Modern Retail Shopfitting Update September 2023

Managing Editor - Rob Gamage - rob@modernretail co uk

Business Development Manager - Emma Mjekiqi - emma@modernretail.co.uk

SHOPFITTING TRENDS TO TRANSFORM RETAIL SPACES

By Rob Gamage, Managing Editor at

In today's competitive retail landscape, staying up-to-date with the latest shopfitting trends is crucial for success. The way a retail space is designed and presented can significantly impact the overall customer experience and ultimately drive sales. By integrating technology, embracing sustainability, and exploring creative materials and aesthetics, retailers can create captivating environments that engage and delight customers.

In this article, we’ll explore some of the top shopfitting trends that are transforming retail spaces today…

Integrating Technology and Innovation

Smart Shelving Systems and Interactive Displays

One of the key trends in shopfitting is the integration of smart shelving systems and interactive displays. These technologies enable retailers to enhance the way products are showcased and provide customers with an immersive and personalised shopping experience. Smart shelving systems can automatically update product information, track inventory

Modern Retail

levels, and even suggest complementary items to customers. Interactive displays, such as touchscreens and virtual mirrors, allow shoppers to explore products in a fun and interactive way, making the shopping experience more engaging and memorable.

Incorporating Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are revolutionising the way customers interact with retail spaces. AR technology overlays digital information onto the real world, while VR creates a fully immersive digital environment. By integrating AR and VR into shopfitting designs, retailers can offer virtual try-on experiences, virtual store tours, and even personalised product recommendations based on customer preferences. These technologies not only enhance the customer experience but also provide valuable insights and data for retailers to optimise their offerings.

Contactless Payment Solutions and Digital Signage

The rise of contactless payment

solutions and digital signage is transforming the way customers make purchases and interact with retail spaces.

Contactless payment options, such as mobile wallets and QR code payments, offer convenience and speed at the checkout counter. Digital signage, on the other hand, allows retailers to dynamically showcase promotions, product information, and interactive content. By embracing these technologies, retailers can create a seamless and engaging shopping experience that aligns with the expectations of techsavvy customers.

Sustainable Shopfitting Strategies

Eco-Friendly Materials and Energy-Efficient Lighting

Sustainability has become a significant concern for both retailers and customers. Incorporating ecofriendly materials and energyefficient lighting into shopfitting designs is not only environmentally responsible but also economically beneficial. Retailers can opt for materials like reclaimed wood, recycled plastics, and low-VOC paints to reduce their carbon footprint. Energy-efficient lighting solutions, such as LED fixtures and sensors, can significantly reduce energy consumption while providing optimal illumination for products. By

adopting sustainable shopfitting strategies, retailers can attract environmentally-conscious customers and position themselves as socially responsible brands.

Green Design Principles for Reduced Environmental Impact

Green design principles focus on creating retail spaces that minimise environmental impact throughout their lifecycle. This includes considering factors such as energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction, and indoor air quality. By implementing strategies like natural ventilation, rainwater harvesting, and efficient waste management systems, retailers can create healthier and more sustainable environments. Green design not only benefits the planet but also contributes to cost savings and enhances the overall shopping experience for customers.

Showcasing Sustainability as a Branding Strategy

Incorporating sustainability into shopfitting designs goes beyond using eco-friendly materials. It also involves showcasing sustainability as a core brand value. Retailers can communicate their commitment to sustainability through signage, displays, and storytelling. This can include highlighting the environmental benefits of their shopfitting choices, sharing information about their supply chain practices, or promoting partnerships with charitable organisations. By aligning their brand with sustainability, retailers can attract conscious consumers who value ethical and eco-friendly businesses.

materials in shopfitting design. From repurposed shipping containers to upcycled furniture, these materials add an element of surprise and intrigue to the shopping experience. By incorporating unexpected materials, retailers can differentiate themselves from competitors and create a visually striking environment that captures customers' attention.

Mixing Textures and Finishes for Unique Aesthetics

Another trend in shopfitting design is the mixing of textures and finishes to create visually appealing aesthetics. Combining different materials, such as wood, metal, glass, and concrete, adds depth and interest to store interiors. Textured walls, patterned floors, and contrasting finishes can create a dynamic and visually engaging environment. By carefully curating textures and finishes, retailers can create a unique and on-brand atmosphere that resonates with customers.

