How retail space planning software can help you get more sales?

What is retail space planning software?

For a retail center, the proper utilization of the space is very important. Space planning helps in ensuring customers visiting the outlet can find the products they are looking for quickly.

 Using a retail space planning software would help in making the process of space planning more effective. For every retail store, the layout of the store is very important. The key issues while planning the layout would be:

  • Where should the billing counters be present?

  • How should space be organized?

  • How many racks should be placed?

  • How much space should be left between racks?

  • How should the different departments in the store be organized – apparel, grocery, electronics, etc.?

  • Which departments should be near the billing counter?

  • Which products should be displayed in which rack?

  • Which products should be placed in the top racks?

  • Should a store map be used to communicate store layout to customers or should signboards be used?

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    All these questions need to be answered to ensure that the store layout is done in the best possible way. Using software would be very convenient as the software would help you design the entire layout on a computer system. 

    You can design racks, allot items to it, make modifications, and do the entire planning using the software. The software for retail space planning would have many features to help you carry out your activity effectively. 

    This is important because a good store layout ensures customers have a great experience at the store.

    Features of retail space planning software

    For a retail center, every inch is precious. Managing space effectively plays a major role in the success of a retail center. Too much of space left over leads to wastage of resources. Too less space left over can cause congestion. Getting the right balance is the key.

    Having a complete design, known as a planogram is essential. This allows the retailer to decide how to manage space, where to place merchandise and how to organize the entire setup.

    When software is used for this, the entire work becomes more easier. There are many such software in the market. There is a need to make use of software that would meet all the requirements of a retailer. A good software would have all these features:

    • The design should be intuitive making using it easy and simple.

    • Planning can be done easily with great accuracy.

    • It would be easy to create departments and allocate merchandise to each of the departments.

    • Managing floor space and allotment of racks can be done easily.

    • Once all the settings are done, the planogram can be created easily.

    • Modification of layouts and updating of planogram can happen in an easy way.

    • 3D images of the store can be created to make the planning process more effective.

    • Dimensions can be tracked easily.

    • Analytical features would be provided to take decisions on the allocation of space.

    • The workflows used in the software are based on best practices in the industry. They allow for the creation of the best planogram.

    • Ability to create layout maps

    How retail space planning software can help in improving sales

    There is a strong relation between space planning and sales. Effective space planning can boost sales. Using professional software for space planning can help in a big way to track and improve sales. 

    This is how it can be done:

    • When a clear view of the store and all the departments are provided at the entrance, the customer gets to know all that is on sale. This would make it easy for the customer to shop. Also, the customer is attracted to shop thanks to the layout.

    • The merchandise that customers shop the most is usually kept at the back of the store. If they are kept at the entrance, then customers would pick up the items and leave. If they are at the back, then the customer has to traverse the entire store to reach what he wants. This ensures he gets to see many other products and offers, that he is tempted to buy. 

    • A software would help analyze sales and based on that most needed items can be kept at the back to create more opportunities for sales.

    • Properly planned layout is pleasing and entices the customer to shop more thereby increasing sales.

    • When shoppers can find the products of their choice easily and when things are organized well, more shoppers would be attracted to the retail outlet, thereby increasing sales.

    • Based on sales performance, store layouts can be changed. For example, if some products are not moving, then they can be placed near the fast moving products or at the entrance to promote them. Planning this would be very easy using the software.

    • An analysis of sales before the new layout and after creating the new layout can be done to find out how effective it has been.

    • The software can also be used for inventory tracking.

    • Customers would be happier shopping at a retail outlet that is well organized and helps find merchandise easily. This leads to greater customer satisfaction and loyalty.

    • A loyal customer would shop more and also refer other customers. All this helps in improving sales performance.

    • During peak seasons, the layout may need to be changed. Doing it with the help of software would be very easy.

    • When a new store is opened, the existing layout can be re-used with modifications to create a new layout and planogram.

    The most powerful aspect of retail space planning software is the fact that its usage empowers the retailer to be able to take decisions easily and effectively. 

    The retailer can plan and implement the perfect layout and use space optimally. All this would not only lead to better resource management would have a direct impact on sales. This is the reason for the popularity of this software.