I’m going to show you how to apply branding and design principles in retail spaces. Then, designing the Brand Identity in Retail Spaces by Alina Wheeler discusses the design of retail spaces and how you can use them to drive sales.
Alina Wheeler is an experienced retail branding consultant with 15 years of experience in re-branding, creating interior designs for stores (small, large, or pop-up), and helping entrepreneurs start their businesses. Throughout her career, she has partnered with major international brands and small companies to produce results.
Her first book, “Creating the Brand Identity: Retail Spaces That Sell,” is all about retail branding and how you can use it to help improve sales for a business. This article will provide you with some lessons from her book titled Designing the Brand Identity in Retail Spaces.
1. Use retail design to build your brand identity
Retail space is the public face of your business. The first step in strengthening your brand image is to provide a retail space that communicates your identity. Remember, this includes both products and employees. You should always strive to help customers take away an impression of who you are as a brand, what makes you unique, and why you’re different from competitors.
Suppose your branding is consistent across every communication channel. In that case, the impression that you give in a retail space will be stronger, but if it’s not, visitors may have a hard time understanding what makes your business unique or who your target market is.
2. Reflect the personality of your brand
Your brand should feel like it’s “hanging out” in your retail space. Reflect your brand’s personality by using color schemes, materials, and textures that are natural to your business. Even though you’re designing a small retail space, you should consider elements as being used for a large store since you will scale the design down into an even smaller area. This will help customers feel like they’re walking into your brand’s living room, not a showroom.
If your brand is edgy, think of the type of person you want to attract and design a space that attracts people who fit that mold. You can do this by using colors and materials that express a certain point of view. For example, a more traditional brand might use earth tones, while a younger brand might opt for brighter colors or patterns.
3. Make your retail space look bigger than it is
Including visual tricks throughout the design of your retail space will help customers feel like they have enough room to move around and not be overwhelmed. To achieve this, you need to ensure that the sightlines are clear so customers can see as far as possible because creating a sense of openness will help to decrease anxiety.
You should also use spacing between products, walls, other objects in the space, and displays to create a feeling of spaciousness throughout your retail space. A crowded showroom can make people feel like they’re infringing on each other’s personal space and will help to increase anxiety levels. In addition, less clutter will ensure that customers don’t get overwhelmed or distracted when looking at your products.
4. Show off your products in the best light possible
When designing a retail space, it’s important to remember that products are the primary way customers will interact with your brand. Therefore, when designing a retail space, you need to clarify how products can be used, highlight critical features, and show off benefits associated with using your brand’s products.
You should also design each product so they work together as a family since customers might want to purchase several items at one time. This will help to ensure that they don’t leave empty-handed or with incompatible items.
Products should be presented so they’re easy for customers to access and use since it will increase the likelihood of people making purchases. Putting products on shelves can prevent customers from experiencing your brand’s atmosphere, so avoid this whenever possible.
5. Communicate your brand’s mission statement
Having a retail space that reflects your brand’s mission statement will help communicate what you stand for to customers. This is important because customers may have difficulty understanding how your business differs from competitors or why they should use your products instead of others without this information.
If you know exactly what fundamental components are associated with your business, you can incorporate them into the design of your retail space. For example, an eco-friendly brand might want to include cork floors and walls made of recycled materials, while a luxury brand would likely use high-quality fabrics that feel soft to touch.
6. Make room for inspiration by displaying inspiring items throughout your retail space
There’s nothing worse for your brand’s image than having a retail space that looks like it hasn’t been updated in years. Customers will go elsewhere if they don’t feel you’re committed to providing quality products and services.
You should design your retail space around items that inspire customers and help them envision using those products or interacting with your brand. You can do this by building a theme around your retail space, which will help tie the overall look together while making it clear what products are included in the design.
Additionally, you should ensure that each item reflects your brand’s philosophy and attitude since it will create an inviting atmosphere for customers. Incorporating items that inspire customers will help to enhance their overall experience.
7. Design the retail space for how customers are likely to shop
People are more likely to make purchases when they feel inspired, comfortable, and confident in the environment. By incorporating critical features into your retail space, you’ll be able to increase excitement levels among customers by creating a truly memorable atmosphere.
Inspiration is one way to encourage people to make purchases, but you should also consider leaving room for reflection and relaxation since it can increase sales. You can do this by dimming the lights and playing music that helps put customers at ease. In addition, creating a retail space where people feel at ease will help them view your products in a more positive light.
8. Focus on creating a cohesive look for your retail space
There’s a difference between designing a retail space and having something thrown together without much thought. Customers will be able to tell the difference between a well-thought-out design and one that’s been slapped together, which will negatively impact their overall experience.
You should have a clear vision for your retail space and how it ties into your brand’s sales or customer service strategies. This will ensure that everything is cohesive and works together to create the desired atmosphere within the space.
9. Design each product display with intent
You should try to communicate what you want from each product by displaying them in a particular order or arranging them according to size. Customers are more likely to make purchases when the products they need are nearby, so it’s essential to design your retail space accordingly.
When you take the time to create specific displays for your products, customers will be able to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily. On the other hand, if you don’t communicate the intent behind each product display, customers may become frustrated by what they see.