Customer Care - Customer Flow

• Store Layout: the design of the store's floor space and where they display (merchandise) items within the store
• Customer Flow: the movement of customers around a store.

Considering the direction in which the customers are moving around the store. When we are considering our customer flow there are two areas we need to consider.

The high traffic areas are where there are lots and lots of customers passing through, includes tills and where we store the most popular items. These are going to be the places where the most customers are going to visit. These areas the most customer footfall. 

The low traffic areas are areas of the shop where we have a limited number of customers or no customers visiting that area. We don't want areas of the shop that no customers are visiting. We must utilise all the space we have available.

If customers are going to every part of the store, we will generate more sales and make more money. When we design the layout of our store, we can direct customers through certain parts of our store. We can manipulate how customers move around our store and what they are going to purchase by the placement of our furniture and where we display each of our items. By displaying our most popular items (most likely to purchase) at the back of our store it means that our customers have to walk to the back of the store and are more likely to impulse buy (buy a product you didn't come for). Impulse buying means the business improves its sales.

• (also called a racetrack)
• Has one entry and exit point
• There is one major aisle ‘looping’ around the shop from entry to exit
• The till point in a loop design is located next to the exit because with our customer flow customers are moving in one direction and therefore products can be displayed on both sides of the customer
  • Customer sees every single product
  • Customer is able to purchase more products
• Think of a loop design being a one-way system
• Advantages: allows browsing and increases impulse buying
• Disadvantages: congestion, difficult to clean, cluttered, limited visibility poses security risk (theft)

• (also called a racetrack)
• Has one entry and exit point
• There is one major aisle ‘looping’ around the shop from entry to exit
• The till point in a loop design is located next to the exit because with our customer flow customers are moving in one direction and therefore products can be displayed on both sides of the customer
  • Customer sees every single product
  • Customer is able to purchase more products
• Think of a loop design being a one-way system
• Advantages: allows browsing and increases impulse buying
• Disadvantages: congestion, difficult to clean, cluttered, limited visibility poses security risk (theft)

• One major aisle runs from the front to the back of the store
  • Encourages people to walk down the aisle instead of moving in and out
  • To the side different departments branch off
• Customers are encouraged to walk down the main aisle and when they get to the department, they want they come off the main aisle and into that area
• Advantages: clear merchandise, possibility of self service,
• Disadvantages: possible confusion, large floor area required, limited visibility, may go straight to desired product, limited/no impulse buying

• You have counters and shelving units in long rows throughout the store
• The most common store layout design
  • All major supermarkets and shops
• Place necessary (the ones people want to buy) items at the back of the store
• Customers move up and down various aisles
• More likely to buy other items as they walk past
• Advantages: low cost, customer familiarity means, merchandise exposed, possibility of sell service, encourages impulse buying, easy cleaning, simplified security
• Disadvantages: plain & uninteresting, limited browsing, limited creativity