Author:
Scott Einsmann
Have you ever visited a store and unexpectedly bought something? What made that impulse buy so easy in that store?
You might not realize it, but the store’s lighting, color scheme and product layout all could have influenced your decision. That’s because emotions often drive buying habits and compel people to shop.
You, too, can create an ideal shopping environment in your archery store by making small changes to its interior design.
The concept is simple. If your business is warm, clean and inviting, and properly showcases products, customers are more likely to spend time there and buy something. Photo Credit: Shane Indrebo
Interior Design is Important
John Campbell is an interior designer and professor of interior design at Louisiana State University. Campbell grew up bowhunting, and often offers advice for sprucing up archery stores to increase sales.
“If you’re in business, you can’t afford to avoid good design,” Campbell said, adding that you don’t necessarily have to spend lots of money, either.
Campbell suggests evaluating your branding and the message you want to communicate to your customers. Then write a list of improvements you can make. Even small design upgrades make a difference.
“The impression people get when they approach your business becomes critical in increasing the bottom line,” Campbell said.
The concept is simple. If your business is warm, clean and inviting, and properly showcases products, customers are more likely to spend time there and buy something.
Lighting
Lights don’t just help people see. They make products and your shop more appealing.
“Lighting and color are critical, and those two work together,” Campbell said. “You can easily create the image you want with light and color.”
Ideal lighting requires the right lights, of course. Fluorescent lighting can make people uncomfortable and suppress buying impulses. Incandescent lighting might please the eye, but it’s inefficient. LED lighting is a good compromise because it’s efficient and pleasant.
Campbell suggests a general level of illumination for most of the store, with brighter lighting near products. He notes that leading department stores like Nordstrom illuminate merchandise, not the store. “When you can direct the most intense light on your products, people will naturally be drawn to them,” he said.
To make your displays more appealing, highlight them with spotlights. Track lighting near your bow display draws eyes to the bows and make them look even more attractive.
By evaluating your branding and the message you want to communicate to your customers, you can then write a list of improvements you want to make. Even small design upgrades make a difference. Photo Credit: Shane Indrebo
Color
Colors can have powerful impacts on your customers. The right color scheme for your store makes customers feel happy, comfortable and ready to buy. Campbell suggests shades of green, tan and orange.
“You can use warm or natural colors in archery shops to make your clients immediately identify with the outdoors,” he said.
Besides setting the scene, colors can have psychological effects. Most people, for example, favor blue because it’s a relaxing, optimistic color.
Campbell said 80 percent of the color we see is directed to the brain. “The other 20 percent is sent to your pituitary glands, which control your hormones,” he said. “That’s why color has an emotional and physiological effect on people.”
A University of Winnipeg study called “Impact of Color in Marketing” found that a significant portion of a person’s perceptions are color-based. The researchers also learned that choosing the right color can influence moods, and even make people feel calm or hungry, and reduce their perceptions of waiting time.
Store Layout
A well-planned store layout introduces customers to new products. “In a retail environment, you try to set up a layout where people have to navigate through a store,” Campbell said. “Forcing them to navigate around displays causes them to walk past products that might catch their eye.”
If you place bows on one side of the store and arrows on the other, customers must walk past all your accessories to look at both. Store layouts can also create experiences that help customers visualize themselves participating in archery. It’s much like house hunting. If you can see yourself living in a house, you’re more likely to buy it.
“You want your premium products at eye level and within easy reach of your customers,” Campbell said. “When you get the product into people’s hands, they begin to possess it, and that’s the first step of a purchase. Your shop should be an extension of the experience you’re selling.”
You can also use manikins or display screens with images or videos of people shooting bows to help customers imagine themselves shooting. “When people can begin to see themselves using the products and identifying with images in the store, you’re halfway home,” Campbell said.
Keep those tips in mind as you plan your store’s spring cleaning and updating. In fact, you might want to ditch all that this year and do a full overhaul. If you need help redesigning your store, tap into the ATA’s Retail Growth Initiative for help. For more information contact Nicole Nash at (866) 266-2776, ext. 116.
