Top tips for optimizing your store layout for productivity and sales

Image by Trang Le from Pixabay

By Henry Brown

When you turn your small shop into a big retail business, the organization of your store layout is going to play an important role in the success of your business.

If your store layout is messy, cluttered, and disorganized, then you will find that your staff are not going to be working productively or able to do their job to a high standard, and customers are not going to spend as much time or money in your shop as they could be.

The organization of your store layout goes beyond its design and should be optimized in a way that enables a high standard of work, and a clear path for customers to invest.

If you want to learn how to optimize your store layout for productivity, here are some top tips that you need to follow.

#1 Identify the needs of your store layout

You must identify what your store layout needs. Productivity will come as a result of the environment that your staff and customers are in, the tools they have been given, and the goals that you set, as well as a result of a team effort.

Start by assessing your store layout to see where you are falling short and people are getting complacent. Make sure you look at it with an open perspective and be critical. Look at what is working well, and what isn’t working well. These insights will help you make the necessary improvements to reach your potential and increase productivity.

#2 Get organized 

The organization is key to an efficient and productive workplace. If items and procedures are ambiguous, then you will find that there is a lot of unnecessary movement and activity in the store. This can be reduced by organizing yourself and communicating the rules and procedures to your team. Make sure that only essential materials and procedures are used, and that you have an organized storage system. This is also the ideal time to decide whether using glass display cabinets would help you achieve your goals. If so, you can determine exactly where they should go and what they should contain to make your store interesting and unique to customers.

#3 Maintain your business

Maintenance will minimize the disruptions your business faces. This is something you need to keep on top of, as any downtime that your business faces can be costly and problematic. You should consider when and how you run maintenance activities on your business, for example, you can schedule at times that will not disrupt your business, utilize technology to make tasks more efficient, maximizing on the skills and knowledge of your employees for issues, and much more. This might look like using a high-spec floor sweeper after hours.

#4 Train your staff

If you want to optimize your store layout for productivity, one of the best ways you can do this is by investing in regularly training your team that will keep their skills and knowledge up to date. It will also enable them to continue to be proficient in their everyday tasks, increase their passion to work and collaborate with others and engage more in their activities. When your entire team is working to a higher standard, this will reflect highly on your business and its productivity.

A productive layout is important for running a successful business. Follow these top tips to optimize your business.

______

Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop, he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.

Leave a Reply

The Self-Employment Survival Guide can help you succeed. Learn all about it here.

Self-Employment Survival Guide book cover