Stepping into a retail space should be an enjoyable experience for a customer, one that entices them in and holds their attention in a communicable, engaging way.
This is asking a lot of the high street, as vying for the attention of a shopper who is spoilt for choice is no easy task. It’s easy to think the brightest lights and the flashiest signs will pull them in, but in reality, it’s much more intricate than that.
Retail interior design involves taking a retail space and transforming it into a visually striking, and commercially successful space. A place in which shoppers want to spend time, and even more importantly, spend money.
At Ripple, we create retail interiors, including, tactical window displays, eye-catching point-of-sale retail designs and expertly designed & pragmatic flow. These are just a few of our retail interior design tactics, but the benefit it provides a business cannot be understated.
We’ve all encountered a store that is simply too bright, too loud and has no real sense of direction. We can’t find the product we need, and if we manage to locate it, we have no idea where the key information is for it.
Avoiding this from happening is exactly why design matters for a retail space, as the experience for the shopper is what will shift them into the buying phase. Retail interior design may seem overwhelming at first, but the team at Ripple has broken down everything you need to know, including:
- What is retail interior design?
- How important is retail design in 2022?
- How Ripple can help transform your retail space
- End of Page & Call to Actions
What is retail interior design?
Retail design is the process used by retail store owners to organise and design the space in which customers will be browsing. It involves using a wide variety of techniques and tactics to get the most out of the space, whilst remaining welcoming and engaging for people entering the store. Enhancing and supporting brand values, creating identity and recognition of the brand and showcasing product ranges.
Most retail interior design strategies involve finding unique and impactful ways to frame products, allowing customers to interact with them and understand them better. Creating ideas that result in solutions that best represent the brand whilst keeping the customer experience at the forefront of the end results.
Overall, it should also act as a guide through the store, sending people to each area of the shop without them realising it. This encourages customers to see more of what you have to offer, without them getting stuck or bored, resulting in them leaving.
A well-thought-out and expertly led retail interior design strategy should take a customer from the entrance to the point of purchase displays, and have them enjoy every minute of it.
How important is retail design in 2022?
The world of online shopping has taken a hold of the retail industry for a long time now and we can safely say it is here to stay. But 2022 has shown a real return to physical stores and people visiting the high street. After the tumultuous global pandemic, people now a have a refreshed mindset. Buying something online because it’s marginally cheaper, is no longer the top priority amongst shoppers. Experience, days out, interaction, exploring product ranges and understanding a brands value have taken a great leap and people are evidently keen to come back to experience the physical store.
Of course we can’t ignore the current climate as we are seeing spiraling costs of living and perhaps a shoppers’ willingness to wait and find the best price before making a purchase, stores need to make every effort to give people a reason to visit.
But for all these reasons and as a result, businesses that have bricks-and-mortar retail spaces have a real opportunity, but it’s crucial that they work hard to make them enticing, interactive and bold.
A great and sensible way to achieve this, is through expert retail interior design. At Ripple, we have perfected the art of balancing innovation and practicality, finding ways to create an immersive and exciting experience for a shopper that will hold their attention long after they leave. We have also struck the perfect balance of creativity that technically is achievable and we know this because we manufacture as well as design, so really know the criteria to deliver a project.
The importance of retail interior design in 2022 cannot be understated. Most customers have limited time and limited attention spans, so every window display, checkout display, signage and piece of furniture must be well thought out and have a purpose.
Creating a space that reflects the brand, sticks in a shopper’s mind and entices them to visit again is achieved with well considered, retail interior design, as it allows the business and the brand to speak through the physical space they operate out of.
Even simple messaging within the retail store must be thought of from a retail interior design perspective. Whether it’s done through decoration or through the flow of the shop, getting your customers excited about your products whilst subconsciously reassuring them they are in the right place to make the purchase is all achieved through retail interior design.
In 2022, retail interior design plays a significant role in a business being able to stand out on the high street and ensure the appealing parts of the products are front and centre, otherwise they may fade into the background as e-commerce storms ahead.
How Ripple can help transform your retail space
Ripple has decades of experience in transforming a retail space and turning it into a customer experience that generates sales.
Passionate about providing an end-to-end service, the team behind Ripple specialise in retail interior design projects and are always excited to introduce another business into the inspiring world of retail interior design.
One of our many happy clients, MKM Home, harnessed the power of Ripple’s creativity and passion for their takeover of the tile brand Brooke Ceramics.
The flagship showroom needed a full refresh and the team at Ripple was happy to provide it. The creative design focused on customer experience, and we were involved in the two buildings that make up the signature store.
As we developed the layout, the customer’s overall experience of the end result was at the core, ensuring they had full visibility to the very best of what the brand was offering, displaying it beautifully and practically.
Once the creative design team had developed a range of concepts, the final choice was taken through to delivery and manufacture by our in-house team in our own studio. Working on fixtures and fittings to be placed within the showroom spaces, materials, workflow and all other elements were incorporated, still ensuring the customer experience was front and centre.
The result is one we’re incredibly proud of, and you can find out more about it here.
Get in touch with Ripple’s expert retail interior design team
Ripple’s fantastic history in retail interior design and extensive experience offering end-to-end services within the sector is how we have earned our reputation as one of the best.
Our focus on always ensuring the business and its customers are at the heart of all the work that we do is how we have provided the best results possible. You can also harness the power of Ripple’s creativity and passion by getting in touch to arrange a free consultation and find out more about how we can help.
