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The past year has dramatically changed the way people buy and shop, especially when visiting store locations. The pandemic pushed the retail industry to the limit, forcing most doors to close. Those that could stay open and those who have reopened since initial lockdowns have had to adapt quickly to the needs of customers and colleagues.
Outside and inside retail locations have had to be carefully thought out by staff to ensure that social distancing can be managed while continuing to offer customers a good shopping experience.
In March 2021, design:retail published the results of a survey in which they asked retailers about how things had changed for them over the past year since the pandemic began. The results show that store design is more important than ever before. Let’s take a closer look at the results and what you can conclude as a retailer.
Understandably, store design is generally considered more important than it ever has been before. A huge 71% of retailers said that store design was “somewhat more” or “much more” important compared to how important it was 2 years ago. With the safety of colleagues and staff dependent on their design, it’s not surprising to see these numbers.
This is further proven by the fact that almost all retailers held onto their design staff, despite suffering furloughs and layoffs, and 8% increased their staff in this area.
However, what is perhaps somewhat unexpected is the expectations that design budgets will not decrease in 2021, even though the world is starting to return to a semblance of normalcy as the percentage of vaccinated populations increases. (950 million people globally and 183,000 people in New Zealand have received at least 1 jab, as of the time of writing in April 2021.) Only 21% of retailers expect design budgets to decrease.
Despite business volatility, retailers have decided to increase spending in store design, beyond simply what was necessary to meet standards. With such widespread closures, many stores and businesses used the time to remodel their locations.
57% of respondents renovated locations in 2020 and a huge 60% plan to renovate the same number of stores (or more) in 2021. Not only did the pandemic not curb spending in store design, but retailers are now planning to spend more on design post-pandemic – 49% percent of retailers said they planned to increase their design budget.
Retailers now see technology as an integral piece of the store design puzzle. A huge 84% believe it is “much more” or “somewhat more” important than it was 2 years ago.
With such affordable business solutions, even the smallest retailers can adopt high-tech solutions in their stores, such as contactless payments. 57% of retailers surveyed reported adding contactless payment as an option. Contactless checkout has been essential in keeping customers safe while checking out.
Digital signage has increased by 28%, with a lot of this signage being used to direct customers on how to shop safely, and to advertise in areas where customers have been required to queue. Customer-facing kiosks and devices have also increased by 22%, much of which has helped customers shop contact-free. QR codes have also increased by 23%, helping with check-ins for tracing and for contactlessly sharing information.
The best retailers have designed their stores so they can offer their customers the shopping experience they’re looking for, such as safe in-store browsing, curbside pickup, and more. While online sales rocketed, many customers yearned for in-store experiences during lockdowns. This provides retailers with the opportunity to use store design to create premium experiences for enthusiastic returning customers.
If you’re looking for specialist store layout designer, shelving or storage supplier for your space, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.
