A clean and organized store environment impresses customers, increasing the likelihood of them actually purchasing something or at least coming back the next time they pass by. Also, a clean store is easier to manage than a disorganized one, which can help your business streamline its processes and maximize productivity.
Impressing your customers takes more than just having a professional commercial and residential architectural designer to design your store. If you want your customers to see your business as a clean and organized space, here are some decluttering strategies you should try:
1. Start with the backroom
Clutter might be out of customers’ sight, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there. Store backrooms are notorious for being cluttered, especially if you don’t have a sound inventory management system in the first place, so if yours is teeming with stuff, here are some tips on how to declutter:
- Find and get rid of inventory that should no longer be there. There might be a few boxes that you might have missed and are taking up precious storage space.
- Have a place for everything, and make sure everyone puts things back where they belong.
- Label storage areas to keep things organized and make it easier for employees to retrieve items from the back room.
- Label everything to save time looking for a specific product.
- Store similar merchandise together to save on storage space.
- Delegate an employee to oversee the backroom’s organization regularly. Better yet, do it yourself if you have the time.
2. Get rid of rarely used items
If an item hasn’t been used in more than a year, then it’s time to get rid of it. Resist the urge to keep ‘just in case’ items (which, we know, can be quite tricky) that you probably won’t use more than a couple of times a year. They only take up storage space and increase the number of items that you have to keep organized.
However, if you don’t want to get rid of your ‘just in case’ items, find a place for them in your own home or a storage unit.
3. Go paperless
Physical paperwork can quickly accumulate in a short amount of time, which can add to the clutter in your already limited space. Instead of printing and keeping physical files, why not go digital instead? By scanning old documents and putting them on the cloud, you can shred the mountains of paper you have in your office and have a backup in case something happens to the physical files.
At the same time, avoid printing new files unless it’s necessary. Store files on the cloud instead. Not only does going paperless save you money on office supplies, but it also makes your office cleaner and more manageable.
4. Toss unnecessary store items
Does your store need those decorative vases out front? Or the interactive art piece that no one pays attention to? Some items in your store might not serve any purpose other than take up space. So from time to time, take a look around your store and find things that are better off in the bin.
5. Let go of multiples
If your business does not need multiples of a specific item, consider donating or selling it. For example, if the counter only really uses one card terminal, then get rid of the other one. Alternatively, store excess items in your ‘just in case’ box in the office or the backroom, but make sure it doesn’t take up too much space.
6. Declutter regularly
Clutter can pile up quickly in a fast-paced environment like a retail store, and before you know it, you have a whole new mess to deal with. That said, making decluttering a regular activity can keep your store consistently organized. Designate at least one employee (or yourself) to monitor the organization of the store and keep a lookout for things that might have to be purged.
Tolerating clutter in your store (regardless if customers can see it or not) can be bad for your business. For one, a cluttered store makes a bad first impression on customers, making them think worse of what might be going on in the back room. But even if customers can’t see the clutter, it can still affect your employees’ productivity and efficiency, which, in turn, affects your products and services.
With that in mind, keeping your store clutter-free should be one of your top priorities as a business owner. Use these decluttering strategies to turn your store into a clean, organized, and clutter-free space.
