TOP 7 WAYS TO EXPAND AND MAXIMIZE YOUR STORE FLOOR SPACE

There are indeed a lot of things to consider with regards to your store’s floor space, including product positioning, customer navigation, and overall aesthetics. Consequently, as a store owner, you must build an area that encourages customers to enter and purchase your products. Therefore, you should follow the following top seven steps to maximize and expand your entire floor space.

#1 Work on your store layout 

In establishing a store layout, you don’t want to give your customers a difficult time searching for a product. Imagine making your customers go through different aisles and piles of products for a single item; you will just end up wasting their time. 

The following are various layouts you can integrate into your store: 

1. Straight floor plan: Perfect for retail stores, this floor plan gives your store a neat and organized look. In addition to that, you get to maximize the use of walls and fixtures with this layout.
2. Diagonal floor plan: As the name suggests, the shelves on designs like this are positioned diagonally. Moreover, store owners can monitor their customers better with this plan. 
3. Angular floor plan: This is a more innovative design that will give your store a more expensive feel. Adding some angles and curves to your shop will allow you to showcase your products excellently. 
4. Geometric floor plan: This plan will suit your store perfectly if you are selling clothes and accessories. Additionally, this is a great way of adding personality and character to your design.
5. Mixed floor plan: It is also common among retail stores to integrate different shapes, angles, curves, and designs. If you want something with more variety and features, choose this. 

#2 Categorize your products 

Along with organizing your products is categorizing them. When visiting a store, most likely, you know what you will get. So not only should you want your customers to find items quickly, but you want to group complementary products together. That way, you also get to advertise other items they would surely purchase.

Specifically, you would want to group the following products:

1. Cereals and milk
2. Pasta and sauce
3. Bread and bread spread
4. Salty snacks and drinks 

#3 Establish stations 

Maximizing your store’s floor plan also means creating a more welcoming environment for your customers. Put in some hands-on experience for them by establishing free food tasting stations. This will make the atmosphere less intimidating and add more customer experience. 

#4 Install proper lighting 

Make your space look bigger without physically expanding the store through the use of proper lighting. Not only will this strategy help with the look of the area, but the lighting will also help in showcasing the true hues of the products and make food appear more appetizing. 

Specifically, the different lights you can use for your store includes the following: 

1. Task lights: This may be the best choice for stores with limited space. You can get creative with task lights as they are versatile and come in different designs, colors, and styles.  
2. Decorative lighting: Integrating decorative lighting will also add personal touches to your store. In addition to that, they will make your store look more modern and unique. 
3. Accent lighting: These lights bring more focus to your products and save you a lot of space on your ceiling.
4. Ambient lighting: Ambient lighting is also known as the main source of light inside your store. They are generally in charge of guiding your customers to see your products.  

#5 Choose the right tiles 

Another way to brighten up your store is through tiles. To be more specific, you can opt for large format tiles with light colors. To make your store appear wider, it will be best to go for plain tiles so as to make your floor not seem too busy. Also, if you already have fixtures, make sure to match them for more aesthetic value. 

#6 Optimize your walls 

It would help if you did not keep your walls dull and blank. Optimizing these spaces does not particularly mean adding decoration. Rather, it means you should use them to add more storage space for your products.

The following are the different ways to do so: 

1. Hanging shelves: These fixtures are a great way to showcase unique products and add more color to your store.
2. Wooden crates: If you want a more neat and chic look, go for this one. You can also have fun with wooden crates by adding different sizes and styles.
3. Invisible shelves: Integrate invisible shelves to achieve a more modern and simple feel. They also make your store look sophisticated and contemporary. You can use them to display lotions, shampoos, and other bathroom essentials. If you want to use them just for decorative purposes, add some succulents and books. 

#7 Add some mirrors 

Double or even triple the size of your store through the use of mirrors. The following are the various mirror styles to make the illusion of having a large space: 

1. Floor to ceiling: You can fill up the whole area of your wall with mirrors. This will help amplify the lighting and make your store look more attractive. 
2. Horizontal mirror stips: You can also opt for small to medium mirror strips across the wall. They will create a more subtle but decorative style. 
3. Hallway mirrors: You should not only focus on the walls of your store alone. Hallway mirrors will help brighten up the entire area and make the space appear less cramped.