Large retailers put thought and planning into designing their showrooms. Why? Because it sells. Everyone wants a beautiful showroom, but that is not the only element of showroom design. Large retailers hire behavioral experts who are crucial to planning showrooms. People are fairly predictable and can be led through a showroom in an efficient manner. Unfortunately, many flooring retailers give little thought to their showrooms as to how they can help sell. A rep talks them into a display and when it comes in, “Put it there!” seems to be the modus operandi. The best retail merchandising groups at least give their members consistent displays, but often provide little to no help in display planning that will help retailers sell.
So where does a retailer get this knowledge? I do not know of any professional showroom designers within our industry, nor any from the outside, who specialize in flooring retail. But there is no need to hire decorators or behavioral experts, since there are some ABCs of “Showrooms that Sell!”