Changing Notions of What a Dressing Room Should Be

Article provided by Privee Designs

Retail conceptions of what a dressing room is and does in the retail setting are in a period of change. With the appearance of recent studies that have shown the importance of having a welcoming dressing room to shoppers, retailers everywhere have begun to rethink what their dressing rooms should do for the shopper and how best to improve the shopping experience, so as to stand out in the crowded retail market. Understanding these changes in thinking and what sorts of dressing rooms you should provide in your own store could give you a definite edge in the retail market and help build customer loyalty and sales.

So what has changed? Well, previously, dressing rooms were considered to be just utilities. They were there in case your shoppers wanted to try on the product. For that reason they were minimal. Usually just ply-board stalls squeezed in a back corner of the store with a mirror and minimal lighting.

As new studies came out emphasizing the importance of having quality dressing rooms which can drastically increase the customer conversion rate, retailers began to think differently about their dressing rooms and what they could be. Retailers began to research their shoppers' browsing habits and preferences and soon the focus was on improving dressing rooms to reflect those findings.

Retailers found that shoppers, especially girls and women, love to shop and try on clothes with their friends. So dressing rooms got bigger to accommodate multiple people judging each other's outfits inside. More research was eventually done in terms of lighting and ambience and customer psychology when it came to purchasing clothes. It was found that the more flattering a customer's image could be, the more likely they were to buy whatever clothes they tried on; so multi-sided mirrors and front-lighting made their appearance for maximum flattery. Some retailers are even considering service buttons and interactive dressing room programs to put in their dressing rooms to even further improve the shopping experience for their shoppers.

These are all things to consider when implementing dressing rooms in your own store. What sorts of dressing room features do your shoppers want? What sort of dressing environment do you want to create? Definitely consider upgrading your lighting and room sizes. But there are more subtle considerations to think about, such as the theme of your store and what you want your brand and the shopping experience to say to your shoppers. Thinking about all these things will help you craft the perfect dressing room facilities and win over more shoppers.

Dressing Room / Fitting Room Sales Tips

Article provided by Privee Designs

Shoppers are going to spend about a third of their in-store time in your dressing rooms and fitting rooms. Also, shoppers who use dressing rooms are 67% more likely to make a purchase, so you will want to focus a lot of your attention on your dressing room facilities and designs. Here are some tips for improvement!

Modernize

First of all, build some modern-looking dressing rooms! Drywall is very 80’s and dressing room stall partitions are cheesy and flimsy-looking (not to mention their embarrassing gaps on the floor). Our modular dressing and fitting rooms are the perfect solution; they are sturdy and bolt into the floor (and ceiling if needed) which eliminates those gaps, affording the shopper that extra sense of privacy. The walls are flexible so you can easily achieve the layout that works for you. Not to mention, they look elegant and modern: a great touch for any store.

Upgrade your lighting

Dressing room lighting is very important, especially when it comes to lighting on the mirrors. Bad lighting that is unflattering can turn away prospective customers, since they look in the mirror and become distracted by their perceived blemishes and other unfavorable features, forgetting what they were shopping in the first place. Try different bulbs and other different sources of lighting for a more flattering effect. The better the customer looks in the mirror, the better they are going to feel about the clothes they are trying on. This could lead to an increased chance of a sale.

Improve the mood

Ambient area lighting is crucial as well. A dressing/fitting room area with a comfortable mood and favorable ambience can improve a customer’s mood and increase the chances for purchase and future returns. Look into sconce lighting or chandeliers for an upscale mood lighting solution to improve the atmosphere. The more care you put into your theme, the more impressed your shoppers will be.

Dress up your doors

Personalizing your dressing and fitting room doors will go a long way towards identifying your store to the customer and will help you stand out as a unique retail personality. One company writes the shoppers’ names on the doors so that the clerk can call them by their names when offering service. Other companies personalize door numbers and implement other similar decorative touches. Adding extra character is important for crafting a retail brand that really stands out and keeps the customer familiar and likely to come back. Give your customer a shopping experience they won’t forget. Reach out to your customer. Making a good impression will keep you in their minds when they decide to go out shopping the next time. Privee can paint your doors a stylish color, or upgrade them to an upscale, diamond plate design, or even light the doors up with additional colored mood lighting.

