Shopping Centers/Grocery Stores Layout
Introduction
A store layout is an organized arrangement of goods in a way that attracts customers. The organized grouping of merchandise helps to provide customers with easy access through the store. It provides maximum exposure and an attractive display of merchandise. A store layout influences the flow of customers which also has an impact on the flow of sales. It also influences the shopping environment and the traits of customers that visit the store. A well-developed store layout can contribute to a positive shopping environment, resulting in the type of shopping traits a store merchant would want to attain.
In the store layouts, the two main designs are the aisle and the shelf design. The aisle design determines the customer’s well-being experience inside a store and this focuses more on the individual space. Individual space can influence both the retail experience and customer selections in a store. The choices a customer makes inside a store are partly influenced by the amount of personal space in the store. Research shows that customers in congested shopping surroundings will focus more on deterrence which results in protection that is connected to product choice. The congestion levels of a store can be termed as “store traffic and customer traffic flow”. The store traffic includes the number of customers that visit the store at a particular point in time while the customer traffic flow is determined by the movement the customers have inside the store. Both store traffic and customer traffic flow determine the general performance of a store (Elbers 2016). For the shelf design, research shows that a well-developed shelf design is an advantage for both the customer and the retailer. A customer’s general shopping contentment is high when the store shelf layout is organized properly which leads to an increase in the sales. Managing how products are arranged on the shelves has a significant influence on the customer's shopping behavior. The visual attention that results from how the product is viewed from the shelves, has an active influence on the customer’s brand consideration.
The most commonly applied layout types in a store include grid, freeform, and racetrack. The grid layout is made up of long pathways that are similar to each other (Mukhlish & Masudin 2015). Retailers use this layout design because the rectangular organization of the shelves is a proper fit for the customer’s shopping behavior. With this layout, customers experience effective shopping experience. It is the most utilized and desired layout method by the store vendors. A freeform layout is a type of layout that does not have a structured organization of aisles, shelves, and exhibitions. This type is mostly used in clothing stores and emphasizes on increasing the comfort with which customers can get products all through the store. With this layout, customers tend to spend more time in the store which is a good thing for retailers according to research because the pore time spent in a store, the more the customer spends. The racetrack layout holds one central key aisle that leads the customer along with the whole store. This main aisle is used to guide the customer through the store areas. This type of layout gives a different and interesting shopping experience.
The connection between the architectural discipline and customer behavior is majorly concerned with the development and execution of the overall and specific designs of stores (Çakmak & Yılmaz 2018). The layout design and execution of stores in a manner that allows customers to buy more products and services conveniently requires both customer behavior and architectural knowledge. A strategically designed store layout influences shoppers to spend as much time in the store which results in the customer being exposed to many colorful and attractive products. Most of the grocery stores are structured in a similar way which is largely driven by purchase enticements. Every tactic that is used within the store, draws on a known psychological tie that subconsciously makes the shopper follow the general pathway through the store. The store brands use every tactic to ensure that they influence the customer’s perceptions and behavior while they shop. For example in a grocery store, the entrance is filled with neatly arranged bright-colored produce which is an intentional arrangement because it will automatically attract the customer. It is meant to create a welcoming experience and making the shopper adjust to the new environment. Grocers combine fresh produce with pleasant-smelling floral arrangement which is meant to take their time and also set the pace for their shopping experience. The slow background music also sets the mood for the shopper and research shows that slow music can result in a customer walking slower and spending more money.
Away from the produce and floral section, customers are forced to follow a counter-clockwise pathway. This is an important tactic because research shows that customers will spend less money and process information better when they shop in a clockwise pattern (Štulec, Petljak & Kukor 2016). This shows that when a shopper follows a counter-clockwise pathway, they are bound to fulfill the economic interest of the grocery store. That is why most stores have their entrances on the right-hand side and their exit on the left which reduces the likelihood that a customer will shop in reverse. For a shopper to shop in a clockwise manner, the shopper will have to walk in through the exit which is not possible. Another alternative of a shopper shopping in a clockwise manner would be them getting in the entrance, walk through several zones to beginning shopping from the opposite loop. This slows down and confuses the customer’s path which increases their rate of exposure to products which is an added advantage for the store. This means that there is no way a customer will be able to make a decision that has not been altered.
Another layout tactic used by stores is the arrangement of perishable and most profitable products. Products such as dairy products, meat, and frozen foods are placed against the back and side walls which requires a shopper to walk through the entire store past many other products along the way (Brinkworth 2017). This strategic placement of these items increases the customer’s exposure to other items and higher chances that they will make an impulse purchase. The aisles and particularly the end caps are packed with enticing products of every color, shape, and smell. Stores utilize the most advertised items which are likelier to be bought on impulse to line the shelves that are closer to these areas. Even when a shopper resists the temptation of the impulse purchase, the store ensures that the shopper exerts substantial willpower in focusing on the things they came to shop for. Research shows that arranging products among grocery store zones has an impact on purchase and by default the behavior of the customer.
