Commercial shop fitouts can be one of your largest expenses, so any mistakes can be costly and long term.
Many business owners consider their interior design refurbishments to be an expense, but if done correctly, they are an investment in your business’s growth and continued success.
Poorly orchestrated commercial shop fitouts can easily turn customers away, so it is essential that you find the best interior projects specialists to manage your next fit out. At Liteco Projects, we have seen numerous, costly mistakes made by unaware business owners that have led to rapid customer drop offs and reduced profits.
To ensure that you don’t make these same mistakes, you need to be aware of the problems that can cost you a lot of money and which will turn your positive ROI into a dismal failure.
So here are 5 of the most common problems made by well-meaning, but uninformed business owners in commercial shop fitouts.
1. Poor layouts
The golden rule of commercial shop fitouts is to have a clear layout that optimises the customer’s shopping experience and exposes them to your best selling products. A meandering maze with inadequate signage, narrow walk ways and poor navigation is an issue you need to avoid at all costs.
2. Inadequate lighting
Whether you are selling books, clothes or jewellery, poor lighting is guaranteed to turn customers away. As interior projects specialists we know you need to provide sufficient lighting so that your customers can easily see your products, read your materials and feel that your store is light and airy. A closed in dark interior, is not the way to enhance a buyer’s shopping experience, not unless you are a nightclub!
3. Small POS counters
One of the biggest problems in many commercial shop fitouts is that their check-out counters are too small. Customers need room to place their handbag or other purchases on the counter safely and within reach, while they are making their current purchases in your store. Experienced interior projects specialists will also tell you that you need space for displays of impulse purchases to increase your profits as well.
4. Blank walls
Whilst we all need some visual relief now and again, new commercial shop fitouts that leave walls blank are leaving money on the table. Wall spaces are the ideal place for shelves, hanging racks, branding, graphics, signage and even complementary artworks, depending on your merchandise and customer base. A modern and up-to-date interior design has a subtle mix of white wall space and usable space, optimising the buyer’s experience, while not overpowering them from a visual point of view.
5. Lack of speed bumps
These are the points in the shopper’s experience where they can pause and engage with your brand. In commercial shop fitouts, speed bumps are visual breaks that relieve the monotony of rows of clothes, books or shoes for example, and allow your customers to examine a branded display, a group of complementary gifts or a seasonal display. Visual breaks are vital to enhancing your customer’s shopping experience and are one of the most forgotten strategies of marketing.
