The Benefits of Wayfinding Maps in Large Retail Stores

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Most large retail stores have an intricate and complex system of departments. Visiting them takes a lot of time and leads to wandering in search of the right products, which can cause stress and anxiety for shoppers. Navigation in retail using wayfinding maps, which replaces conventional signs and not always convenient information desks, helps solve this problem. In this article, we will take a look at the main benefits of this system and explain why it&#;s becoming an increasingly popular tool in retail.

What is an indoor navigation system using mobile maps?

Recently, retailers have been actively revamping the infrastructure of their stores. There are many reasons as to why, from increased customer demands to the opportunity to grow profits through cross-selling and the remaining habits after Covid-19. Regular navigation methods in the form of desks and signs are gradually losing their relevance because they don&#;t always allow the customer to quickly find what they&#;re looking for. Instead, retail wayfinding is increasingly being introduced, which helps create a unified environment with a convenient search for the right products.

Wayfinding in retail stores is an innovative digital system that helps facilitate store navigation. While previously shoppers could only navigate with physical signs or static store maps, the introduction of a new platform provides an interactive shopping experience. Using mobile wayfinding maps, customers can:

• quickly find any products, departments, and amenities;
• build short routes to point of interest;
• build an itinerary through the store based on the shopping list;
• receive information about discounts, sales, and bonus offers.

The platform is based on determining the location of objects. Special sensors are installed in different places of the outlet and send out signals at a certain frequency. Receiving devices capture these pulses and send them to the server, where they are processed and transmitted to users' smartphones. Depending on the technology used, the accuracy of the location calculation can range from 12 inches to 10-16 ft.

Navigation using a digital wayfinding map is a perfect fit for large retail stores. It can be integrated into supermarkets, malls, and smaller stores. After the platform is introduced into the infrastructure, the shopper only needs to use the mobile application on a smartphone to open a detailed map and build the desired route. The system provides convenient product search and increases customer satisfaction from visiting the store.

Navigine indoor navigation platform interface

Benefits of mobile navigation maps

A mobile map for indoor navigation helps people better navigate large stores. It greatly facilitates shopping and provides many benefits for both customers and retailers.

Benefits for customers

• Reduced stress from searching for products and departments. Finding something in a large store can be challenging. Shoppers are forced to wander around the departments, ask the sales assistants for help, and waste their time. All this leads to stress and reduces loyalty to the outlet. Mobile maps effectively solve this problem. With them, visitors can search for products at their own pace and feel more relaxed, without any unnecessary anxiety.
• Obtaining accurate information about the location of points of interest/products. All information about products or points of interest is provided in real time. Thanks to the integration with inventory management systems, the platform is regularly updated, so the client receives accurate data on the availability of products, prices, and current promotions. If needed, the information is available in multiple languages.
• Increased safety for visitors with disabilities. Using wayfinding in retail stores, people with physical disabilities can shop comfortably. For them, routes can be developed that take into account elevators and ramps. Additionally, the platform notifies visitors of emergencies and provides directions to emergency exits.

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Benefits for retailers

• Reduced congestion in popular store locations. The technology provides retailers with detailed traffic analytics to optimize product placement. Managers can keep track of the most crowded places and place products in a way to avoid hustle and bustle. All routes are built more rationally, and customers don&#;t bother each other and can move freely around the store.
• Increasing customer satisfaction and spend. Easy product search increases customer satisfaction when visiting the store. Customers no longer need to spend too much time shopping, can quickly find products on the list, and receive up-to-date information about the product range, which makes them more loyal to the outlet. In addition, the system ensures cross-selling and encourages people to make unplanned purchases, which has a positive effect on the average spend and increases profits.
• Easy to integrate and configure. The platform is easy to implement and manage. The installation of sensors is carried out by experienced specialists who accurately determine their optimal location and the required number, taking into account the area of the store. The software can be adapted to the needs of a particular store and can be scaled as the business expands.
• Obtaining analytics to optimize store space. The platform constantly collects information that has to do with the activities of the store. The system can build heat maps, determine the fact of visiting an outlet, provide data such as traffic volumes, segmentation into one-time and regular customers, and the impact of push notifications on user routes. Then, this information helps optimize retail space and organize effective advertising campaigns.

What you need to implement the system

To implement wayfinding in retail stores, a certain set of components is required. First of all, you need software that will work with data coming from the server. Additionally, you have to install hardware that is selected based on the technology used. Sensors (tags, beacons) and readers are placed within the store, and, if needed, wearable equipment such as tablets, smartwatches, or badges is used to calculate the location of staff.

To give you an example of the implementation and effective use of wayfinding maps, let's review a case that Navigine created for the Finnish supermarket chain KESKO. We were faced with the task of resolving issues with inconvenient navigation and large crowds of people in stores, providing a quick search for products and personalized advertising.

