Feng Shui For Retailers

Linda Cahan

No, it’s not #10 on the take out menu. Feng Shui means “wind and water” and is an ancient Chinese practice of creating balance in a space to achieve prosperity, peace and health. This 7000-year-old practice works beautifully with modern retail design as much of it is just good common design sense. What sets Feng Shui apart is its focus on how energy flows through your store and finding a good balance in your decor.

Intention

Many retailers are looking for ways to improve their luck and by that, increase their sales. One of the most important aspects of Feng Shui is figuring out your intention. Intention means what you have in mind to do or, basically, what you want. It’s another word for your purpose, aims, goals or plans.

What you intend or want to take place in your store or in your life will only happen if you take the physical action to make it so. Just wishing or praying without any action has some power – but not nearly as much as putting your money where your mouth is, or your own energy into the action of making some changes.

There are some simple changes you can make in your stores right away to enhance the overall look and feel of the stores making them more customer friendly as well as comfortable for you and your staff.

Energy Flow and Dead Zones

Let’s start with looking at how the energy flows in your store. One of the prime reasons that some items sell better than others is their location on the selling floor. If you have “dead zones” in your store, whatever you place there, stays there. Dead zones are where merchandise goes to die. What makes a zone become dead? Some reasons behind dead zones are:

• Poor light in that area

• Overhead fans that are too low

• Compressed energy such as a lower ceiling or low beams

• A floor level change

• It’s in an L-shaped area

• It’s hidden behind a column

• Too many sharp corners

• Lots of angles in the ceiling or walls

• It’s too deep in the store

• A wall or other fixtures block the area

Some remedies are fairly obvious.

- Add extra light to dark areas, L-shaped or deep areas.

- Move or angle any fixtures that are blocking the energy from flowing into the area.

- Remove or shorten fans that threaten to cut off the heads of customers.

- Remedy sharp corners with plants, re-positioning fixtures, and cutting off sharp edges or adding fabric (if appropriate) to soften the edges.

- If a wall blocks the area either tear it down, cut it in half or create an aisle that leads directly to the hidden dead zone. Then light it up!

- If there are lots of angles in the walls or ceiling in the dead zone it can create irritation and arguments. Add some up-lights to visually soften the angles or some plants to soften and scatter the negative energy. Don’t force people into the “dead zone” unless absolutely necessary.

Dead zones are perfect for sale goods. People will cope will all types of bad energy for a good deal!

Once you bring the “dead” back to life look at how customers are walking around your store. If they stop in the front of your store and look at the fixture directly in their path for a few beats too long you know that fixture is most likely blocking them from flowing naturally into your store. In the front area of your store, which is your decompression zone, the fixtures customers encounter should hold whatever is seasonal and new. Ideally they should be angled to attract attention and lead the customer into the store. Getting people to travel into each area requires exciting them visually along the way. When customer’s eyes are lead to the wall behind the angled floor display it will sell far more if an accent color on the floor (or in the merchandise) is repeated on the wall. In Feng Shui, fixtures that block the flow of customer traffic are also blocking the energy flow to the rest of your store.

Look around your shop to see which fixtures can be angled to promote a better flow of customers and energy into the rest of your store.

Leaving enough space between your fixtures (an absolute minimum of 3’) and having wide aisles (at least 4 feet) will also improve the overall energy flow in your store as well as making your customers far happier. Few people enjoy the bump and touch experience with strangers and the ones that do - you may want to think twice about.

Aisle Plans

There are just a few aisle plans that really work for most retailers. While shops can sell goods with straight aisles, they are rarely the most appealing aisle plan for most customers. Straight aisles allow energy and customers to rush quickly down the path of least resistance. Your goal is to get customers to stop at each fixture and thoughtfully gaze at the selection.

Some of the most successful specialty retailers in the USA have more circuitous floor plans. They all require the customer to navigate in a serpentine flow though their floor fixtures. Each time a customer turns, they see a new merchandise story on an angled fixture. Shopping these stores is more of a visual treat and adventure. In terms of energy flow, serpentine aisles allow energy and people to flow easily but also slowly through the store. If they unconsciously move more slowly they will give more thought to what they are seeing. For hardline stores, save your long, straight aisles for basics such as chemicals, folded towels, appliances, etc. If you think of your selling floor as a pinball game, use the square or rounded fixtures to move people in different directions. In some focal areas, create interesting merchandise areas on circular or smaller angled fixtures.

