Store fixtures are part of the retail world, and their design in store must make the good impression. Such elements hold products and also support the customer journey, impact purchases and constitute the brand’s identity. The rub: how do you get that significantly pitched between selling functionality and looking great, because the key here is when they work together, you have a design that owns the space and then you’re going to see something that is going to sell? This balance demands a level of both the creative and strategic, converting form and function into an environment that both looks good and earns money.
You see, aesthetic appeal in store fixtures is about seeking to create a visually appealing store fixture that entices customers in, that gets them curious to see what’s next, what’s down the aisle. To make matters worse, a well-designed store can create emotions, spark curiosity and even entice people to buy. How the products are set out in the retail displays also plays a huge role in how the store atmosphere is created. From color scheme to material choice to layout, every piece of the store could be making the shopping experience as good or bad as it is.
Store fixtures are beautiful because they can communicate a brand identity without being solely a signal or telling customer’s thing. For instance, a fashion boutique is of the high end variety will have sleek, minimal fixtures with clean lines and notes of glass and polished metal. This is to achieve a high end, exclusive atmosphere. For instance, a children’s toy store would choose such an attractive and lively display that as invites customers to get involved in the product, adds an element of fun.
With lighting, textures, colors, etc. included in retail displays, the visual appeal of the products is also increased which makes the products more attractive and wanting from customers. The product should have an eye to the fixtures overall look, promoting a sense of wholesomeness that brings together the whole and alludes the personality of the brand through a pleasant and warm environment.
Though aesthetics are crucial, sales functionality is the heart of store fixtures. How well these fixtures enable the shopping experience to make it easy for customers to browse, compare, and buy products is called functionality. Your retail displays should be designed to be convenient and easy to navigate: to help customers get what they want as quickly as possible, without feeling lost or overwhelmed in your store.
Correct store fixtures will lead the customer through the store, by way of directing the customer's attention to the most important products, making impulse buys and highlighting the items on promotion or featured products. With your displays put strategically into flow of traffic within the store, it can affect the how customers will pass through the aisle and linger in some sections of the store that display higher income and seasonal products.
Consider retail displays — these should be visually put together so that high demand products are at eye level so they can be seen. Promotional offers and on sale products can be positioned in more prominent locations, exemplified by near the entrance or the high traffic areas, to catch people’s eye to increase the sales. The shelving, display stands and hangers should be products suitable to hide and protect each other but still very practical in order to provide the maximum exploitation of the media and accessibility to each item.
Both sales functionality and aesthetics are necessary, but getting it all just right comes with some thoughtful design and, yes, a bit of planning. To fixate on aesthetics can mean store fixtures that appear impressive but are too difficult to access products or assist customers through the store. Functionality over aesthetics, on the other hand, and results in a sterile, uninviting space filled with an impersonal and uninspiring environment.
The trick is how to marry these two elements with the store design so that it both beautifies the picture and makes the experience of shopping. Such a balance is represented, for example, in a retail display — a display table that allows for easy viewing of the products presented at an angle, while incorporating the store’s branding in elegant materials such as wood or metal. It can also make use of clever lighting to make our products more attractive visually, as well as draw customers' attention to a particular item to guide them through the store.
In fact, many successful retail brands have found the act of balancing store fixture aesthetics with function. For example, Apple is known for its minimalist, sleek fixtures that show off its products in an organized, visual swoon. The company believes in using clean lines and open spaces and the philosophy behind this design is to create elegance along with ease of customers interacting with the products. Customers are free to roam the space for themselves while the retail displays are laid out to direct customers to the key products.
Take IKEA as another great example of a company that does the balance perfectly between having its stores looking attractive and allowing for sales functionality. The showroom spaces at IKEA use functional store fixtures that showcase products in home settings so IKEA customers can envision how products will be arranged in their own homes. They take a visual, as well as practical, approach to the fixtures, highlighting the ability of their product and how it allows the customer to pass through the store in a predetermined manner. Retail displays are keenly used by the brand to make customers experience the brand values of innovation, practicality and affordability.
The art and science of store fixtures is not about aesthetics or functionality alone, it's about finding balance, between each of those and an experience that is truly engaging and effective. Retailers who thoughtfully design their retail displays to strike that balance between sales functionality and aesthetic appeal can strengthen their stores’ visual impact, boost customer satisfaction and boost sales. If appropriately designed and planned, the right store fixtures can turn a supposedly dead space into an alive, attractive and compelling area emotionally targeted to customers.
