Large Format Retail Store Design Ideas to Impress Your Customers and Clients

Retail customer experience surveys have revealed that while many shoppers enjoy online shopping, almost half prefer visiting a physical retail business. What’s more, if they have a positive experience, at least 90% will return to that business.

However, their in-store experience can count for a lot, and that’s where commercial interior fit-out experts like Zhoosh come in. If you don’t believe your current store design is attracting the walk-in traffic it’s capable of, consider these large format retail store design ideas below.

Design for Your Demographic

There’s no point in opting for a large retail store design that only you like and not your customers. Think about who you’re trying to attract.

For example, you might have no luck attracting teen shoppers with a dated, beige interior, but you might if you incorporate bold colours, cool signage, and a functional and fun layout.

Think about the colours, fonts, and elements that reflect your brand and shoppers during those early design stages with your chosen shop interior expert. For example, a large retail business offering eco-friendly and sustainable products might gain traction by incorporating natural materials and colours, as opposed to more artificial ones.

Introduce Technology

Many large retail stores have noticed a drop in foot traffic, which they can blame on a combination of things like the weather, increasing living costs, and the COVID-19 pandemic. However, those same businesses may have also been able to offset that drop in foot traffic with online sales.

Now, they face the complicated task of combining the two parts of their business to ensure both in-store and online customers enjoy the same convenient shopping experience. Fortunately, incorporating new technology into a bricks-and-mortar establishment doesn’t have to be a complicated undertaking.

You can introduce tech in many ways, such as self-checkouts for convenience, price check scanners, robots to take care of aisle messes quickly, and even QR codes for product information and giveaways. Some stores even develop apps to support the in-store shopping experience, which many NZ supermarkets have already done.

Promote Accessibility

Disabled people have the right to access all places, services, and information. With 14% of New Zealanders experiencing a physical impairment that limits their everyday activities, accessibility needs to be at the forefront of your new store design.

Even before you make sure your chosen colours and materials complement each other, work with interior experts to promote accessibility for all. This can involve creating wide entrances, clear routes of at least 1.2m to 1.5m around displays, and soft furnishings to dampen sounds for those with sensory issues.

Lowered counters, payment terminals no higher than 1.2m, and accessible dressing rooms with 1.5m of turning room can also be crucial. The more you prioritise accessibility, the easier you may find it to impress and accommodate your clients and customers.

Incorporate Home-Like Designs

Many of us came to enjoy the comforts of our homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. So much so that going back to the sterility of an office environment was a challenge for some.

There’s no reason why your large format retail store can’t mimic the comforts of home for a memorable shopping experience. Talk to your local interior renovation experts about the different elements you can include in your store to evoke feelings of warmth and welcome.

You might opt for hardwood flooring, comfortable furniture for people to enjoy while they wait, and artwork to add vibrancy and colour. If space and logistics allow, you may even decide to incorporate a coffee chain restaurant to encourage customers to hang around a little longer.

Install Natural Lighting

Lighting a large retail business can be challenging, especially when your talents lie in sales, not shop presentation. However, you can ensure your business has as much natural lighting as possible by working with commercial interior renovation experts.

Natural lighting can enhance product appeal and provide customers with an accurate representation of product colour, but artificial lighting can bridge the gap if your store lacks windows or can’t take full advantage of natural sunshine.

The best natural lighting effect can come from 4,000-4,500K bulbs, commonly used in dressing rooms and supermarkets.

Establish a Layout for Easy Navigation

Easy navigation can be crucial for enhancing the experiences of your customers and clients. If they feel cramped, crowded, or uncomfortable, they may not return. During the early design stage of your retail store fit-out, discuss wide aisles, natural flow for customer movements, a decompression zone, and the many potentially beneficial layout options.

Grid floor plans might be suitable for businesses with shelves stocked high with goods, while loop floor plans are generally preferred by specialty retail stores. You might also like the free-flowing layout of specialty and boutique stores or the diagonal floor plans for complete visibility.

Leave it to the Experts

Managing the design of a large format retail store can be daunting, especially if you can’t look past your current, dated business interior and imagine something even better. Interior design experts like Zhoosh can create professional and modern commercial interiors for small and large retail stores to take your business to the next level.

Consider these practical retail store design ideas above, and leave your complete fitout and construction project in the capable hands of Zhoosh.