A successful commercial remodeling project should make the retail location look more attractive and welcoming, while also increasing efficiency and comfort for employees. If you are giving your retail space a facelift, consider the following tips to help you give your location a leg up on the competition.
Find a Reliable Contractor
Remodeling takes away from the time your store is open to customers, so it’s crucial to hire a contractor who meets deadlines. Additionally, look for commercial construction contractors that are licensed, bonded, and insured. Do not be afraid to ask a contractor to meet with you before you make a final hiring decision. If a contractor does not arrive to a preliminary meeting on time, you may have good clue about what working with him will be like.
Make a Great First Impression
First impressions are important, especially for retail stores. Aim for a look that intrigues and welcomes customers. To make your customers feel safe, create a layout that allows a visual scan of the entire store upon entrance. Further enhance the customer experience with shelving units that are not too tall, aisle spaces that are comfortably wide and merchandise that is beautifully arranged in a logical manner.
Use Light to Your Advantage
Lighting can create a certain mood and spotlight products you want to accentuate. Consider using low ambient light with track lights to point customers to featured merchandise. To create a relaxed mood while complementing products, build lights into shelves and custom cabinets.
Paint According to Your Goals
Different colors trigger different emotions. For example, the color orange makes most people feel cheerful. Paint your retail space in a color that will help you achieve your commercial goals.
If you own a bakery, it would be wise to choose the color red, which is known to make individuals feel hungry. Green is a color that can trigger emotions such as growth, health and hope–great for a location that promotes wellness or sells plants. The color blue promotes the feeling of love, tranquility, acceptance and understanding–perfect for a retail store that sells spa products or gifts. Yellow is known to boost a customer’s memory and can help them feel joyful, smart and organized–ideal for a store that sells stationery products or organization solutions. Use colors to produce emotions that complement your product line.
Remodel to Enhance Your Brand
Northwestern University professor of marketing Philip Kotler has written, “In some cases, the place, more specifically the atmosphere of the place, is more influential than the product itself in the purchasing decision.” In this way, retail remodeling can enhance your brand.
Retail space remodeling can be an intimidating process. However, as providers of Portland remodeling services, we here at Sitka Projects can say that retail owners who plan carefully achieve excellent remodeling results. Knowing your target audience and having a firm grasp on your goals for the customer experience are the first steps in making a mediocre retail space explode with life.