Cities are cramped, crowded, and expensive, but many businesses still prefer to maintain operations in city centers. The advantages of a central location clearly outweigh the downsides. Operating costs may be higher, and you don’t have the luxury of space, but you’re also at the center of everything. More importantly, you get to attract skilled employees and affluent consumers. However, you’ll also need to maintain higher standards.
If there’s one thing you need to know about people in the city, it’s that they’re more demanding and discerning. You can’t expect to charge premium prices for your products without investing in upgrades and services for your downtown locations. For instance, some retail brands now offer beverages to customers to improve the shopping experience.
But with your limited space, improving your retail stores can prove challenging. Squeezing in all the upgrades and improvements we want can seem like an impossible task. You might want to consider building on what you already have instead of starting from scratch. Consumers value simplicity, and a simple improvement project done right can prove more effective.
In fact, one of the best ways to improve your retail stores is to invest in a better restroom. A clean and well-maintained restroom can make all the difference to shoppers. And even if you already have good restrooms, a few tweaks here and there elevates the entire experience. Some brands have even invested in bidet toilets. Here are a few things you can do to improve your customer restrooms.
1. Changing the color scheme
One easy way to improve your customer restrooms is to choose a color scheme that aligns with your branding. Every part of the store should add to the shopping experience, the restrooms included. For instance, if your brand is light and airy, you might want to choose bright colors to make your restrooms look bigger. Meanwhile, you can use dark colors if you want to achieve an edgy or more modern vibe.
Just make sure that your colors don’t clash too much with the rest of your store. If your retail displays are dim and the restrooms are bright, it could affect the customer’s retail experience. Don’t overcomplicate things with intricate color combinations. Just pick one or two colors and build around them.
2. Choose the right accessories
Once the paint has dried, the next thing to do is to spruce up the restroom. The normal impulse is to fill any room with fixtures and accessories. After all, a house feels more lived-in if it’s filled with furniture and art. However, decorating a commercial space requires more restraint. You don’t want the space to feel cramped or overwhelming. Only choose a few pieces that help accentuate your color scheme.
Keep the art and fixtures to a minimum. There’s no need to fill the restroom with random tchotchkes. Only choose pieces that add function. For instance, you can swap out the old knobs or hinges with something more colorful.
3. Design upwards
With floor space at a premium, downtown retail spaces aren’t exactly the most spacious. But just because you have to work with limited room doesn’t mean it has to feel cramped. With the right planning and design, you can make your customer restrooms feel more spacious. One easy way to do that is to swap out the old crown molding for something more modern-looking.
It also helps to plan the lighting carefully. The kind of lighting fixtures you use and where they are placed greatly impact the size perception. For instance, hanging lights distribute light downward and often make the room look darker. If you want the entire restroom to be filled with light, you may want to use upward-facing lighting or downlights to ensure maximum distribution.
4. Take advantage of mirrors
Ceramic and marble tiles tend to capture light, especially if the tiles are dark. We know that brightly lit spaces look and feel bigger, which is what we want to achieve. One way to do that without installing new lighting is to place mirrors all over the restroom. Placing floor-length mirrors on one wall can make all the difference. You can even install ceiling mirrors to give the illusion of a taller space.
The bottom line
These five tips will help transform your customer restrooms and make them look brighter and more spacious. Good design is paramount to a good customer experience. Choose a color scheme that aligns with your branding. You also have to carefully choose the fixtures for the restroom. Building vertically will make any space feel taller and more spacious. Finally, use lighting and mirrors to improve light distribution.