Your retail space is most likely your pride and joy. It represents everything your brand stands for, is home to your products and services, and is often the first point of contact for shoppers.
That’s why it’s essential that you make the absolute most out of your retail space. But, if you have limited space you may be struggling with small retail space ideas. At Ripple, we believe that even the smallest of retail spaces can have the biggest impact if they are done properly.
Using a variety of tactics and techniques, an eye-catching retail shop can be developed to represent your brand whilst generating impressive results and sales.
Take a look at our top ten ways to make the most of your retail space, and to find out more about how Ripple can create the very best retail space for your business, get in touch.
1. Embrace Verticality With Your Wall Space
Small retail space ideas should always involve using vertical space in your shop. The floor space may be limited in your space, but the wall space and height that can be built should never be underestimated.
Use a variety of shelving on your walls to display products, signage, and branding, as well as point-of-purchase displays, point-of-sale designs and any unique style choices you may have. Building height with the vertical space can also involve having slimmer, taller furniture. Shoe shelves that are built up from the bottom to the top of a wall are a fantastic example, giving the customer something visually exciting to look at whilst you save plenty of space. Regardless of your products or customer base, Ripple’s expert-led high street retail design can help make the most of your retail space.
2. Avoid Clutter in Your Design
A small space means even one or two things out of place can immediately overwhelm shoppers and create a cluttered retail store. Small retail space ideas need to take into account the fatigue a shopper will face if the space is busy and difficult to navigate.
Instead, throughout the design process, take into account the clutter. Remove any unnecessary signage and displays and focus on having a clean and organised space that is easy to navigate. Use more neutral colours too, with small pops of colour added in to keep the character. If your business’ branding involves a busier and more boldly detailed design, incorporate this into your wall space to avoid cluttering the floor space.
3. Move Beyond Shelving
Any retail space can benefit from shelves, but when you’re looking for small retail space ideas, small stores can benefit from a more creative approach. For example, bigger stores may have huge cabinets showcasing their jewellery and smaller decorative items. However, if you’re handling a small retail store, this jewellery could be displayed on the wall in a variety of ways, such as within a frame or a pegboard.
Our top tip to move beyond shelving is to not hold back with your creativity. As long as your products are displayed clearly, there is no need to depend on the regular shelving seen in bigger stores.
Likewise, if you handle a lot of web traffic as part of your business, why not invest in click and collect lockers? Ripple manufacturers a range of Collection Lockers designed to enable customers to collect their items safely and securely.
4. Be Creative With Your Lighting
Creativity is clearly important when it comes to finding small retail space ideas that actually work. Whilst larger stores can depend on the usual approaches for lighting, a small space for a retail business requires a different approach.
Smaller spaces need more lighting to reach those tucked-away spots, so having a variety of lamps, overhead lights, picture lights, and track lights will create a well-lit and unique space that will keep shoppers happy and engaged.
5. Create Window Effects Where Possible
Small retail space ideas should always incorporate windows, generating as much openness in a smaller area. Mirrors and drapes can create the illusion of windows, whilst cutouts in internal walls can keep the space flowing and open as though there is a window there.
6. Use Accent Walls To Your Advantage
Whether your business is a small store selling organic food or a retail shop that’s a clothing boutique, an accent wall is nearly always a fantastic choice for businesses operating out of limited space.
By choosing to paint a wall with a bold colour or decorating it with a statement piece, the smaller retail space is opened up and can feel larger to shoppers. You can get creative too, adding a variety of textures and patterns to the wall, along with some branding or signage that represents what your business is all about.
7. Divide Your Space Effectively
For many businesses, the real challenge when it comes to designing a retail space in a limited area is being able to display all of your products in an aesthetically pleasing way.
By dividing your space effectively, you will be able to generate the same results as larger retail spaces, giving customers an engaging experience and a retail space that flows. Section of the places that will have fewer products and more contact points, along with the spots in the store where you would like to display more products.
From here, you don’t need to begin building internal walls. A simple bookcase or decorative screen can allow a customer to navigate through the store and discover the new sections with ease. This approach is also easily changed, which is handy if you have new products that you’d like to adjust the focus on or a new point-of-purchase display.
8. Consider Using Glass
The sectioning of your smaller retail store can also be done using different materials. For smaller spaces, a solid screen or bookcase may not be as suitable.
Instead, try materials that create a more contemporary and open look. This approach will feel more minimalist and stylish, whilst reducing the clutter and sense of overload for the customer. They’re also fantastic for allowing the customers to see the full product offering from the moment they step into the space.
9. Match Your Furniture To Your Walls
It’s easy for small retail space ideas to forget about the customer’s experience, as getting wrapped up in fitting in products and displays can quickly become the focus instead. At Ripple, we want to hone in on what the customer feels throughout their journey in your store.
By matching your furniture to your walls you create a more cohesive look, furthering the cleaner and scaled-back approach that leaves room for shoppers to think and understand what they’re engaging with. This can be done by choosing furniture that has a similar colour to the walls or matching the texture of both.
10. Don’t Forget About Mirrors
Almost every single small retail space can benefit from the addition of mirrors. Mirrors create a sense of a larger store as they provide the illusion of more space.
At Ripple, we never underestimate the value of a mirror, as the light they reflect generates a brighter and more enjoyable space for a customer when they’re used correctly. They’re also a great way for a retail store to use their vertical space and offer a resting point for customers through their journey in the store.
Not to mention they can be a stylish addition to any space, especially more clothing, and beauty-focused businesses.
Harness Ripple’s Creativity For Your Small Retail Space
At Ripple, we are passionate about creating retail spaces that enable businesses to reach their full potential. We take pride in building visually stunning spaces that customers can enjoy and businesses can use to generate more sales, retain more customers and stimulate more growth.
We also love a challenge, and with our decades of experience and end-to-end services, all of the small retail space ideas we have are ready to come to life and work for your business.
No matter what the needs of your business are, we incorporate them into the plan, whilst centring on the customer’s experience from the beginning design process to the end point of installation.
Take a look at one of our many happy clients, MKM Home, who took full advantage of all of Ripple’s creativity and passion for their takeover of the tile brand Brooke Ceramics.
A fantastic history and years of experience in the retail design sector mean we’re the choice for you if you’re ready to refresh your retail space or begin building a new one from scratch.
Get in touch with our team of specialists today to find out more about how we can turn your retail space into the next big thing.
