The supermarket design has larger and wider selection areas, which can accommodate more merchandise products. A supermarket is a self-service shop offering a wide range of food, beverages, and household products organised into sections. Along with food and beverages, supermarket design also consists of sections that can store household products, appliances, clothes, toys, stationery, etc. A supermarket design occupies a large amount of floor space, usually on a single level.

It is generally situated near a residential area to be convenient to consumers. Supermarket design also includes the convenience of good parking spaces for consumers. Clauren Saunders developed the concept of the self-service grocery store at his Piggly Wiggly stores opened in 1916, which predates any supermarket design. In today’s time, supermarket design can become more intimidating with the increase in globalisation and the needs of people. Hence, these 15 tips could be useful for designers to make efficient supermarket designs to cultivate shoppers’s experiences.

How to get an efficient Supermarket Design?

A supermarket design has multiple important components that are considered for its strategic store layout planning. It can have a positive impact on its sales through shelf space allocation and layout management. Hence, looking at a few points through which any supermarket design can increase customer attraction and sales can be beneficial.

1. Create a prominent Entrance and Exit

As the entrance of any place is the key factor in attraction, it has to be prominent in its presence that will attract customers. Along with it, the entrance will be convenient for walking and entering the supermarket. The security check counter and the door width shall be enough for the customers to enter without any hassle. The entry and exit shall be placed side by side, forming a circular pathway through the whole supermarket.

The width of the doors must be a minimum of 36 inches to 48 inches wide.

2. Functional Dimensions and spaces

According to the functional requirement of a supermarket design, a few dimensions have to be designed properly.

• floor height must be 3 meters or greater than that
• The minimum height of the emergency exits must be 2 meters
• The width of the emergency exit doors must be 0.8 meters or greater than that
• Retail mezzanine floor areas must be less than or equal to 2/3^rd of the store surface
• The minimum height above and below the mezzanine floor must be 2.4 meters or higher
• The mezzanine floor depth must be 2.5 meters or less than that of the floor below

These dimensions help one in producing spaces that are used effectively in any supermarket design. 

3. Aisle Arrangement and Product Placement

Arranging aisles strategically can improve the movement and experience of customers. They must be arranged logically in a supermarket design by grouping similar products together. Creating a hierarchy within the aisles, such as wide main aisles and secondary narrow aisles, can create a smooth flow of traffic. While the width of the aisle is important, there are other dimensions in a supermarket design for the aisles.

• Minimum aisle width must be 0.6 meters to 0.9 meters wide
• Shoppers with trolleys would need 0.75 meters to 0.9 meters of width in the aisle
• The display rack width must be 0.85 meters
• The chiller rack width will be 0.9 meters
• The width of the shelves will be 0.8 meters wide
• The width of the deli counter will be 1.2 meters to 1.4 meters wide
• The refrigerator unit width will be 1.4 meters

4. Produce section display

A supermarket design is efficient with the various types of layout in which the aisles and other display sections are placed. As supermarkets are a centre of attraction for people in the city, they are always judged by their displays. Fresh produce should be prominently displayed near the entrance, evoking a sense of freshness and health. These displays can evoke appeal with maximum lighting and creativity over the fruits and vegetables.

5. Shelving in the Perimeters

The core aspect of any supermarket design is the shelves and their arrangement. These arrangements can follow its hierarchy or be placed in any island format. As they are the medium for the display of the purchase for the customers they also ought to be the crux of the design. When these shelves and the products such as the bakery, chocolates deli items are kept in the outside perimeter where they can be easily visible from outside they draw customers inside. These arrangements can make the perimeter of the supermarket colourful and joyous.

6. Centre Aisles 

When one reaches the centre of the supermarket, the customers expect to find what they are looking for in a smooth organized manner. Hence, there are layouts in the supermarket designs that have been effective for shopping. Arranging the center aisles with non-perishable items like canned goods, packaged foods, and cleaning products can feature the center aisles and can produce various layouts.

7. End Caps and Promotions

The supermarket design is not complete without designing how there are promotions. This display of the promotions for various products over the aisles can increase the sales in the supermarket. The display boards shall be efficient in size and colors and at a height that is comfortable for a normal eyelevel.

8. Checkout Area

As important is the entrance in a supermarket design as is the exit. When a customer enters the supermarket until they leave, there must be a proper logical layout of the products accordingly. Placing products such as magazines, small chocolates, energy drinks, and small packets of snacks in a convenient manner can help make the design more fruitful.

9. Appropriate Signage and wayfinding 

When a supermarket design comprises layouts such as grid, island, and free-flowing, they are normally defined by the shelf placement. The product displays can often turn confusing; hence, the signage boards and directions for wayfinding can help the customers a lot. These signages have to be put in visible context for the customers, guiding them through the layout of the design.

