Australians tend to replace their barbeque every 5 years. That’s not a high visitation rate for stores - even less if they buy online. So when we designed a new store concept for Barbeques Galore we looked outside the category at how theme parks, museums and galleries work. Invariably there’s a gift store that you exit through, and often enter through as well.
How does this translate to large format retail?
During the Discover stage we saw that consumables (sauces, rubs, and seasonings) and accessories (barbeque tools, aprons, and tableware) were displayed on the perimeter walls, with the barbeques and furniture in the middle. So, big ticket stuff front and centre, affordable stuff on the outer edges.
To make the store work better we simply turned the layout inside-out. We placed all of the consumables and accessories at the front and centre of the store and the barbeques around the perimeter where we could use the walls for storytelling.
Smaller articles at lower price points near the entry reduces inhibitions about walking into the store- especially in a mall situation with a lot of passing traffic. Increased foot traffic and visitation rates means increased exposure to the rest of the shop, and increased awareness of the barbeques when it's time to buy a new one.
The bottom line is - it’s working. There is increased foot traffic and sales of accessories and consumables.
Entry and exit through gift store!