Trade equipment in a modern shoe and accessories store

For a very long time, commercial equipment was a purely utilitarian item of store interior. But those days are long gone, and today retail equipment is not just shelves, racks, tables, but one of the effective tools of visual merchandising, an integral part and reflection of the concept of retail design. In the previous issue (Shoes Report, #199), SR’s resident expert in the field of store building and commercial display design, Marina Polkovnikova, examined the main trends in retail design, which, in her opinion, shoe stores should pay attention to. These are minimalism, monochrome, natural and environmentally friendly materials in the design of shop windows and retail space, inclusivity and safety. These trends will be relevant in the next few years. Continuing the topic started, in this article Marina Polkovnikova gives recommendations on how to use retail equipment to create a trendy commercial presentation of goods in a store and, at the same time, a comfortable atmosphere for customers that encourages them to make purchases.

Marina Polkovnikova -

founder of the international company VMC Retail, expert in the development and launch of design concepts and merchandising, store building trainer, 22 years of experience in retail.

https://t.me/marinavmcretail

I propose to delve into the topic of retail equipment and work through and study this visual merchandising tool, which is also part and reflection of retail design.

Commercial equipment (TO) simultaneously solves many problems: in addition to the fact that products should be placed on it - shoes, bags and accessories, commercial equipment can both enhance the product, highlight it, and, conversely, hide it from the eyes of the buyer and, thus thus reducing sales.

Maintenance also allows us to maximize the number of SKUs in the hall, if there is such a task, or, on the contrary, it may be non-functional, and we will not be able to present the volumes that we need to present due to the limited capabilities of the equipment.

Finally, TO gives us dynamics, texture and volume within the retail space.

Some theory

There are three types of commercial equipment:

1. Wall-mounted or wall-mounted: all shelving, prefabricated structures, built-in retail systems and shelving - everything that we attach or mount to the wall (or in the wall). 2. Island equipment: shelving, tables, cabinets, poufs, armchairs, benches - everything that stands in the center of the sales area, that can be moved, as well as static equipment that is illuminated. 3. Exhibitors and demo forms: various stands, boxes, ladders, etc., which allow you to highlight the product on the shelf and present it in the best possible way. Thus, exhibitors allow you to create a dynamic and beautiful display of goods.

Now let's take a closer look at each type of commercial equipment.

Wall format

We always use wall-mounted retail equipment in any store. Often, when we work in the premium segment, we have tall, beautiful racks that are fixed to the wall, or built-in racks, when a niche is built and shelves are built in there. In the premium segment, everything is quite simple: ordinary shelves, which can be made of thick transparent acrylic, MDF, veneer, metal of different shades, and other materials.

Luxury stores always use displays on shelves and racks of wall-mounted equipment in order, firstly, to make the display dynamic and attractive, and secondly, to highlight one or another model.

An additional detail - a transparent insert in the shoes - allows you to beautifully display the sandals, and if the model has lacing, then a square-shaped or ladder-shaped exhibitor allows you to show the model in the best possible way, raising it to another level of presentation.

Prada boutique: shoe displays are made of thick (20 mm) transparent acrylic in the form of squares.

If we look at the modern stores that opened last year and this year, we will see: the functionality of wall and island equipment today is a must-have for a fashion store. This means that it must be possible to move the shelves up and down or remove them altogether. This is very important for a shoe store, because in the autumn-winter period you have a larger number of high-model shoes - ankle boots, ankle boots, and especially boots that need more space and “a lot of air.” We remember that boots can only be placed on the bottom two shelves and they need space. If your wall-mounted equipment does not have a shelf removal function, then boots in this case can only be placed on the island equipment. And this is already a significant limitation and difficulty in visual merchandising. Therefore, the functionality of the shelves is as relevant as before.

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In a modern shoe store, several types of wall-mounted equipment are now increasingly used: not just all shelves of the same length and height, but some mix of ordinary, most common racks with built-in shelves, with some kind of cubes and ladders of the same dimensions, so that a bag can be placed there present other products (not just shoes). Such equipment is some kind of ready-made sets for a dynamic and unusual presentation of goods. Then it turns out that thanks to the equipment, you can create active dynamics in the store, which looks very unusual and interesting.

Divarese store, Istanbul: wall-mounted equipment creates an active dynamic in product presentation.

Fitting areas and islands

In solutions with island equipment and cash desks, recycled materials - plastic, remnants of advertising structures, panels made of pressed sawdust, plywood - are increasingly being used for the manufacture of equipment.

We must always remember that a financial model is built into the cost of the store, and we must build it correctly. Therefore, the use of cheap, but very fashionable and relevant materials for commercial equipment plays a big role in the financial model and budget optimization. The number of fitting areas in shoe stores has increased, and these fitting areas themselves have become larger and more comfortable. Finally, retail design will turn towards the buyer and begin to make it as comfortable as possible for the client to buy, and also comfortable for the seller to serve. In most cases, equipment for the fitting area in shoe retail is located in the center, that is, an “island”.

Today, a shoe store should not have 3-4 seats per 100 square meters. meters, and about eight or more if we are talking about the mass market segment, so that the client can be served quickly, comfortably and efficiently.

A great idea is when part of the seating - ottomans, benches - is used as an element of island retail equipment, and if necessary, when there is an influx of visitors during peak hours, you can remove shoes from them and seat clients there. This is a unique added function for island equipment. At the same time, we see that more and more often comfortable single chairs are being added to the store interior so that the client feels at home when trying on shoes. Unusual benches and chairs can also be part of commercial equipment. Everything here is limited only by the retailer’s imagination.

Exhibition rules

Exhibitors today can come in many different shapes, from different materials, and my advice is to always use them. These are shoe stands, holders for bags and hats - all of them are a powerful tool in effective commercial presentation of goods.

Below is a selection of photos of successful examples that demonstrate the product in a tasty and beautiful way. Exhibitors can be developed and ordered under your own unique brand, then it looks very cool.

Exhibitors are an important tool for the retail equipment of a shoe store, which can very significantly influence the average check and the number of items in the check, because if they are carefully thought out and designed, then the client buys not only shoes, but also related products - bags, hats, etc. accessory group.