Creative Materials and Aesthetics

Unconventional Materials in Shopfitting Design

To create unique and memorable retail spaces, many designers are experimenting with unconventional

Balancing Minimalism and Maximalism in Store Interiors

The debate between minimalism and maximalism in store interiors continues to evolve. While minimalism focuses on clean lines, simplicity, and a clutter-free environment, maximalism embraces bold colours, patterns, and an

"Incorporating sustainability into shopfitting designs goes beyond using eco-friendly materials. It also involves showcasing sustainability as a core brand value."

abundance of visual elements. The key is to strike a balance that aligns with the brand's identity and resonates with the target audience. Some retailers opt for minimalist design to create a sense of calm and focus on the products, while others embrace maximalism to create a vibrant and immersive shopping experience. Ultimately, the choice between minimalism and maximalism depends on the brand's positioning and customer preferences.

Future-forward Shopfitting Predictions

Emerging Technologies and Design Concepts

As technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, it's essential for retailers to stay informed about emerging technologies and design concepts that will shape the future of shopfitting. From Internet of Things (IoT) integration to artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, these innovations have the potential to revolutionise the way retail spaces are designed and operated. By considering these emerging

technologies and design concepts, retailers can prepare for the future of shopfitting.

Potential Trends for the Next Decade

Looking ahead, it's exciting to explore the potential trends that will define the next decade of shopfitting. From personalised shopping experiences driven by data analytics to immersive virtual reality environments, the future of shopfitting promises to be dynamic and customer-centric. By staying ahead of the curve and embracing innovation, retailers can position themselves as leaders in the industry and create unparalleled shopping experiences for their customers.

Embrace Innovation for Future Growth

The ever-evolving nature of retail demands that retailers embrace shopfitting trends to transform their spaces. By integrating technology, adopting sustainable practices, and exploring creative materials and aesthetics, retailers can create captivating environments that enhance the customer experience and drive sales. Future-forward predictions serve as inspiration and encouragement for retailers to stay ahead of the competition and embrace innovation for future growth. By continuously adapting to changing consumer expectations and leveraging the power of shopfitting, retailers can create memorable and profitable retail spaces.

RETAIL DISPLAYS THAT APPEAL TO THE SENSES

By Holly Turbutt, Content Editor at Modern Retail

By appealing to the senses, retailers can capture the attention of consumers and turn them into loyal customers.

This article takes a look at the 5 best ways to appeal to the senses in retail.

Why Should Retailers Appeal To The Senses?

Retailers that fail to appeal to shoppers’ senses will miss out on business. Simply put, we use our five senses to explore, meaning anything that captures our attention will have appealed to at least one of our senses.

Dr. L.D. Rosenblum, Dr. Harold Stolovitch and Dr. Erica Keeps, explain the breakdown of how we use our five senses to explore information:

83.0% – Sight

11.0% – Hearing

3.5% – Smell

1.5% – Touch

1.0% – Taste

How To Appeal To The Senses In Retail

We will now explore the 5 best ways to appeal to the senses in retail...

1. Put Thought Into Lighting

With sight being a determining factor in the way we explore retail stores, lighting plays a key role. It is worth

investing into the right types of lighting to create a positive, enjoyable instore experience.

Top tips include:

Use lighting to create an ambience

Make sure all products are visible

Use uplighting to draw attention to specific areas

Light specific displays to encourage sales

Consider accent lighting

2. Introduce Music

Music is a fantastic way to enhance customers’ shopping experiences. Make sure the music you choose is suitable for your target market.

Top tips include:

Have plenty of songs so it’s not repetitive for customers or staff

Create playlists that appeal to your target market

Make sure the sound quality is good

Don’t have the music too loud or too quiet

3. Consider Scent

Many retailers benefit from scenting their premises, whether this is with diffusers, scented products instore, or air fresheners.

Top tips include:

Make sure it’s not too overpowering

Be careful to not go for a scent that is ‘hit-and-miss’

Consider varying the scent, for example, having a Christmas scent that is different to a more fruity summer scent

4. Encourage People To Touch Your Products

Nothing gives shoppers more confidence in a product than being able to try them before they make a purchase.

Ask yourself whether you’d feel more comfortable buying a hoover that you could test instore, or one that you couldn’t remove from a box? This is why interaction is so important and displays can easily cater to this.

Top tips include:

Create displays designed to encourage interaction with products

Have sample products available

Keep certain items unpackaged so people can explore them

5. Include Tasters If Relevant

Not every business will have edible products instore, however, those that do can benefit from allowing shoppers to taste before they buy. As well as helping them to identify their favourite foods, this is a great way to create a memorable instore experience that will keep shoppers coming back.

Top tips include:

Create a taster station

Offer small versions of products, such as chocolates

Use signage to advertise the fact shoppers can taste items

Have chatty staff on hand to share information about each item

Retailers that don’t sell food or drink could still offer a complimentary coffee as part of the experience

Looking To Level Up Your Instore Design?

