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Stand Out In The Crowd Expert Linda Cahan Offers Retailers Insight Wondering what you can do to draw customers into your store during this challenging economy? “It’s more than just great product,” says Linda Cahan. “You also have to give them an experience they’ll remember. If your store is a vanilla box and just has shoes on shelves with footstools and chairs, why would a customer remember that experience? You have to offer more than that.”
RED MEANS STOP… SHOPPING
One of the easiest fixes for that vanilla box? “Color. How you use it in the parking lot to how you use it throughout your store has an impact psychologically, emotionally and physically. Five minutes in a red space can feel like 25 minutes, because red vibrates. At first you’ll feel excited, and that red color will inspire you to buy more—but only briefly. Soon you’ll feel impatient and aggravated. It’s not that you can’t use red at all, but you don’t want it to be the dominant color in your store.”
On the other end of the spectrum—literally—is green, but not just any green will invite customers to try on some shoes and stay a while. “In an urban environment, especially with shoes selling at a higher price point, you need modulated colors that have been highly mixed, like a greenish putty or a celadon green.”
Even if you don’t go for the green, really think about the power of color before you paint the walls of your store—and don’t shy away from taking a risk. “Surprise people with color, but influence them in a way they might not be aware of. Color really inspires people, and excites them.”
 Shoes get room to breathe in this department store setting, but not too much.
Color isn’t the only way to communicate with your customers. Your displays subliminally convey your price points as well. “Space equals cost. If you space shoes very far apart, people will assume your shoes cost $300 a pair or more. If your shoes cost $100 or less and you use that spacing, you’re attracting the wrong customer. Not only do you intimidate your target group, people who come into your store because they can afford more feel like they’ve been tricked. On the other hand, you should never cram very expensive shoes together. In some cases they really are works of art, and they deserve a little space to be admired.”
GO OUT ON A LEDGE
To convey that idea, regardless of your price points, consider putting fine art on display in your store. “I think that’s a wonderful pairing, no pun intended, whether you have wall murals or a rotating art show or bring in framed prints to hang on your walls. What kind of art you choose depends on your price points and the overall feeling of the store.”
If you carry accessories, try to tell a story to your customers by creating displays that create a head-to-toe look. “It pays to pull a bag and shoe it with a pair of shoes and a belt, because it encourages multiple sales by showing people how pieces work together. Brands like Coach and Cole Haan have done a great job in their stores of showing how their accessories work together.”
 A store window in Milan uses luscious candy colors to invite customers inside.
In putting together your store, it’s also important to consider the age of your customer, as Gen Y processes information in a very different way than your average baby boomer. “Women in their 20s and younger prefer a busier energy around a display. They can take in a lot of information and be comfortable with that. But older women often have less time, tend to be impatient and have a lot on their minds. We need to give them information in a way that’s straightforward and clean.” And, as you might guess, men have different needs than women. “For men, displays need to be geometric for them to feel comfortable. That doesn’t mean boring, but you have to find ways to use geometric forms to get your message across.”
Linda Cahan is an internationally known retail design expert specializing in visual merchandising and store design. Her 37 years in retail design includes experience with both large and small retailers and all types of merchandise. Her clients include Meijer, American Express, United Rentals, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lancôme, The Mills Group, Singer and the BPAA. Cahan gives seminars around the world, is a columnist for several retail magazines, writes custom visual standards manuals and is the author of Feng Shui for Retailers.
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