You know how half the time you wander out of a big-name chain store you’ve got bags full of stuff you never planned to buy? Well, here’s the thing – it’s far from coincidental. The reason being that these guys know exactly what to do when it comes to making sure we don’t leave without bringing plenty of business their way. And believe it or not, much of it comes down to nothing more than the store’s very layout.

So with this in mind, what follows is a quick rundown of just a few of the biggest store layout secrets the high street giants swear by:

1 – Focus on Windows

Try to remember that the customer’s first impression of your store will be formed not after the entrance, but as soon as they set sights on its exterior. Which is precisely why big-name stores spend huge sums of money and invest a huge amount of time in creating stellar window displays.

2 – High Impact

It’s also important to ensure that no matter what it is you present to your customers the moment they walk in, it is presented with maximum impact in mind. Think of something that will slow them down or even stop them in their tracks, increasing the amount of time they spend in your store and encouraging further purchases.

3 – Steer To the Right

On the psychological side of things, consumers are naturally drawn to first looking left, then to the right and gravitating to the right in terms of store exploration. Giving your shoppers freedom of movement throughout your store is important, but research has shown that channelling them to the right upon entering can be a powerful strategy.

4 – No Dead Ends

You should also make efforts to ensure that no matter where your customers wander, they are never presented with a dead end, a brick wall or an area with nothing in it. If any of your aisles lead to nothing, think about reorganising your merchandise so they at least lead to something.

5 – Against the Grain

Instinct may tell you to lay out your aisles in unison with the exterior walls of your store, but mixing it up with a few angles here and there can make a big difference. Feel free to experiment and see which layouts result in the most welcoming and dynamic overall result.

6 – Add Breaks

Studies have shown that when shoppers are presented with long and unbroken aisles, they tend to skip over at least 20% of the merchandise. As such, it’s a good idea to create regular breaks in your aisles, to help ensure your products are not overlooked.

7 – Keep Experimenting

Last but not least, there’s a reason why the biggest brands are literally always toying with new layout ideas and approaches to visual merchandising. Far from a one-off job, it should and must be seen as an on-going duty to be refined, polished and improved along the way. Ask your staff, speak to your customers and acknowledge the fact that there’s no such thing as ‘job done’ when it comes to visual merchandising and store layout.