Retail stores typically comprise three parts: the store, the store employees, and the products. The store is where the client or customer will purchase your product or service.
A good retail store has an inviting appearance, visible signage to potential customers, a clean establishment, and an atmosphere that will promote sales and enable you to sell your product or service. When you think about opening a retail store, you want to ensure you can do it and create a successful business.
Take some time to plan and know what will work for your particular store.
1. Find The Best Location
Decide where it will be ideal for your business. Do you want to be near residential areas or next to highways? Location is a very important factor when it comes to opening a retail store.
If you are going for something that doesn’t need much foot traffic, you can shop in an area with little congestion but accessible from major roads and highways. Consider the amount of space you will need for your products and displays. You’ll also want to make sure you can set up the space to be safe and accessible for your customers.
You’ll also want to consider if it is more practical to purchase or lease an existing store. It is something that you will want to make sure that you do your research on before you purchase it. You will want to ensure that the property has worked before and is still in good condition.
2. Choose a Name
Choose a domain name for your store and ensure you can include this in all your marketing materials and advertising. A domain name is something that people will look up if they want to know where you are located or the products that you will be offering. You’ll want to keep it simple, specific, unique and include keywords. If possible, try to find a catchy name that can impact customers.
A memorable name will also help people remember your business if they cannot visit your store in person.
3. Check for Licensing
If you will be selling products, ensure you get a license for the product. Every state will have different requirements for the required license type (even if the item was developed in that particular state). Check with your local government or state department of commerce to see what type of licensing is needed and ensure it is available to you.
4. Set Up a Business Plan
Before signing a lease or buying a building for your store, make sure to complete a well thought out and researched business plan. This includes planning your products and services setting sales goals, market research and making financial projections.
While planning your space and products may seem be the more exciting parts of opening your store, developing a solid plan can help you measure the success of your business.
5. Plan for Employee Training and Development
As the owner of the store, if you hire employees, you will want to ensure that you have the proper training program to help your employees succeed. It will include training them on how your products and services should be properly presented to customers. You will also need to teach them about your point of sales system, inventory and visual marketing objectives.
6. Create a Marketing Plan
When you think about opening a retail store, you will want to create a marketing plan that advertises your products and services. It will help focus on what will work best for your business. You want to know that your marketing efforts are aimed at the right audience and will obtain the business results you desire for your store to succeed.
7. Cost
Even with costs and the time and effort that goes into opening a retail store, you will want to ensure that you can obtain the best price when purchasing or leasing a piece of real estate. You will want to make sure that you can find a property with minimal expenses and running costs.
Make sure that you know exactly how much money you need for your business before coming up with an estimate of the total costs. Make sure to leave room in your budget for unexpected costs and repairs.
8. Take your Time and do your research
Investing in opening a brick and mortar retail store is a big decision. Take the time to thoroughly research your location, competition, business plan and marketing. Research and understand your target customers so you can provide them with the best shopping experience.
Planning and research can go a long way in making your store a success.