Give the customer some space

Give your dressing rooms more room; expand them. In family dressing rooms, parents want to bring their kids or strollers in with them so that they can keep their eye on the little ones. Also girls tend to turn clothes shopping into a social occasion and they love to bring their friends in with them to try things on. Make sure your dressing rooms are large enough to accommodate these shoppers.

Accessorize

Pack your store dressing rooms with helpful fixtures and furniture. Throw in some unique hooks or mirrors or even benches. Add style wherever you can and go that extra mile that shows the customer you care. And the more useful your dressing rooms are, the better.

Make your dressing and fitting rooms stand out

Customize your dressing room partition panels. We do custom colors that can reflect your brand colors and add that extra dimension of character to your dressing rooms. Colorful sights can attract the customer in that direction as well, and provide a form of enticement. Colors can also act as a guide to make it easier for shoppers to find the dressing/fitting rooms.

Advertise

Try some in-room advertising! Privee advertising light boxes are a great way to attract the customer’s attention.

Figure out what the feel of your store is going to be

Think about what you are trying to communicate to your customers when you design your store and dressing/fitting room facilities. Do you want people to feel comfortable? Sexy? Wrapped in luxury? On a vacation? Configure your décor to encourage and perpetuate this feeling.

Don’t forget the people who have to wait

Don’t forget the waiting shoppers such as husbands and children. When a customer is shopping, they shouldn’t feel stressed or rushed if they are shopping with loved ones who might be waiting close by. Try a waiting room with a TV or a vending machine and some couches. Make the waiting party comfortable!

Try different angles

There are always architectural ways to make dressing room design more visually appealing. We can make 45 degree angles with our modular wall systems, making the rooms more visually interesting with walls that curve toward or away from the customer. Straight hallways can get repetitive and boring, while angled walls can seem modern and exciting.

Looking for a traditional look? Try crown molding

We offer crown molding for our walls in case you want a more traditional look. If you have a certain theme in mind or feel you want a traditional look, this is a great option for increasing visual interest.

Install vacant/occupied indicator lights

Entering a dressing room can sometimes be socially awkward for the shopper, as they don’t know if there is a person inside or not and they could become embarrassed if they happen upon someone accidently, which could ruin their whole outing. Try installing indicator lights or vacant/occupied switches that indicate if someone is using the dressing room or not. This alleviates social stress.

Concentrate on service

Remember, service is a big deal in the retail industry. To many shoppers, store service is one of the most important factors in their overall shopping experience. Many retailers are installing service buttons and phone lines in their dressing/fitting rooms so that customers can call sales representatives for help. This greatly increases sales and vastly improves the customer shopping experience. Shoppers will thank you when they don’t have to have their loved ones run them back and forth clothes, or even put clothes back on to run out and try something else.

Keep your dressing rooms clean

This point is easy to overlook, but it is one of the easiest ways to improve the day to day quality of your shoppers’ experience. Keep the dressing/fitting rooms clean! Have your staff routinely go through the dressing and fitting rooms and return left-behind clothes and clean mirrors and hand rails and anything else that could become dirty or cluttered from use. A clean dressing/fitting room will go a long way towards winning over your shoppers.

Relays Sports - Dressing Room Experience

In Colorado, a company called Replays Sports (R+S) needed some dressing / fitting rooms and some office space for their store without having to making timely/costly structural changes. Also, R+S needed to be open for business by mid-March, so the owner of R+S had to find an effective solution so the store could open and start bringing in customers ASAP. With several options available, the owner finally settled with our Privee modular wall system.

For R+S, our wall system was a great choice. They were affordable (a major plus for Replays), and the fact that there was no need to make structural changes or require permits* saved the owner time and $$$. The owner of the store said of the walls, "[Privee Wall System] is very efficient. The walls are perfect for a small store that can't afford to spend thousands on extensive structural changes."

To find out more about Privee's Wall System, visit their website. Click here...