returning. Choose decorations appropriate for your business, such as hanging baskets, window boxes, or accessories that reflect the kind of shop you have. Signs are another great way to extend your branding out onto the pavement beyond your shop door. If your sign is particularly clever or witty, it may make its way onto social media as a form of free marketing for your store. Finally, think about curb appeal; is your shop pleasing to the eye? Is your storefront clean and free from clutter? Take a moment each morning to sweep the street in front of your store, and pay attention to any flowers or plants you may have. Such housekeeping takes mere moments, but could be the difference between a customer stopping to look, or walking by with their head held low.
Make the most of what you have
It is understood that you need to make the most of what you have and to use space cleverly, and wisely. If your shop is particularly tall and narrow, choose vertical displays in your shop window to demonstrate the adaptability of the space. If you’re blessed with a wide, sprawling storefront, use larger shelves with plenty of room to prevent items becoming bunched together. What do you want customers to see when they look through your window? Do you want their interest piqued by your display, or to tempt them with the treasures that lie beyond the window? Use bright colours, sophisticated lighting and a good selection of your products to really show off what you can do. However, you must think about the aesthetics of the high street; upholding tradition and working with the architecture of the local area is vital if you’re to succeed in your community.
Designing an appealing storefront is a creative challenge to be embraced. How can you expect customers to be inspired by your products if you’re not dedicating time and energy towards the appearance of your shop? Indeed, the opportunity to redesign your storefront is a chance to embrace your business’s potential, and to reinvigorate its presence on the high street. Have you ever noticed that pride in our local community is infectious? Those willing, and able to show off their talents, products, and services are often at the helm of high street regeneration, in a way that many big names and brands just haven’t been able to master. Are you willing and able to give your storefront your all?
