The right retail shop shelving can make all the difference to your business, but what are the ins and outs of getting it designed, fitted and installed?

"It's a process that decision makers and designers need to go through from beginning to end, making sure the final product is controlled, created and executed to achieve the desired result," says Grant Bird from The Factory.

The process

Rather than waiting until the end of the retail fit-out process, shelving design should be considered from the get go, says Grant.

The process of designing a retail shop shelving system should generally include:

• looking at the opposition's shelving and similar industry shelving and finishes
• putting together a folio of ideas, considering the store's products and materials
• coming up with a floor plan, looking at shelf heights, materials and options
• presenting a full-colour visual of the floor plan, showing what the store will look like
• determining shelving costs
• ordering and manufacture of shelving
• installation of shelving, ensuring on-site safety guidelines are met.

Creating effective display area

In order to create an effective display area in a retail space, a number of factors must be considered.

Firstly, look at the space around the shelving; you don't want everything to be squished together. It's also important to make sure that the customer has easy access to the products on the shelves, and that the shelving complements the products properly.

The way products are set up on the shelves will also play a role in the overall success of displays - you want alluring, possibly unusual configurations of products. You should also consider how customer traffic will flow around the shelves.

The best fit for your business

"Customising shelving is often a way to create an effective retail shelving set-up that can fit directly into all areas of any store," says Grant.

Good retail shop shelving should:

• place the focus directly on the products - it should be 'invisible' and let the products stand out
• allow easy traffic flow around the shop, giving customers the best access to products
• allow easy access to products, making customers more likely to examine them and buy
• take heavy weights, meaning no restriction on the kinds of products you can display
• be customised to perfectly suit your space and make your products look their best.

Make it top shelf

Good shop shelving can make your retail space the most appealing, easily accessible and best looking on your strip, which can equate to increased customers and sales. So to talk about your shelving options, call a display shelving company today.