Balance of Yin and Yang and the Natural Elements

As a retailer you have the perfect opportunity to create a great balance of elements in your store. For a human being to feel comfortable in a retail environment the basic elements that are in nature and our bodies must be represented in the store and be in balance with each other.

When an environment doesn’t “feel” right the first solution is to look at the balance of yin, yang and the elements in the space.

Yin and Yang

All life is made up of two extremes and all that falls in between. In China the two extremes are called Yin (Female) and Yang (Male). Dark and light, wet and dry, curved and sharp, warm and cold are all polar opposites that work best when in balance with each other.

Yang is masculine. An all Yang store would be very bright and light with high ceilings, many large windows and lots of sharp angles in the fixtures and architecture. This store would initially be stimulating but customers and sales staff would soon feel their energy wane as there would be no visual resting or soft places.

Yin is feminine. An all Yin store would be darker and cave-like with lower ceilings, soft lighting and rounded shapes lacking definition. The fixtures would be crammed full of merchandise but it would be difficult to see because of the lack of light. This type of store could initially make people feel cozy and relaxed but that can quickly turn into tired and depressed by the darkness with a developing sense that the walls are closing in on them.

A successful retailer has a balanced combination of Yin and Yang. There is a pattern of light that ranges from soft to brighter to “pop.” Rather than dark areas, there are areas that are lit by task lighting such as fluorescents. Wall areas may be highlighted by floods and spotlights to add warmth to the store. The fixtures have rounded edges that are easy to walk around and the merchandise is well organized and attractively displayed.

The balanced store feels comfortable, welcoming and safe. It energizes people rather than making them tired and overwhelmed.

Balance of natural elements

The elements that make up most stores are: sheetrock, suspended ceiling tiles, metal fixtures and in many cases, cheap fuzz on the floor. Humans respond better to the elements being represented in as close to a natural state as possible.

The five elements are: metal, water, wood, fire and earth.

Each element brings something into your store that adds to the overall positive feel and energy.

The Metal element strengthens mental perception. Metal can be found in the store structure, in metals urns or anything made of metal, it is also represented in rocks, stones, crystals, oval shapes, white tones and spheres.

Water enhances introspection and inspiration. Water is also represented by mirrors, glass, free-flowing shapes, real water features such as spas, tubs, fountains or fish tanks, art depicting water and black and dark colors as accents.

Wood encourages intuition and creativity. The wood element can be found in your wood fixtures, wood floors, wood accessories, plants and potted flowers including silk plants, art portraying gardens, plants, flowers and treed landscapes, rounded columns, beams, the colors blue and green and vertical stripes.

Fire ignites healthy emotional responses. You can find the fire element in: animal based materials (leather, wool, silk, bone, feathers, etc.), anything in the red color spectrum (oranges, pinks and all shades of red), art showing people, animals, sunshine, fire or bright illumination, triangles, pyramids, computers, TV’s and all forms of lighting.

Earth embraces sensuality and relaxation. Earth is found in your store in bricks or ceramic tiles, adobe stucco, yellow and earth tones, horizontal stripes, a large and visually clean sheetrocked ceiling, and squares or rectangles represented by some of the fixtures.

Find the right proportion or balance of each element in your store.

Too much or too little of one element can make a strong energetic difference which can make shopping or work less comfortable.

Summary: Have the intention to bring balance into your store. Start with looking at how the energy and your customers flow through your space. Move any blocking fixtures or clutter. Make sure your aisle plan is welcoming and introduces them to as many interesting merchandise presentations as possible. Use angles to lead your customers around the store and delight them at each turn. Next, look at the balance of Yin and Yang in your store.

Upgrade your lighting if necessary and, if it makes sense, dim lights that seem too bright. Get rid of the sharp corners that can make people feel uncomfortable and add some soft surfaces if all yours are hard. Think about how you can create a balance in the natural elements in your store. If all your fixtures are wood add some glass, metal or mirrors. A water feature outside the expected spa/tub is a natural addition.

Your intention to succeed and grow is very powerful. Make it even more powerful with action!

For more information check out “Feng Shui for Retailers” by Linda Cahan: lindacahan@gmail.com

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