In the world of interior design, emphasis is obviously placed on what’s inside a building or a commercial venue. Retail interior design focuses on traffic control, product placement, the creation of comfort and areas that slow down traffic. One element, however, is missing here.
You only have one chance to make a great first impression. That chance depends on the curb appeal of your retail venue in Singapore.
Curb appeal is the attractiveness of the exterior. The outside of a store or a boutique is the one thing that people will take a look at before deciding whether to enter or to move along. This is one of the reasons why experienced retail interior design professionals will also pay huge attention to the exterior elements.
Building your store’s curb appeal is of paramount importance for overcoming intense competition and presenting the character of your brand in a consistent way. Improving curb appeal is dependent on your vision and the project can be executed in a number of creative ways.
Focus on Maintenance before Doing Anything Fancier
Directing foot traffic to your store is all about creating the right image for your retail venue.
Imagine the following picture – peeling paint, a shop window that features smudges on the glass, a light bulb that’s out. These signs of carelessness will make many people hesitant about entering your store.
The simple details matter the most. This is why you need to spruce things up before moving on to the fancier aspects of creating curb appeal.
Every exterior element should look fresh and properly maintained. A coat of paint, regular cleaning and updating the window display every now and then can do wonders for the attractiveness of your store. No theme or exceptional curb appeal solution will deliver the desired results in the absence of these basic elements.
Move Beyond the Standard Window Display
Most stores create curb appeal through an attractive and sophisticated window display. While you should definitely consider the items featured in your store’s window carefully, this isn’t your only opportunity to create commercial curb appeal.
What else could you rely on to entice people and get them walking inside the store?
A blackboard featuring a witty daily message is a fun choice for restaurants, cafés, organic shops, specialty shops and many other commercial venues. It is inexpensive and it can be used to highlight a limited time deal, a new product or a discount that you want more people to know about.
Curbside elements that shop visitors can interact with are also a great choice.
Think outside the box.
Here’s a great example from Atlanta, US – a bike shop placed a bicycle rack in front of the venue. This way, people could park their bikes there while shopping inside.
The curb-side element you select has to be relevant, functional or engaging. If it appeals to the right crowd and it enhances the shopping experience, chances are that people will pay attention and interact.
Apart from the window display, you could also rely on signage to present your brand, enforce a specific image or provide passers-by with information of interest.
Signage is an important part of what makes for successful retail interior design and it can also play a role in the creation of curb appeal.
Usually, companies tend to feature solely their name and logo on a sign hanging above the store. This is a large missed opportunity. Such a sign will be of use solely to the people who already know the venue and who plan to visit it.
The best signs out there tell passers-by what the shop has to offer and why they should take a look inside. Does the store feature premium local ingredients grown in small, sustainable farms? Does it sell handcrafted clothing items, each one of them unique and different from the others?
Choose a strong selling point that makes your business unique and add that to the primary sign. Opt for professional interior designers to make sure that the sign is in line with your corporate identity.
Temporary signage is also a great curb appeal choice. It can be used to announce a new collection, a discount or a special limited time offer people could benefit from.
Make the Curb Appeal Seasonal and Change It Often
The problem with the exterior of a store is that it starts blending into the background once people become too familiar with it.
Keeping things fresh and exciting is all about introducing change every now and then. Luckily, such modifications can be quite inexpensive and easy to execute.
Seasonal product displays and windows are an excellent example of how the curb appeal can be changed to maintain relevance and to get people interested in what the respective commercial venue has to offer.
Flowering plants are also a simple possibility for the addition of some attractive colour that can change with the seasons. A bit of landscaping is ideal for those venues that overlook vacant lots or that are neighbouring with other real estate in less than ideal condition.
The important thing here is maintenance once again. If you have Christmas lights on your window in the end of February, chances are that passers-by will not be impressed. Come up with a strategic plan, discuss the idea with your retail interior design service provider and appoint a team to ensure the timely change of the curb appeal elements.
Partnering up with the right interior design company that will understand your business and your value proposition will help you identify the elements that make the most sense for your commercial venue.
Home Guide is one such company in Singapore. We have extensive experience with commercial interior design and we work hard to understand the client’s specifications and preferences.
Contact us today, whether you want to modernise your shop’s window or overhaul the entire interior design concept. We have what it takes to offer you a contemporary solution that’s tailored to the needs of your business.n
