When they enter a store, people invariably go to the right. . . Impatience starts to build after two minutes of waiting. . . Did you know this and have you laid out your store accordingly? You must ask yourself the right questions to put customers in the  right environment to feel comfortable and for them to buy more easily. Here are a few tips to optimize how to greet customers and make them want to buy from you!


Adapting to your clientele

Stores should all be designed to provide a pleasant welcome to all types of customers. Hospitality and profitability go hand in hand. Customers are ready to buy, as long as it is made as comfortable, easy and convenient for them as possible. For example, think about wheelchairs and even strollers—the aisles and passages must be sufficiently wide to accommodate them. If a store is inhospitable towards parents, seniors or handicapped people, this clientele will slip through its fingers.

Keeping the children entertained Ideally, there should be a special place set aside especially for children while their parents shop. There are a few rules to observe for this to be a success. Parents have to be able to see their children at all times, so the area has to be open, with no obstacles blocking the view. It should of course be absolutely safe, comply with applicable standards and be big enough. Children should also be separated by age group, otherwise the bigger kids will gain the upper hand. Once they see their kids happily playing, parents can go about their business in all tranquility.

Having baskets on hand

Until proven otherwise, people only have two hands. A basket is therefore very handy to have on hand when running errands. Most stores have them just at the door, so setting out to look for one later on can be a real obstacle course. Baskets are therefore convenient to have as customers make their way through the various departments, because people often end up with their hands full after just running in for one or two things. They should be placed in the centre of or in various locations throughout the store, so that customers will not have to wander around with their hands full until they can lay down their purchases.

Advising at the fitting stage

In a clothing store, the  fitting rooms must be sufficient in number, clearly indicated and easy to find, even from the far end of the department. The further away they are from the clothing, the less effort people will make to get to them. The conversion rate (percentage of people who buy something) increases by 50% on average when salespeople approach them and by 100% when they try on the garments. And yet the dominant trend is to reduce the space allocated to fitting rooms, in an attempt to gain sales space, despite the fact that it is a crucial area for developing sales. Accompanying customers to the fitting rooms, then fetching them one or two belts, a blouse and sweater to go with the pants they are trying on is an excellent strategy, because it is a well-known fact that accessories sell the garment.

Finally, don't forget that a store's layout (how the premises are laid out), merchandising (arrangement of products) and operation (what employees do) are interdependent. When one makes a decision about any one of these components, the other two are also affected. Improve one of them and you will lighten the pressure on the others.

=> Discover other great tips in Why We Buy: The Science Of Shopping, by Paco Underhill, urban geographer and retail anthropologi