L is for Layout

Layout, no not the tragically plain one this html knownothing has chosen to display his blog but the layout of the shops you visit. It could be layout, floorplan, adjacency plan, customer flow experience or whatever top retail bods decide to call it.

When you visit a shop you may fall into one of these two groups

1. In and Out - you want to get in and get out, rush in find what you want with minimal fuss and get out, preferably paying for it so you don't want to queue to long- you have a clear idea of what it is you want and if you cant find it you may choose another product but will probably not settle
2. The browser-a browser wants to browse, take a while looking along the aisles for surprises, you probably haven't decided what it is you want before you enter the store and are willing to take recommendations

Now the layout of the store is likely to change quite a bit, although one thing you can be sure of is that the perfume counters in Boots and most department stores will be the first you come across. But apart from that the layout will change from year to year and too damn right I say. Why should things always be the same? Yes familiarity is a wonderful thing, I find it nice that my parents still live in the same place, but familiarity breeds contempt. A retail environment must move on with trends and styles. So if you enter your favourite store and find that the deodorant has moved up a floor then move up a floor. Yes that can be confusing for you In and Out types but you prob like a challenge that is why you are so busy.

But why does the layout of a store make the customer so angry? My guess is that the customer thinks the changes are made for changes sake, mmmm well no not really moving whole sections of a shop isn't a retail workers favourite task. The changs are made because of you the customer, if for example last year deodorant was your key seller you would have it FOS (Front of Store, for the uninitiated) to cater to the In and Out types and show the Browsers what key products are available. However if in the next year the sales of deodorant plummet you dont want to be giving up vital FOS space and so you have to move it back to where its sales justify it. This is a constant flux with different sections within a shop, where they are moved depending on what their sales are like. This is why in bookshops you will largely find the fiction section FOS and in a clothes shop things like accessories will be towards the back or on the counter.

This is all well and good but how can you as a customer find you're way around the shop to find what you want. Well here are some Do's and Don'ts as I know you like to be told what to do

DO talk a walk around the shop having a look, take notice of fixture headings, signs and store directories.

DON'T storm up to where what you were looking for usually lives and storm out if it has been replaced with something you might not want.

DO ask for help 'Could you show me where the Cereal Aisle is please?'

DON'T ask this 'I've looked everywhere but I can't see...' If you had looked everywhere you would have found it wouldn't you????

One thing that has amazed me is people who ask this question 'I came in last year and what I'm looking for used to be up here on the right, it was blue, and I can't believe you don't have it now' Mmmmm not having something we had a year ago? Remembering every blue item in the shop? If you only go to this shop once a year then you have to expect things to change, we aren't a church who can rely on people coming to us once a year.

I'll have more tips on finding the things you want in a later post but I'll leave these thoughts with you on layout - things change for a reason changes are not made for changes sake and nearly everything done in a shop is for you the customer

Until next time, oh and I should warn you I'm starting these posts with slightly less vitriol than I would normally spout, so get ready for some serious spleen venting when Christmas hits