Shopping for Comfort: The Importance of Ergonomics in Retail Design

Through her BBC TV series Mary Portas has popularised and championed the significance of good retail store design, to the extent that consumers are now much more aware of some of the tricks" of the trade. Customers' expectations are getting higher and higher as they become more savvy and sophisticated in both their taste and awareness.

As well as considering the style, look and feel of a store, just as important are the ergonomics of retail interiors, shop fitting and displays. There is the potential for shoppers to, at worst, injure themselves and, at the least, find the retail experience less enjoyable than they might. Areas requiring attention include checkouts, counters, shop fixtures and fittings, changing room size and self-service equipment. It's also crucial that customers are able to access goods and move around the interior space in a safe and healthy way, so counter heights and shelf depths are critical.

And what about the staff that work in retail environments? Check-out operators can be at risk from RSI and visual fatigue if they are carrying out repetitive tasks. Less obvious, but also important are back-room staff areas, including offices, kitchens and relaxation spaces. Good design and technology as well as ergonomic shop fixtures and fittings can help to improve the wellbeing of staff. And not forgetting that the ergonomic product design of work tools ranging from tape measures to cash registers can be just as critical to employees' health.

We have to be careful not to make too many generalisations when it comes to retail store design, as the types of stores based on the diversity of products sold and their differing markets can be as varied as the people who shop in them. Common throughout any retail shop fitting though is that a retailer's first priority will always be designing for sales": understanding how to encourage shoppers to enter (and remain) within the store, then how to engage the shopper and invite them to explore" the product and ultimately get the sale. Does designing for sales" conflict with designing for ergonomics"? Not so says Jason Laity, Director of Synthesis Design & Display, as he succinctly puts is: Remember that comfortable customers buy product." He cites three main variables aesthetics, semiotics and ergonomics" as key considerations in successful retail store design.

Retail environments are as much about people as they are products. How shoppers feel (both physically and psychologically) has a big impact upon how they spend. On the other side of the equation a satisfied and healthy shop worker is much more likely to sell products enthusiastically and effectively. At its simplest ergonomics is about putting people first, and it is a discipline that aims to improve total system effectiveness by ensuring that people are safe, comfortable and productive.

References:

http://www.insideretailing.com.au/Latest/tabid/53/ID/363/Secrets-to-good-store-design.aspx