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To carry out this task, we used Bluetooth® LE technology with a large number of beacons installed in stores. Specifically for KESKO, we created a complex navigation system, which included shopping carts with tablets. It was enough for the visitor to take a cart and type in the grocery list, and the platform immediately developed a suitable route and displayed it on the screen.

According to data, after the system was implemented, KESKO supermarkets showed a noticeable increase in sales. The brand awareness increased, and the average spend for each store increased by 6%. Moreover, the efficiency of marketing campaigns has significantly increased, since about 25% of shoppers followed the suggested routes.

Choose Navigine if you&#;re looking for high-quality smart navigation in retail stores. We develop innovative tools based on geolocation and offer effective software packages to enhance the features of mobile apps. To get more detailed information on the platform, please contact our team through the form on the website

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Unlike bold in-store promotional signage designed to stop shoppers in their tracks, retail wayfinding signage is created to keep shoppers moving. It&#;s more subtle.

Retail wayfinding signs and displays help customers get oriented when they first enter a store, shopping center, or mall. Then, the signs guide them to the store or type of merchandise they seek. The overall signage system should be so simple and clear that shoppers don&#;t have to give it much thought or stop to ask someone for directions.

Retail wayfinding projects differ from wayfinding projects in hospitals, universities, and airports. That&#;s because store layouts are strategically customized to the psychology, buying habits, and demographics of each store&#;s customer base.

Print service providers (PSPs) who want to produce retail wayfinding signage should familiarize themselves with some of the basic design objectives and trends.

Store Layouts, Zones, and Sightlines

The type and amount of wayfinding signage required is dictated by the layout, size, and amount of merchandise displayed in the store.

&#; Store layouts use strategic combinations of fixtures, temporary and permanent displays, and signs to guide customers through the merchandise areas of the store and finally to the checkout area. The layouts are based on the observed behaviors of the store&#;s target customers, as well as the range of products available for sale. A well-thought-out layout and store design prompts customers to make impulse purchases along with the items they came to buy.

Types of layouts include: the loop/racetrack, grid, straight/spine, free-flow, and forced-path. Each type of layout has strengths and weaknesses. For example, the loop/racetrack layout guides shoppers past all merchandise in the store. It works for customers shopping for multiple items but can frustrate shoppers who just want to get in, find what they need, and get out.

Big-box stores and home improvement stores use grid layouts, in which long aisles of high shelves display lots of merchandise. In contrast, experiential stores have fewer products on display, so they can use a free-flow layout that allows shoppers to wander and explore productions
on their own.

&#; Zones within the store layout are defined partly by foot traffic patterns. The decompression zone at the store&#;s entrance gives consumers enough space to transition from the exterior to the interior without feeling rushed or crowded.

High-traffic zones are the main paths customers travel to find the most frequently purchased products. Low-demand zones contain products that shoppers don&#;t frequently buy. To trigger impulse purchases, wayfinding signage will guide customers through the low-demand zones to reach the high-demand zones.
Idling zones are where customers wait in line to check out or make returns.

&#; Sightlines are the paths shoppers&#; eyes follow as they walk through the merchandise. Clear sightlines are particularly important for hanging signs. The signs should be displayed high enough to be readable from a variety of locations and viewing angles within the store.

Types of Wayfinding Signage

Although wayfinding signs should be simple and direct, that doesn&#;t mean
the design is dull. Signs should match the store&#;s branding without competing for attention with other signs.

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PSPs can suggest signage that can best help the store designer meet the goals of their wayfinding projects. Some signs will be designed for permanent installation and should be easy to maintain. Other signs will be updated periodically. Plus, a designer may require similar signs to be produced in different sizes for different-sized stores at different locations.

&#; Outdoor signs guide shoppers to stores in a shopping center or parking-lot locations where they can pick up online orders or return shopping carts. Big stores such as Walmart Supercenters use outdoor wayfinding signs to show which exterior doors take shoppers directly into supermarket, garden center, or pharmacy portions of the store.

&#; Entryway signs and displays welcome visitors to the store, help them get oriented, and direct them to special events or seasonal merchandise.

&#; Hanging aisle signs indicate the major product categories featured in an aisle or department. They should be consistent with the store&#;s brand, and treated as part of the store&#;s décor.

&#; Aisle signs attached to the shelves or display cases can flag the location of specific categories of products such as potatoes, dishwashing products, or dog food.

&#; Wall graphics applied to the upper sections of the store&#;s interior perimeter walls give shoppers visual clues about where to find product categories such as auto parts, pet supplies, or health and beauty products.

&#; Exterior wall graphics in the parking garages for mixed-use facilities can guide drivers to the parking spaces nearest to the elevators for the apartments, retail shops, and salons contained in the building.

&#; Display headers help store visitors quickly find free-standing displays of specialized products such as nuts, cheeses, and breads.

&#; Landmark displays are specialty facades and themed elements that serve as focal points as shoppers wander through a store. They may signal to shoppers that they have entered the meat department, the bakery section, the in-store health clinic, or customer-service area. Landmark displays in an aisle may be higher than surrounding store elements, and feature brighter colors or dramatic lighting.