10. In Store Lighting

A supermarket can be a very crowded area at times, creating havoc with clusters inside. To increase the efficiency of the supermarket design and its functions, proper lighting is necessary. The in-store lighting must be efficient for the supermarket design to work without creating an unorganised atmosphere. Adequate lighting can enhance visibility and create a pleasant shopping environment. One can use warm lights to show more freshness in the produce sections.

11. Space for Special Services

Supermarket design is not just limited to shopping for different products. It can serve multiple purposes as an extra activity as well. These purposes can engage people more and more with the supermarket. There can be social interactions that can happen when one gives extra special spaces, such as small live bakeries, health care services, and coffee spaces, in the area. While customers are shopping, they can also mingle and enhance their experiences.

12. Proper storage areas for carts and baskets

When a customer enters the supermarket, the first thing they do is get a shopping basket or cart for their purchase. This area needs to be near the entrance in such a way that it does not come in the way while entering but is easily accessible. The areas planned for these carts must be near the entrance for pickup, and while exiting, they must also be near the exit door.

13. Organizing the traffic flow

The overall supermarket design depends on the movement that is designed for the customers. This movement in any supermarket design is crucial to the layout of the supermarket. Here, the widths of the aisle and their overall dimensions and arrangements matter the most in controlling or organising the traffic. A supermarket is not always empty, nor does it always remain crowded. Hence, the organisation of the aisles speaks more about the supermarket’s design for controlling traffic.

14. Customer rest areas

Being a place of hustle, there can be spaces that are for customers to sit and rest for a while. At times, shopping can be a very hectic experience for one when the list is long. People often find places to sit or rest for a while and resume the process; providing small rest areas in between can make the supermarket design more efficient.

15. Exit doorways planning

When one exits the supermarket, the cash counter organisation must be appropriate. It should have an aisle that is almost 0.9 metres wide so that it can accommodate the rush of customers. While the doorway must be 0.9 metres wide for the customers and the carts to exit comfortably, the exit after the doorway must have a proper area for leaving the carts and moving ahead.

To enhance one’s shopping experience, an effective supermarket design is mandatory. This supermarket design creates a balance between customer convenience, product visibility, traffic flow, and optimised sales opportunities. While keeping in mind these tips for a supermarket design, one must always observe the customer’s activities and design the layout accordingly.

Supermarket design is a Western-country concept that has travelled worldwide over time. India, with time, has also developed the concept according to the area and needs of its people. Here, with the context and product availability, the concerns differ from those in Western countries. Hence, many variations can be seen in the supermarket designs. Certain issues are faced in Indian supermarket designs.

1. Lack of common facilities

Lack of common facilities which includes proper air conditioning, the rest areas that are needed for the customers, and proper lighting fixtures are commonly found in the supermarket designs.

2. Failing to do a survey

Failing to do a survey of the products that are going to come into to store, the products do not have proper storage inside the supermarket. The owners fail to check the quantity versus the spaces in the supermarket design.

4. Giving the wrong lighting

Giving the wrong lighting is also a common issue faced in supermarket designs. From temperature to energy efficiency to placement it is very important how the products look under the lighting. In a supermarket design, there must be an adequate amount of lighting for the proper display of products.

5. Neglecting the arrangement of check-out areas

Neglecting the arrangement of check-out areas they are very clumsy and less in width than they should be. There is no proper amount of area for keeping the shopping carts after the shopping which creates chaos in the areas. A good supermarket design always must have an organized exit for people or the rush to walk out.

6. Disorganized aisles

Disorganised aisles are the biggest issue in the Indian supermarket design. The width sizes differ, which cannot accommodate customers as well as the carts at the same time. When there are rush hours, there is no turning radius due to the organisation of the racks in between the aisles. This creates havoc during the rush hours, which eventually results in clumsy shopping experiences.

Nowadays, supermarkets have become one of the most visited places for people. Supermarkets are a very important part of the day-to-day lives of people. A supermarket design is always important for a comfortable shopping experience for people. It is a place where one can find a variety of products, starting from the products of daily needs—food, beverages, appliances, clothes, and a bakery—all in one place. Hence, the supermarket design must be organised for one to find what they need in a bunch full of choices. The way in which one organises a supermarket design while keeping in mind the needs of a customer while shopping makes the design effective. 

The display of the products and their organisation in various types of racks also gives off a good supermarket design. In addition to these displays and the availability of products in one place, providing extra spaces is equally important. Good lighting and the arrangement of aisles with proper signage create a flexible supermarket design. Hence, keeping in mind the movement and flow of traffic and creating a wonderful shopping experience, one must have a proper supermarket design. 

Content Writing And Research By: Ar. Rajeshwari Pandya Modi