Grid2's Roberts outlines rules for winning displays
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, June 12, 2006
Henderson, Nev. — Using the Hollywood technique of the "slow reveal," retail design expert Martin Roberts gradually unveiled 12 principles that he said will create fresh, inviting retail display spaces.
He put those principles to work in designing the Las Vegas showroom for Comfort Solutions by King Koil, one of the latest projects in his 16 years at Grid2, the New York-based design firm of which he is president.
Roberts said that by making stores more customer friendly, customers will spend more time in them and that will lead to more spending, as bookstores Barnes & Noble and Borders, two companies Roberts has assisted, have discovered.
Here are his 12 principles, with brief explanations:
-
Clutter to clarity. Too many signs, cutaways and graphics can create "a real dump" inside a store. And clutter tends to accumulate, since "there is no end date on clutter." The result: "No one would want to go in there." Retailers need to "de-clutter" their stores, providing a sense of clarity.
-
The Yellow Brick Road. The Comfort Solutions showroom has a circular walkway that leads customers on an orderly tour. As they make their rounds, they gradually see the full assortment. This "slow reveal" keeps them interested by showing a little bit of the merchandise at a time.
-
Swim in eddies. Just as fish swim in eddies, so do customers. They take possession of the spaces that they inhabit. And those cozy spaces provide a sense of privacy, making it easier to get consumers to try out the beds.
-
Touch leads to sales. Customers who touch books are more likely to buy them. Borders placed tables in aisles to make the books more accessible to consumers. First they would just touch the edges of the books, but then they would pick them up. "You buy a book not just because of the title," Roberts said, "but by the weight of the book in your hands, the touch of the pages."
-
Draw them in. Beds lined up in rectangles create "a boring sameness." They are like cars packed into a parking lot. When you open the displays up, you create welcoming spaces.
-
Designer destinations. Harder and softer floor surfaces keep stores interesting. The Yellow Brick Road encircling the store is a harder surface. Carpets off that walkway give customers permission to step off the walkway, letting other customers pass by. And those carpeted niches let consumers take possession of those spaces.
-
Comfort solutions. Roberts said it is important not to give consumers too many choices. A setting of three beds gives customers a good number to choose among. If you give consumers more than five choices, you will lose them, he said.
-
Create a sense of luxury. Reflective surfaces and chandeliers send powerful subliminal messages of luxury. Residential-style lighting brings silks and shiny materials to life.
-
Bling it on. "Bling sells," Roberts said. Eye-catching drapery and sparkles on the mattresses catch customers' eyes.
-
Light and bright. Keeping spaces "light, bright and airy" makes customers want to explore new areas of the store.
-
Soft and safe. Women, the primary decision-makers in the bedding purchase, are threatened by dark spaces, Robert said, but they are welcomed by bright spaces. Soft shapes and materials also make stores more welcoming for women.
-
Female friendly. Use colors that appeal to women, he said. Create "softer approaches to selling" by providing unique shopping experiences. Photos of flowers can add an artistic sense to retail floors.