&#; Elevator, escalator, or stairway signage helps store visitors see what type of merchandise is available on the current floor or the next floor.

&#; Exit signs and safety signs provide simple instructions for exiting the building or reacting to an emergency.

&#; Floor graphics and sidewalk graphics can lead visitors to specific entrances or exits, or to in-store events.

&#; Interactive digital directories enable customers in malls, outdoor shopping centers, and urban department stores to see where their desired stores or services are located.

&#; Product mapping apps enable frequent shoppers to use their smartphones to guide them on the most efficient route in a big store to find every product on their shopping lists.

Design and Production Tips

PSPs and retail display fabricators often post useful tips for designers and users of wayfinding signage. Here are just a few tips collected from blog posts published by Vomela, Husky Signs, Endpoint, King Retail Solutions. and other sources.

Keep the text readable, simple, and direct. Customers who enter a store to buy a specific product just want to find what they want and check out. People shopping for pleasure want to control their own experiences by locating the sections that most interest them.

Use similar branding on wayfinding signage and graphics in online stores. Visiting the website should feel like visiting the store and vice versa. Colors, fonts, and music should be consistent and aligned with the aesthetics and ideas of the brand.

Likewise, the wayfinding sign in one store location should resemble the wayfinding signs of stores in other cities.

Some consumers use wayfinding apps on their smartphones to help them find what they need when they enter a different location of a store they often shop.

&#;As more consumers come to depend on grocery shopping apps, it&#;s vital to integrate the design of physical signs and the digital interface,&#; says Farrah Potter of King Retail Solutions in Eugene, Oregon. &#;Not too long ago, these two realms might have shared little more than a logo.&#;

Conduct retail site surveys to adapt the wayfinding signage to the specific dimensions, site lines, and layouts of each store building. If sign fabricators know the dimensions of each store, they can adjust the signs to fit the space before they are manufactured.

Pay attention to ADA guidelines for aisle signage. Signs can&#;t interfere with sprinklers or block doors or emergency equipment.

Use large-scale graphics to give shoppers the feeling of being immersed in the environment. For visuals that will be updated, consider ultra-bold soffit murals, projected signs, and printed
wall graphics.

Use oversized letters to frame and define service areas, even in stores with small footprints.
Improving the In-Store Experience

Wayfinding signage strategies are continually re-evaluated to meet the changing expectations and shopping habits of new generations of customers.

For example, customers who feel digitally fatigued from staring at a computer all day welcome the opportunity to visit stores and retail complexes that offer novel experiences or pleasing environments.
Grocery store shoppers who are trying to control costs through at-home cooking and meal planning may prefer not to risk coming home with a lot of impulse purchases. So they convert their shopping list into an online order and look for signs that direct them to the pick-up points for same-day delivery.

Retail wayfinding signage also directs customers to locations within the store that offer specialty services such as printer recycling, COVID and flu shots, and product exchanges and refunds.

As consumer buying habits and preferences evolve, retail store designers are experimenting with different layouts and designs.

In , Best Buy converted 40 traditional big-box style layouts into a &#;digital first&#; experiential concept that helps shoppers learn about and use the electronics they may have researched online. Instead of stocking products on the shelves, shoppers touch and try products at interactive displays, then scan a QR code on the product price tag to have the item delivered from the backroom to the cash register for pick-up. Pickup lockers outside of the store are available for 24/7 pickup of items ordered online.

Target has developed stores that are 20,000 sq. ft. larger than the traditional stores, offering a wider merchandise assortment and more backroom fulfillment space for same-day delivery orders.

Credit: Target

While Target has opened smaller-format stores in city centers, the company has also developed stores that are 20,000 sq. ft. larger than the traditional stores. The larger stores will offer an even wider merchandise assortment and more backroom fulfillment space for same-day delivery on online orders.

Changes in Malls and Shopping Centers

Enclosed malls were originally built to enable suburban shoppers to find a mix of big department stores and small retail stores within a single, enclosed facility. Some shut-down mall stores have been replaced with temporary pop-up stores or permanent facilities such as Planet Fitness gyms or specialty medical clinics that attract a steady stream of visitors who might visit stores afterward.

Shoppers who don&#;t want to visit multiple stores in a shopping center like the convenience of smaller stores within a larger store. For example, Sephora boutiques can be found in dozens of JCPenney stores, and Ulta Beauty shops have been opened in some Target stores. These mini-stores use their own branding to help shoppers find them within the bigger store.

With so many changes underway in retailing, the need for wayfinding signage will continue to evolve.

&#;Experiential retail will continue to require creative interiors and frequent refreshes,&#; Potter says. &#;Even ultra-discount stores can&#;t afford to deliver an experience that feeds consumers&#; anxiety that things are in decline.&#;

If your shop offers retail wayfinding signage, it&#;s helpful to follow trends and concerns within the specific categories of retailers you serve.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Shopping Mall Wayfinding.