Store Appearance
Definition
The appearance of both the inside and outside of the store.
What is it?
Store appearance includes overall look, organization, and cleanliness of the store.
Why is it important?
Aesthetics can be essential to the overall customer experience. How the store looks, how easily items can be found, and how clean the store is all impact the customer shopping experience. It also impacts employees and how much pride they take in their work.
Suggestions for Improvement
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Get Out of the Office
If you want to make sure your store is both appealing to and easily shopped by customers, you need to be on the floor regularly. Walk around and “shop” in your own store. Pay attention to what might be difficult to find or awkwardly placed. And while you’re out there, ask your customers what they think and what they’d like to see.
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Make Cleanliness a Priority
Nothing will turn off a customer more than walking into a dirty or unorganized store. Be sure that schedules are put into place for regular cleaning of the store and that employees are trained to organize throughout the day. Learn to love the phrase “If you have time to lean, you have time to clean”.
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Read the Research
Visual merchandising and interior design are sciences. There is an entire literature on what physical layouts are the most functional and what types of displays encourage the most shopping. Read up on what the latest studies show to help keep your store and your displays on the cutting edge.
Books to Read
Websites to Visit
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