Auntie Kate The Resale Expert

“HELP! I can’t get people to see my rear area!”

Here’s Chris’ rear room. It’s part of her selling floor, but she can’t seem to get browsers to explore the room no matter what merchandise she features there. Chris asked for help.

Here’s a few solutions Chris might try. We want to engage all the senses of her browsers to tempt them into exploring this area.

To use sight to lure them in, increase the level of lighting, making the room actually brighter than your front room. This might be tricky, since we’re assuming that display windows add to the intensity in your main room. If there’s no way to get enough light into the rear room without the heat and expense going too high, try “washing” that back wall with track lighting.

Another appeal to sight: Mount mirrors so the reflection is seen from the main room. That will make the back room look larger, so it won’t look cramped or crammed. Cheap version of this: have LOTS of for-sale mirrors hung on that blue slatwall, even if you have to go BUY them and sell them for ZERO profit (you know me, it’s impt to have as few “not-for-sale” items in your shop as possible!)

Touch: Install, probably in the right front corner of the rear room, an oscillating fan to move the air (in addition to the ceiling fan you already have…read on:). Doesn’t need to be a big one, but just enough to “tinkle” a small wind chime set in the path of the air. So customers will hear something going on back there. (A small CD player with quiet instrumental music so as not to conflict with the music you play in the main room, is another way to charm people into the room.)

And there’s smell: A barely-noticeable scent of orange or vanilla influences people’s browsing. Have it subtle enough that people do not remark on it.

The final sense is taste. Maybe you could put a coffee pot or a slow cooker of apple cider back there? 😉

I notice that the flooring seems to change as you step over the threshold? If it does, think about using a runner to bridge the change. People won’t even notice they’re entering another room!

And last: no matter how crowded your shop may be, do not infringe on the width of that door way. It can seem claustrophobic to many. Leave the doorway totally open and all pathways within the room circular, so shoppers do not come to dead ends.

For more good ideas on getting the most out of every inch you have, see The Essential Guide to Using All Your Space, a Too Good to be Threw Product for the Professional Resaler.

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