Keeping your customers is one of the most important things you can concentrate on; as a manager providing a service, you need to make sure your clients are in a comfortable environment, where they can feel free to make decisions and have discussions with your team. Nobody likes to buy if they feel pressured, and elements of the atmosphere can contribute to this psychological standpoint. Creating the perfect retail or commercial environment can seem like a bit of a conundrum though, how on Earth do you keep everyone happy? The answer? Cover the basics and thoroughly and adapt! Here’s our check list to get you started on the foundations of a great customer environment.
Layout
Spaciousness is a big issue in units up and down the country. We’re all about variety nowadays, and this tends to result in a floor design that attempts to cram in as much product as possible, which, whilst providing the customer with a bigger opportunity to find exactly what they’re looking for, it also creates a cramped and confined area that will essentially encourage them to leave. Make sure they have plenty of room to move and consider how many people it will take to make it look busy!
Atmosphere
This is accounted for by two main elements. First of all, the physical atmosphere. A hot and stuffy or cold and uncomfortable environment is one way to ensure nobody stays on your premises for long, and after a short while the discomfort will outweigh their necessity to be there. Keeping an appropriately air-conditioned atmosphere will ensure they don’t even register such elements whilst browsing and making decisions.
Secondly, the atmosphere perpetuated by the floor attendants. Getting this right can be tricky, but remember whilst you want to help all your customers, you don’t want to give the impression you merely want to sell something. Open conversations in a friendly and polite manner where the staff exude a want to be there will be a big win for your company as a whole!
Flooring
Your floor is one of the biggest single aspects of your commercial environment design, and aspects such as comfort, durability and colour will play a significant role in the instant visual your premises conjure. Providing such a wide surface area, choosing a colour too dark or too light for your commercial flooring could be a critical mistake, so make sure you think this through carefully. Of course, you’ll also want to make sure it’s durable and can stand the kind of foot fall you’ll be receiving. Nothing looks worse than a damaged floor in terms of presentation. Of course, we can help you here as well, as our range features a wide variety of types and colours and we’ve made sure they are robust and will last many years – as a Cambridge company, we only supply quality flooring.
Cover these basics and you’ll be well on your way to shop-floor success!