What to do with the sales area "on departure"

A store with two entrances located at different ends of the hall a priori becomes a seller’s problem: buyers go through it, depriving attention of a part of the assortment. But what if it is impossible to close the second entrance, otherwise some of the visitors simply will not get into the store? The reader from Yakutsk asks us about this. Marina Polkovnikova, visual merchandising expert, is looking for a way out of the two-entry problem. Writes Anna, the owner of a shoe store in Yakutsk:

“We have a women's and men's shoe store with an area of ​​150 sq.m., located on the third floor of the 7-storey shopping center in Yakutsk. It occupies the corner of the floor, in the center of which is the atrium, and has two entrances from opposite sides. The problem is that buyers go through the main door, and, passing through the store, go through the opposite exit, leaving some of the assortment without attention. But we want them to go all the way around the store, so we are thinking of closing the second exit. But the fact is that quite a lot of buyers enter through it, too, though less than through the main entrance, and if we close this entrance, those who want to get to our store will have to go around the entire atrium on the balcony. In this regard, we have a question: is it worth it to close the second door, and if not, how to use the equipment to distribute the flow of customers in this room? What kind of zoning for women’s and men’s shoes should be made, given that men's shoes occupy about 20 of our assortment? ”

Answers Marina Polkovnikova, director of the VM-consulting merchandising agency:

“Shops with two entrances always face a similar problem, and it must be taken into account at the design stage of the store. But since your store is already operational, try to find another way out of this situation. 

You say that quite a few buyers enter through the second entrance, and I hope that this statement is based on the data of counters or on other more or less objective observations. Given the high cross-country ability of the far entrance, you do not need to close it, otherwise you may lose some potential customers. Instead, shape the customer behavior you need with merchandising. I recommend you do the following:

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Step 1. In the first room, place an island display (a table or racks with shelves) opposite the main entrance, two to three meters from the gate. This will be the first obstacle in the visitor's path, shaping the customer flow in the desired direction. Furthermore, the area in front of the entrance is the hottest, so you can also use this table to draw attention to the merchandise displayed there. Best-selling products, complemented by individual models that require promotion, are ideal for display on an island display in the entrance area.

Step 2. Place a shelf rack in the center of the second room: its width can be even slightly wider than the aisles between the rooms. There should be at least 1,2 meters between the shelf and the right wall. This will visually break up the space and, in the customer's mind, block the direct path to the far exit. As customers walk around the rack, they will pay more attention to the left wall, which is exactly what we want.

Step 3. In the third, back room, I also recommend placing an island table opposite the entrance and moving the adjacent counter slightly toward it—for example, 30 or 50 cm to the right. This will create a barrier before the exit, and interested shoppers will likely walk along the equipment and browse the left side of the room. At the same time, for those entering the store, the island table will also act as a hot spot, perfect for displaying eye-catching shoe samples.

As for zoning by category, I recommend placing men's shoes at the main entrance, so that men can see it on the way to the store. For example, under the men's assortment, you can equip and stylistically separate the left wall. So we will kill two birds with one stone: we’ll occupy the left wall, which, being “female”, can be ignored, because most buyers always stay to the right, and show male visitors that we also have something to offer.