From Shopfit Scene to a Shofit Dream
Tips to help you on your shopfitting journey.
You have an exceptional brand and business model, now its time to build your space for your customers to experience your services. Surely you have begun to think about styles, themes, and a look and feel for your space, but are you truly considering the full functionality and longevity of your interior design?
In this post, we discuss a couple of key considerations for your space to help you through your decision-making process, to ensure your space does its job well to maximize your revenue not just in the beginning, but long term.
FLOW
This is one of the first considerations to think about in design and shopfitting. What are your key products/ services? What elements become more secondary? Are your pay points easily accessible and is the visibility of your product/ service promoted well? Are your areas logically grouped together from a usability perspective? How you design your floor layout will ultimately determine how your customers are going to engage with your space, so making sure your flow of the space works well is essential.
If you are an existing business owner of a retail, restaurant or salon space, when was the last time you and your staff took a walk around your space and thought about it from a customer perspective? It’s a great practice to get into every couple of months so you are able to monitor whether cabinets and units may need a reshuffle to make the space more accommodating to various promotions you may have on, but more importantly a reshuffle can help your space feel totally new and considered for your customers needs as the seasons change.
Choosing a specific print, for example, that’s really hot in 2017, could easily become outdated by the beginning of 2019. It is important to have these discussions with your designer…
MATERIALS
In choosing your shopfitting materials, you need to carefully consider what your best solutions are based on how long you would like the unit to last. Choosing the right kinds of materials that are harder wearing may be a bit more expensive than cheaper ones in the beginning, but the amount of time and money choosing harder wearing materials will save you in the long run, is exponential. For example, we always recommend solid surfaces such as Corian, Surinno, marble or Caesarstone, steels or solid woods on countertops over sprayed MDF, melamine or Formica finishes as they are less prone to scratching and chips.
TRENDS
Although it’s highly important to be aware of design trends, it’s even more important to acknowledge the fact that trends change. Choosing a specific print, for example, that’s really hot in 2017, could easily become outdated by the beginning of 2019. It is important to have these discussions with your designer to make sure your shopfitting stays relevant once the fad expires. That said, choosing to stay on top of the latest trends can be awesome, but be open to the idea of updating your finishes every year or so to keep on point with the new trends as they come in to keep your space current.
QUALITY
This cannot be stressed enough, NEVER skimp on quality. Beautiful design executed badly delivers a message to your customers that you do not prioritize quality. If that’s the case, why would they choose your product or service over someone who chooses to invest that little bit extra in attention to detail? Beautifully finished spaces speak volumes about how you position your brand. Rather go for the shopfitting companies that are reputable for their finished work than the ones who can do it for you cheap-cheap.
At Cooked Studio, we pride ourselves on our expert knowledge for shopfitting solutions & uncompromised quality finishing in Cape Town and nationally. Give us a call/ email us for excellent solutions for your space: info@cookedstudio.com. (M) +27 79 696 8295