Now you know how to appeal to the senses, check out our guide to visual merchandising to upgrade your instore design and impress your target market.

Or, click here to learn more about appealing to the senses in retail.

USING RETAIL SIGNAGE TO ELEVATE INSTORE EXPERIENCE

By Holly Turbutt, Content Editor at Modern Retail

It’s no secret that signage is an essential part of any shopping experience, capturing shoppers’ initial interest and then providing them with the necessary information to guide a purchase. In this article, we speak with Widd Signs‘ MD Gary Williams about the role of retail signage and the ways that retailers can use it to elevate instore experience.

1. How Important Is Retail Signage In The Customer Journey?

Signage plays a key part in a successful customer journey. Wellpositioned, clear signage has a very important role to play in helping to alleviate any customer stress or frustration by signposting where things are and telling them where to look for relocated items. It sounds obvious, but it’s amazing how many retailers forget to do it, alienating and potentially losing customers as a result.

2. What Would Be Your Top Tips For Retailers Wanting To Make An Impression With Their Signage?

Bringing your brand to life through clever signage is key to making a lasting impression. Using strong

images and colour will help create something eye-catching.

Consider illuminated signage to ensure your brand pops and the text you want customers to read stands out at all times of day and weather.

3. What Are The Main Benefits Of Effective Retail Signage And How Can Retailers Achieve This?

As well as creating brand awareness, effective signage communicates your brand message and what your business stands for. We’re seeing more companies invest in signage to portray business beliefs and values to staff and customers.

Signage also offers clear communication for retailers to help customers navigate through their stores with ease.

4. In Your Opinion, What Are The Most Important Types Of Retail Signage And What Do They Do?

Whilst external signage is important to increase brand awareness, internal directional and destination wayfinding signage to help customers understand where to go is incredibly

important.

Click here to view some of the best uses of retail signage.

5. What’s The Best/Most Creative Signage You’ve Ever Seen In A Shop?

Dominoes recently rebranded one of their stores to ‘Lucy’s’ in recognition of the England Lioness and their former employee Lucy Bronze. This innovative move attracted vast media and customer attention as the country celebrated the England women’s football team’s victory.

Furthermore, what began as a temporary signage re-brand led to innovative experiential marketing with anyone proving their name was also Lucy receiving free pizza and the branch delivery drivers wearing gold helmets as a nod to the European Championship winner.

6. What Would Be Your Top Tips For Retailers Wanting Great Signage On A Budget?

It is important to not always accept

the cheapest price to get best value. Consideration needs to be given to how long you want the signage to feature, which sign company gives you the most confidence that they can deliver on both service and quality and can guide you on the best materials to use within your budget.

A reputable signage company should advise you on all options including cost-effective replicas, for example, if you want a wooden sign, you can create the look and feel of wood as a digital print when it is produced using cost-effective vinyl.

It is also important to consider the running costs of illuminated signage, for example, LED lighting is a more affordable option in the long run.

7. At Widd Signs, How Do You Work To Create The Perfect Retail Signage For Retailers?

We consider that consistent communication and building a longterm relationship with our clients is key in delivering the perfect signage solution. This process begins with discussing and agreeing a concise

brief and then advising on the best and most cost-effective materials to use. Samples of materials are then sent to the client so they can understand the materials and finishes to be used. Once samples and costs are approved, we appoint a dedicated project manager to liaise regularly with the client and then begin the process of creating the signage in either our Leeds or North West manufacturing facilities. Both manufacturing sites combine the very latest sign technology with the time served skills of signage craftsmen and women to deliver a perfect and cost effective sign solution for our clients.

Learn More About Retail Signage

To learn more about how we’re helping retailers to stand out with striking signage, visit Widdsigns.co.uk.

5 Tips for Retail Signage

1) Strategic Placement

Ensure signage is strategically placed throughout the store, guiding customers seamlessly through their shopping journey. Start with attention-grabbing signage at entrances and focus on high-traffic areas, endcaps, and key product displays.

2) Clear and Concise Messaging

Keep messages simple and easy to understand. Use concise language and legible fonts to convey important information such as promotions, pricing, and product details. Avoid cluttered or overly wordy signs that can overwhelm shoppers.

3) Consistent Branding

Maintain a consistent brand identity across all signage, including colour schemes, fonts, and logo placement. This helps reinforce brand recognition and creates a cohesive shopping experience.

4) Use of Visuals

Incorporate visuals such as images, icons, and graphics to enhance the impact of signage. Visual cues can convey information quickly and effectively, especially for highlighting product features, benefits, or special offers.

