With online shopping eating into brick-and-mortar retail profits, shop owners are looking for ways to create in-store experiences that shoppers just can’t get from their laptops at home. And when customers shop in retail stores, they’re seeking more than just a way to purchase new products. They’re seeking a positive experience; one that makes them feel good about spending their hard-earned.
Your retail fitout is central to creating this positive experience.
The following fitout trends are changing customers’ experiences for the better. Consider how you might incorporate one or more of these trends into your shop in the coming year.
Natural Materials
While laminates and other man-made materials have been prominent in retail shops for many years (largely because they’re inexpensive and easy to maintain), natural materials are now taking centre stage.
Materials like timber, cork, wood and even felt are being used extensively in retail fitouts, and they lend a comfortable, airy ambience to shoppers’ experiences. These materials decrease formality and help shoppers to feel more comfortable.
Green Walls and Plant Installations
Shopping centres and office buildings have long had an antiseptic, corporate feel to them, and that’s why it’s so refreshing to see the trend of green walls and plant installations in retail shops.
Not only are plants eye-catching and attractive, but they also help people to feel calmer and more peaceful. Just think about that. If customers have had a long day of shopping and see that your shop has a peaceful, natural atmosphere, they’ll be drawn to come in and enjoy the ambience you’ve created.
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Green walls can be designed for all kinds of spaces, whether you need to fill a small space or create a dramatic statement. With an artificial green wall, you don’t have to worry about expensive and messy drip systems. You simply install the wall and then enjoy its always-on appeal.
Bold Colours
Graphic prints, vibrant paint colours, and bold furniture and structural fittings create a striking contrast with the natural materials and green walls we’re seeing in today’s retail fitout trends. As you consider colours for your next fitout, think about how they reflect, bolster or impact your brand. You don’t want to distract from the branding you’ve worked so hard to establish, but you do want to keep your interior fresh.
Another way to add bold colours to your retail space is to add bright signage or quotes on the walls. Choose one or two bold colours, and use them to accentuate the certain areas of your shop. Think about where you want to pull visitors’ eyes and attention, and use colour to direct them there.
Open Layouts
An open layout can do several things for your retail space. It can make it appear larger than it is, and it can help customers to easily find what they’re looking for.
Creating an open layout is an important trend for retail fitouts, and the results are impressive. As you work on a design for your new open layout, think about customers’ traffic patterns and how you want them to work their way through your store. Modular fixtures are especially useful for open layouts because you can use them to move and create seasonal displays, keeping the look of your shop fresh and up-to-date for regular shoppers.
As you can see, current retail fitout trends create a lot of opportunity for shop owners to improve their customers’ experiences and keep them coming back often. For more information about incorporating green walls into your fitout, contact us at Evergreen Walls.