Apart from the general layout of the store, stocking the aisles is also put into account. Generally, shoppers spend most of their time along the racetrack and drop in and out of the aisle. This makes groceries to deliberately place impulse purchases to attract shoppers to the aisle (Brinkworth 2017). The popular products are positioned midway down the aisle making the shopper pass more items. The logic behind this strategy is, when the shopper moves throughout the store, their willpower and control tend to decrease making them likely make impulse purchases. Making a shopper walk as far as possible is a profit-based strategy in grocery stores. In the aisles, products are strategically arranged making it difficult for the shopper to identify all the options. Research shows that shoppers view products from left to right hence stores use the eye placement strategy to increase the rate of product choice. Items are typically assembled in vertical columns based on related groupings. Within the columns, the arrangement is hierarchically determined with the most profitable products being placed at the shopper’s eye-level. Cost-effectiveness is determined by the brands and companies that can afford the cost of the most visible shelf space. Aisles are organized in this manner to subconsciously encourage buying of the most widely held and profitable items. The strategic placement in the direct line of sight makes them more attractive and convenient to buy compared to finding the cheaper and better items which are intentionally placed out of direct sight.
The structuring of aisles in vertical columns by category makes shoppers be able to effectively utilize horizontal scanning to find what they want. However, when they find the desired category, the selection of the product becomes difficult due to the hierarchical vertical organization. In most cases, the bottom shelf is used for cheaper items high are less profitable and therefore placed out of sight (Hübner & Schaal 2017). The reasoning behind this is that savvy shoppers who are looking for a deal will put the extra effort to find these products and so they choose not to waste shelf space. The top shelves are reserved for local, gourmet, or smaller brand names. This shelf is also not in direct sight but items placed here are more likely to be purchased compared to the ones placed on the bottom shelf. This is mostly because of the convenience of it being easier to reach up that bend down. For the kid’s shelves, the lower shelving placement is used because it is in the direct sight of children. Stores mostly target this area with attractive, children friendly products. There is a middle eye-level shelf that is approximately 48 inches from the ground that is reserved for the bestselling products. This arrangement method is based on psychology and biology in that the eye muscles are intended for horizontal movement as opposed to vertical scanning. This does not mean that eyes cannot scan vertically only that this is not the default mode and therefore needs more effort and attention. This strategy influences the choice of product by promoting eye-level products further.
A noted psychological strategy at the level of the structure of the aisle involves leveraging the unconscious mind in product selection that is based on thought. Baby food products tend to evoke an emotional component and therefore such products are separated from the normal food aisles because shopping for baby food results in the shopper thinking about the product to select (Yoo, Park & MacInnis 1998). The level of emotional involvement lacks the typical foods and stores aim to reduce the need for thought in comparing products. This is mainly because when shoppers consciously compare items and make a thought- based decision, chances are that they will not spend as much money and they will be able to refrain from making impulse purchases. To reduce the possibility of this happening, products that seem emotional are separated from the others.
Conclusion
A store layout helps to provide customers with easy access through the store because of their organized arrangement. It influences the shopping atmosphere and behavior of a shopper. The store layout is also important for the retail managers because it helps them attract more customers hence increasing their sales. The two main layouts are the shelf and aisle arrangement styles. The product choice of a customer can be influenced by the layout of a store. Grid, freeform, and racetrack are layouts used to influence the customer’s behavior while shopping. A strategically designed store layout influences shoppers to spend as much time in the store which results in the customer being exposed to many colorful and attractive products and hence spending more money. Store layouts are made to expose the shopper to as many products as possible and end up making impulse purchases that benefit the store.
References
Brinkworth, C. (2017). Supermarket savvy: An analysis of psychological exploitation within
grocery stores.
Çakmak, B. Y., & Yılmaz, C. (2018). The impact of architectural design of shopping malls on
consumer behaviors: a case of Konya.
Elbers, T. (2016). The effects of in-store layout-and shelf designs on consumer behavior.
Retrieved from https://edepot.wur.nl/369091
Hübner, A., & Schaal, K. (2017). Effect of replenishment and backroom on retail shelf-space
planning. Business Research, 10(1), 123-156.
Mukhlish, F., & Masudin, I. (2015). THE DESIGN OF HYBRID VIRTUAL STORE LAYOUT
(HVSL): A SIMULATION EXPERIMENT OF INDONESIAN CUSTOMERS’CONTEXT. Journal of Basic and Applied Research International (JOBARI), 14(2), 147-157.
Štulec, I., Petljak, K., & Kukor, A. (2016). The Role of Store Layout and Visual Merchandising
in Food Retailing. In 9th International Conference on Social Sciences.
Yoo, C., Park, J., & MacInnis, D. J. (1998). Effects of store characteristics and in-store
emotional experiences on store attitude. Journal of Business Research, 42(3), 253-263.
