10 Retail Storefront Design Tips (+ Examples)

“Curb appeal” is a common phrase used in real estate, but the same concept applies to retail stores. How your storefront looks from the outside helps you capture the attention of passersby. The design and store layout alone can convince them to come in—even if they never intended to. 

When designing your retail storefront, you must consider various things, and not all of those decisions relate to aesthetics. In this guide, discover 10 of the best storefront design tips so you can create a welcoming entrance that’s accessible to all. 

What is storefront design?

Storefront design is the way your retail business looks from the outside. It serves as the first point of contact between the store and potential customers, providing a glimpse into what the store offers and setting the tone for the retail experience inside.

Who designs retail storefronts?

Retail storefronts are typically designed by visual merchandisers. People with this retail job position are responsible for the entire appearance of your store, so their duties aren’t limited to storefront designs. You can have them design store layouts, build product displays in-store, create posters, and tell shoppers about any special offers or upcoming events.

If you’re on a tight budget or don’t see the need to employ full-time visual merchandisers, there are services to do it for you. Interior designers and architects tend to be more expensive upfront, but it’ll save you from paying an annual salary for retail staff if you don’t have the ongoing need for them to refresh the storefront design. 

10 creative storefront design tips

1. Use lighting strategically
2. Add retail signage or display screens
3. Add a hanging adjacent sign
4. Display your store’s opening hours
5. Install clear glass
6. Create seasonal displays
7. Display products in their natural environment
8. Showcase special offers
9. Use color psychology
10. Make your storefront accessible

1. Use lighting strategically

Lighting does more than make your products visible. It shows what’s happening inside your store. Lots of people could act as social proof—the idea that if other shoppers are in your store, passersby should join them.

You could even capture someone’s attention and force them to take notice of your retail storefront with smart lighting decisions. That might mean:

• Spotlights to showcase best selling products in your window displays
• Helping people find the entrance with a bright light above it 
• Adding dimension and depth to your product displays 

Lighting can also help create an ambience around your retail storefront. Take this example from footwear retailer Bathu. The backdrop of its window display is dark and moody, but products closest to the window have spotlights shining down on them. It instantly draws the eye to its products and creates a sense of intrigue as to what’s inside.

2. Add retail signage or display screens

It’s not always feasible to change your store layout each time you have a new promotion or product to highlight. This is where digital signage comes into play. 

Installing display screens in your shop front allows you to change your design easily. You can also keep things exciting without spending hours rearranging or redesigning the shopfront. For example, you can use them to:

• Showcase your brand story and store history
• Play user-generated content, such as TikTok videos from happy customers
• Display special offers or time-sensitive promotions with countdown timers
• Show product demonstration videos that create of intrigue around your inventory
• Add QR codes that passersby can scan to see your inventory online without entering the store 

Gym + Coffee uses this approach with its storefront design. Either side of the entrance is a display screen. One plays a video of how their products are made and sourced; the other shows the brand’s commitment to sustainability by telling customers that they’ll plant one tree for every order placed in-store.

3. Add a hanging adjacent sign

One mistake that retail stores tend to make is assuming that everyone will be looking at your storefront design from directly infront. Passersby will look at your store from every angle, including side-on. Hanging adjacent signs make them aware of your store when they’re walking past. 

Take this example from Diane Von Furstenburg. The luxury fashion retailer has a corner store, but it doesn’t assume that everyone will see its window displays in their entirety. There’s a hanging sign that shows the brand’s logo for people who are walking parallel to the shop, which has the added advantage of reinforcing brand recognition and pointing people towards the store entrance.

4. Display your opening hours

Just because someone has looked at your shopfront and passed by, it doesn’t mean they’re gone forever. They might not have time to pop in there and then. Displaying your store’s opening hours by the entry helps them plan a time to come back.

If your opening hours change or aren’t set in stone just yet, don’t rule this out. A simple “open” sign, like this one from Forage Plants, makes it obvious that you’re welcoming visitors.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Forage (@foragegreenliving)

5. Install clear glass

Clear glass isn’t the most exciting choice when you’re designing your storefront, but it’s popular for a reason. Passersby can easily see inside your store—if there’s a lot of people there or they can see events happening in-store, it could be a deciding factor in whether or not they enter.

People can also clearly see the items you have for sale if there’s a clear glass storefront. Passersby might not have intended to buy a product you’re selling, but if they see through the window, there’s a chance they might pop in to make an impulse buy or tick something off their errands list.

Clear glass can also deter shoplifters from targeting your store. Any suspicious activity in-store is clearly visible from the outside, as demonstrated by Earl of East:

6. Create seasonal displays

Seasonal displays change depending on the time of year, a particular holiday, or what’s trending. While it might sound like another unnecessary task to refresh your storefront for one of these seasons, it can keep the display fresh and exciting for passersby.

Displays that showcase seasonal inventory—such as winter clothing, summer accessories, holiday gifts, or back-to-school supplies—also encourage impulse buys. People might not walk by your store with the intention of coming in, but if it’s the middle of winter and you display umbrellas in the shopfront, there’s a clear reason for someone to come in and make a purchase.

7. Display products in their natural environment

There’s a lot more to selling products than listing its features. The world’s best copywriters provoke emotion and make people feel something. In a retail store, you can do that more clearly (and literally) by displaying products in the environment they’ll be used in. 

Brooklinen, for example, sells linen in its retail stores. Instead of displaying its products on shelving units that can look uninspiring, passersby can see what Brooklinen’s products look like on a bed—the environment they’ll be used in. 

8. Showcase special offers

One in five shoppers consider coupon and deal platforms as a source of inspiration for new product purchases. Apply this to your retail storefront design by showcasing special offers in the window or with a sign. That might be:

• Buy one, get one free offers
• Flash sales 
• New product launches
• Upcoming events 

Here’s a great example from Babylist. While it doesn’t showcase retail discounts, in particular, passersby still have a reason to enter—even if they don’t have a child themselves. Babylist’s storefront design tells people that they can find gifts for someone they love.

9. Use color psychology

Color psychology describes the feelings, emotions, and thoughts we have when we see certain colors. You’ll have likely seen it in action for discount stickers. They’re bright orange or yellow—two colors proven to be symbolic with joy.

Greenery and blue tones, in particular, make people feel calm and relaxed. Depending on the vision you’re selling, that might be exactly the type of emotion you want to instill in customers when they’re visiting your store, as Monday Swimwear demonstrates:

10. Make your storefront accessible

Design isn’t just about making your storefront look visually appealing. It should be easy for people to enter, which ensures that everyone, including people with disabilities, the elderly, and parents with strollers, can enter and navigate the store easily. You’ll also remain compliant with accessibility laws.

Examples of how you can do this include:

• Clear retail signage with easy-to-read fonts and braille 
• Using ramps for pushchairs or wheelchairs 
• Making the entrance wide enough for everyone to enter
• Using a sliding or automatic door (instead of swing doors)

Design a retail storefront that attracts shoppers

How your shop front looks curbside has a major impact on how likely people are to take notice of your store. Use these principles to design yours, thinking about color psychology and accessibility in your decisions. 

Remember that the storefront design you settle on today doesn’t have to be permanent. Yours should change with the seasons, introduction of new products, and any promotions. The goal is to keep it fresh and exciting enough to convince people to come back time and time again.