Shop Because of the Shop?
A few days ago I decided it was high time I treated myself with something new for the start of the summer, so I decided to visit a boutique that had caught my eye long before I had left for the UK. So, when I came back to Bulgaria, that was one of the first things I did.
Sounds like a typical walk around the shops with the girls but I left with two bags of clothes and then couldn’t help asking myself what is the thing that made me love the boutique so much and why didn’t I buy anything from the same brand online earlier?
Well, I really didn’t have to think long before I knew the answer. How could I ever want to leave this amazing, adventurous place, so far away from the real world? Who wouldn’t love to get lost among the ancient statues and shelves, full of lost treasures and memories, everything smelling like wood and rain?
As soon as I walked through the door, I felt like it was a portal to another world (yes, like Narnia, but not freezing and no Ice Queen trying to kill you). The light was dim and soft, the colours were all relaxing – brown, orange, green; there was even the fluffiest cat I had ever seen, sleeping on one of the couches. ‘Everything here is brought from Morocco, Egypt or Florence. There are a few rare ones’, explained the designer (who also happened to be dealing with customers from time to time), as I was curiously staring at two really old looking wooden boxes that were beautifully engraved and decorated with mother-of-pearl.
Places like this still exist and are just another proof of how much the design of a boutique actually matters to shoppers (according to recent researches even more than the product itself!). And it is not just the keen art lovers like me, but also your grumpy practical neighbour who bought these grim-looking waterproof trainers from the second hand shop down the road just because they were comfortable (and didn’t stop wearing them since).
According to recent studies the store environment is a key factor when it comes to decision-making. This includes whether customers will choose to come to your store, how long they will stay and whether and how much they will buy. And as you have probably already guessed, this goes far beyond the interior design, which is just 1/3 of the whole impression. The image of your shop is influenced by a number of factors, which can be divided into three groups.
Firstly, these are the design factors, including interior and exterior. Researchers advise that you carefully choose your colours because that will be the first thing to grab your customer’s attention. The best colours for the façade of your boutique are brighter ones like red, which stands out, and yellow, which is the first colour perceived by the retina. This will help you attract more visitors to your shop. For the interior you might want to take a completely different approach. Of course, colours are strongly dependent on your idea and style, but some of them (like blue and purple, for example) are more likely to stimulate customers to purchase, while others work rather relaxing. Setting of the boutique also proves to affect customer behaviour. If, for example, you choose it to be situated in a calm and green area, rather than on a busy urban street, that would help shoppers face a decision easier. Apart from that, another extremely important thing is to have a certain theme for your store, so you could be easily distinguished among the other boutiques. And although the theme is completely up to you, one thing is certain – the architecture and the interior should match, so that you can give a clear first impression of your product.
Then comes the ambient factor, which includes noise, odour, music, temperature and lighting. As some characteristics are easier to choose (the nice ambient scent cannot be questioned in any way), others are harder to decide on. Lighting, for instance, can change the whole impression of a store, and therefore should be carefully considered. All of the items should undoubtedly be well-lit but also think about the atmosphere – do you want to create a more relaxed feeling (by using non-uniform distribution of light) or maybe more visual clarity? Another background characteristic you should think about is music. It is proven that classical music works calming and will definitely make your customers feel laid-back but if that is not exactly the type of music you like or associate with the message of your store, you should also take into consideration the style of your boutique and your products. Another thing you have to decide on is whether the music will be background or foreground, both of which would have totally different effects.
The third factor, one of the most important ones, is the social environment. You want many customers coming to your shop at the same time (customers evaluate higher prices as more acceptable in high-social environment, true) but do you really (crowded spaces reduce pleasure)? For that you have to first decide on whether you want few loyal customers or more people coming to your store.
All of these decisions seem really hard to face, even if you are sure about what you want, but the result will definitely be worth it if you make the right choice. In my case? Well, next week I am going to my favourite place in the world to get some more things I spotted.
Image Sources: amsterdamadblog.com; blog.davidgiralphoto.com; dezeen.com; timeout.com
Web Sources: digitalcommons.iwu.edu; smallbusiness.chron.com; www.acrwebsite.org; www.entrepreneur.com; www.informedesign.org