Guidelines from scientific research

One can influence the decision process and the tendency to make unplanned purchases by giving customers the feeling that they can easily move through the store in a natural (intuitive) way. Especially for first-time visitors, it is important to be able to direct themselves easily and fairly quickly find the different departments, brands and products.

Although focusing on all of the customers’ senses is a strength to create a pleasant store experience, it also holds the risk of over-stimulating the customer by exposing him to too much information (i.e. too many texts, references, scents, products, etc.) Try to create a good balance and put stimuli in the right proportion, fitting with and in congruence with the concept.

Retail is detail: translate your brand values into the smallest details to strengthen your story, from A to Z (even in the restrooms).

Integrating elements of greenery, daylight as well as natural materials, such as timber in a space where the customer is stimulated a lot creates a stronger feeling of contentment and reduces stress. Additionally, elements of greenery can be used to clean the air.

The fitting rooms in a store are an important part of the shopping experience. This is where the purchase decision is made. Lighting is one of the key aspects here. The right lighting is installed behind or next to the mirror, so it can light up the person’s face.

Upon entering a store, the customer needs time to acclimatise, this is: to adapt to the new situation (different light, measuring up the space, orientating oneself, etc.) Avoid placing important signs, products, or even shopping baskets in this area, as this information will often be lost.