We’ve all had the experience of struggling with trying on a swimsuit in a tiny change room in the lead-up to summer. It’s uncomfortable, there’s nowhere to hang up your clothes, sometimes there’s not even a mirror inside (of course, it’s outside, where you’ll have to parade around in front of other customers) and to top it all off, there’s horrible, unflattering fluorescent lighting.
All in all, it can be a pretty soul-destroying experience for a customer, especially when you leave the store empty-handed.
That’s why creating a fabulous change room area for your customers is important.
To increase the chance of product being purchased, the most comfortable shopping environment should be provided for your customers at this point in your store. After all, they’re making a buying decision. If the customer is hot bothered, doesn’t have enough room to move, hang clothes, try on shoes and so on, this will contribute to a negative pace and lead to fewer sales.
Here are a few tips to create a great change room area for your customers:
- Offer them a decent amount of space and room for them to move around.
- Make sure there’s plenty of air circulation. As customers try things on and move about in a confined space, a sweat is easily built up. Concentrate on the air circulation at your fitting stations, with good strong air conditioning or a fan positioned above the space.
- Good light is essential, but make sure it’s not harsh and unflattering.
- Soft background music in this area can add atmosphere and remove the sometimes uncomfortable silence factor.
- Keep it clean. There is nothing worse than trying on clothes or shoes and having to dodge the dust balls growing in the corners of the change rooms. This is not a pleasant visual experience and it will devalue your product immediately.
This is an edited extract from Retail Revamp: The No-Nonsense Guide to Visual Merchandising and Display by Carol Bagaric.
