“Although the term ‘showroom’ has
traditionally been used to describe HME stores, you should realize
that you are really trying to create a successful retail
space,” says Ed Lemar, vice president of Gladson Store
Design, Lisle, Ill.
According to Lemar, the design of any up-to-date and successful
home health store is based on the individual image that an HME
provider wants to convey. It sounds easy, but there are any number
of design principles and customer requirements that must be
considered — not to mention building codes and budgets.
“Stores should communicate the caring, warmth, convenience
and information that customers are depending on you to
provide,” Lemar says. “These attributes can be achieved
through store layout, product variety, decor and knowledgeable
personnel.”
At Medtrade Spring last April, Lemar and Jack Evans of Malibu,
Calif.-based Global Media Marketing, two of the HME industry's
leading retail design experts, explained much about retail
philosophy in a hands-on store design workshop. Nearly 200
providers crowded the room as the two explained the basics of
creating showrooms that make the best use of every square foot of
floor space.
Using these key components, session attendees worked to create
their own “perfect” showrooms. “It's clear
providers have a long way to go to optimize retail sales,”
says Evans, “but it's also clear that, with a little effort,
providers can easily increase their cash business.”
If you missed the spring workshop, you've got another chance.
Join HomeCare once again for this special Medtrade session
to see what successful home health retail stores look like and how
they:
Create a great first impression
Utilize effective store layout
Make shopping a comfortable and educational experience
Set traffic patterns that draw customers through the entire
store
Use better displays
Meet their customers' home health care needs
Learn how to increase add-on sales and sales-per-customer by
merchandising to meet 100 percent of your customers' needs in any
category. Toss out your old fixtures, open up your aisles and see
how your showroom can stimulate customers to touch, try and
buy.
The retail design workshop will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 26,
from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon. For more information, visit www.medtrade.com.
Ed Lemar says:
“The results of designing an intelligent store layout
and providing a high level of customer service are obvious. Store
owners and managers who do so will see increased sales and improved
return on investment.”
Think about the basics
- Guide your customer through the store
- Enhance product visibility
- Create a customer-friendly shopping environment
- Store security
- Employee efficiency
Devise a traffic pattern that
- Pulls your customer deep into the store
- Predicts where they will travel
- Exposes customers to more merchandise
- Maximizes in-store time
Take the physical needs of your showroom space into
account
- Ancillary areas
- Storage (clean/dirty)
- Office area
- Consultation area
- Repair area
- Fitting room
- Seminar room
- Customer service
Figure space correctly for every department, including any
additional areas
- Uniforms
- Kids' area
- Media center
- Health foods
- Aromatherapy
- Nutritional/supplements
- Women's health
- Diabetic shoes
Consider layout and display requirements, and keep these
general notes in mind
Minimum of 4' wide aisles
Minimum of 4' wide walk space behind service area
Minimum of 5' wide aisle along slatwall to allow for product
5' wheelchair turnaround required for enclosed spaces (such as
fitting rooms and restrooms)
Jack Evans says:
“A successful and profitable retail showroom is not
something that magically appears out of thin air. Rather, it is the
result of careful store layout, a thorough understanding of
customers' wants and needs and aggressive
salesmanship.”
Remember the 80/20 Rule
80 percent of your profits are generated by 20 percent of your
customers.
80 percent of your sales are generated by 20 percent of your
salespeople.
80 percent of your sales are generated by 20 percent of your
products.
80 percent of your sales are generated from 20 percent of your
showroom (i.e., the front).
One size = all
- We are not selling Big Macs!
Medical conditions and health care needs vary from population to
population.
Demographics are unique to every community.
Seniors and baby boomers buy completely different models of the
same products.
Think about good, better, best
Retail consumers make their purchasing decision based on product
comparisons.
A choice of options, personal benefits and price points enables
consumers to choose the product that best meets their own
needs.
When retailers “sell high,” more than half of retail
consumers purchase an upgraded product.
Products should be easy to touch/try/buy
Home health care products need to be demonstrated and tried
before they are understood (and bought) by the average
customer.
Consumers who touch and try a product are two-thirds of the way
through making their purchasing decision.
70 percent of consumers decide to buy a product after they are
inside a retail store.
Put demand products in the back
Retail consumers usually take the same path from the front door
to the demand product to the cash register.
Placing demand products at the rear of a showroom directs
traffic through your other related and impulse product
categories.
Cross-selling results when related products are displayed
adjacent to demand products.