can someone help generate brainstorming ideas for this? Should I clarify what do they mean by store format? Does size of the store matter here or is it more about the layout?
Hi there,
Could you give us a bit more context here?
If it's a “typical” store, then this would be exterior (signs, design, coloring, etc.) and interior (organization of shelves, product placement, “direction” of traffic, layout, etc.)
You can also look at it from a process perspective (customer entering, customer walking through the store, then customer paying/purchasing).
I would break it down into 2
1) what is meant by store format and its components:
→ store size (i.e. hypermarket vs supermarket vs small mart vs booth)
-→ store look and feel (store inside design, lighting, how modern it is, etc.)
-→ store layout (space distribution, number of check out counters affecting the check out time, space density (e.g. very crammed or feels airy),
-→ store format is often a driver of customer experience and therefore worth looking into store experience (digital experience such as self help check out machines, check out time, etc.)
2) from an execution perspective, how to identify the areas of optimization and that could be done through
-→ benchmarking vs competitors
-→ customer surveys / interviews (to what extent does the dimension affect the customer experience? e.g. how important is it to customers? what are the store layout improvement areas from their perspective?)
-→ the financials of each store format / dimension (e.g. ROI? is it good value for money?)
You have to breakdown the store into its several components, and then think about improvement opportunities for each one. Size, layout - Shelves, aisles, cashier, different product areas (food, non-food and actually going a layer below).
To be honest, this can be a bit long to describe, so I hope I gave you some food for though. It would be good if you could take this and then provide a tentative answer, so we can see if there are any relevant gaps.
By the way, clarify if you are optimizing for something in particular.
Hope this helps!
By now, a great resource to practice this with is ChatGPT. You can even prompt it to come up with alternative structure types.
Also, sharing with you an additional resource on brainstorming techniques that you might find useful to review:
Best,
Cristian
Please post your ideas here and we can comment.
If you can get answers to clarifying questions that's good. But store format could mean:
or
Hi!
Share your solution here so that we can provide more detailed feedback,
Best,
Anto
Expert case by