5) Regular Updates and Maintenance

Stay proactive in updating signage to reflect current promotions, pricing changes, and seasonal themes. Damaged or outdated signs should be promptly replaced to maintain a polished and inviting store environment.

By following these best practices, retailers can harness the power of signage to engage customers, boost sales, and create a positive shopping experience that keeps customers coming back.

5 EXPERIENTIAL INSTORE TRENDS

By Mood Media

In the coming months, brick and mortar retailers’ success will depend on their ability to meet consumers’ demands. This piece reveals 5 experiential instore trends that retailers can benefit from.

masterclasses are increasing time spent instore significantly and giving way to a new breed of multi-purpose destinations, which are fast becoming the consumer expectation, rather than a niche bonus to have.

From Stores To Destinations

These days, customers are expecting an experience beyond the transactional. Brands are transforming their physical spaces into social settings that encourage brand discovery; offering something that ecommerce can not.

Instore service partnerships, such as cafes, grooming parlours, tailors and

Keep reading to see examples of brands that are taking advantage of physical retail space, as Mood Media take you on a tour of London’s most forward-thinking retail stores:

1) Customisation

The need to create consistent omnichannel experiences instore is more important than ever. According to research from Salesforce, 75% of business buyers expect the

companies they buy from to provide personalised experiences. Brands need to be able to offer the consumer something beyond the purely transactional. They need to provide excellent service that can’t be replicated online, offering expert knowledge, or spaces where people can get together and enjoy an experience. This needs to be more than simply making a purchase, such as community hubs or ‘phygital’ focused stores.

The use of technology via interactive digital screens, RFID mirrors and virtual sampling stations to find the best-suited product for you is a popular way to incorporate customisation into retail spaces. Other examples are Levi’s “Tailor Shops” which offer repairs and tailoring services instore, as well as allowing customers to customise their Levi’s apparel through stencilling, embroidery, distressing and more.

2) Brand Immersion

This experiential trend has seen successful retailers transform the physical retail space into interactive showrooms that truly reflect their brands’ ethos and personality.

Immersion through play allows brands to engage consumers on a whole new level, turning the customer experience into a user-generated ‘playground’. Lego and Nike are great examples of this, using new tools and a creative mindset to engage.

Immersion through art is another way

for brands to channel emotions and entice customers into their world. Examples include Flannels and Matches’ 5 Carlos Place.

3) Community

The physical space can offer something that online retailers cannot. More than a tactile experience, consumers have another reason to visit the brick-and-mortar store: the sense of community and belonging that they evoke. This helps to boost customer loyalty.

Collective: Brands present their stores in such a way that customers feel at home. For example, Tod’s on Sloane Street was built to resemble a sleek apartment, inviting you to experience the Tod’s lifestyle in comfort.

Communal: The store is transformed into a meeting place, with internal cafes, restaurants and even beauty salons like those found at Primark. Collaborative: The store becomes a living space where a community learns, plays sports, or discovers a variety of things as a group. Vans on Oxford Street, for example, hosts regular workshops for customers.

4) Convenience

Convenience is another key experiential trend, meaning online and offline channels should be seamlessly combined. The birth of the ‘phygital’ store has given brick-andmortar retailers the freedom to no longer be limited by inventory, but able to offer a full range of products for the tech-savvy consumer. Matches’ 5 Carlos Place, for example, has a 90-minute delivery service for online purchases made instore.

Tommy Hilfiger’s Regent Street flagship store boasts a social space within its cafe, where tables incorporate interactive ecommerce screens to enhance impulsive purchase behaviour.

Stores are also adding convenience through additional services. From partnerships with cafes and bars to offering beauty treatments and yoga classes, the retail store is no longer an in-and-out destination. It must provide an experience.

5) Sustainability

According to a 2021 Mood Media survey, 67% of consumers worldwide declare it is important to them that the brands they support are committed to being environmentally friendly. Shoppers expressed that it was equally important (66%) to them that the stores themselves are environmentally friendly.

Brands such as Adidas have taken this consumer shift in mentality into consideration, not only with their

packaging and limited waste efforts, but also within their physical spaces. As an example of this one of the instore retail trends in action, throughout the Adidas Oxford Street Store, consideration has also been given to respecting and protecting the environment, by using a large range of sustainable and responsibly sourced materials including recycled plastic, foam and textiles, as well as the 100+ digital touchpoints all being powered by green energy.

Tap Into Experiential Instore Trends

Now you’ve seen some of the most forward-thinking brands and the ways in which they employ experiential instore trends, it’s time to figure out how you can benefit.

Consider your customers’ pain points and how you could create more of an instore experience. Whether it’s customer service, technology, or partnerships, there are countless ways for any brand to engage its customers through creating truly experiential stores.