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What equipment do you need to open a retail store?
After completing your retail business plan, registering your business, determining your financing and finding a location, you’re ready to take the next step and build out your space. But where should you start and what are your options?
Having a well-equipped, connected, and easy-to-manage store is essential to setting up yourself, your team and your business for success.
Here is the Square checklist guide for the types of hardware and tools you can use to get up and running.
*Download PDF of the checklist here!
Retail store supplies, inventory, and stock room
Essentials
Good inventory management reduces costs, improves cash flow and boosts your business’s bottom line – especially when it’s connected to a strong point-of-sale solution. You don’t need much to start and stay organised, but these tools will help.
- Shelving: From gondolas to rack fixtures, you have multiple options here. The most important thing is being able to quickly find and track your items.
- Labels with a printer and/or a pricing gun: With Square for Retail Plus, you can create and print barcode labels with multiple printer types.
Consider
- Digital Scale: This can come in handy both for your product descriptions and calculating accurate shipping rates.
- Stanley knife: Consider this and similar tools that will ease any manual labour demands at your retail store
- Shipping materials: depending on the type of goods you sell, you’ll want to be well stocked with the packing and shipping materials needed to get them to your customers safely.
Retail back office
Essentials
It can be easy to forget about these basics when you’re starting out and focused on fine-tuning your product, but planning ahead will help your operations run smoothly while avoiding surprise expenses.
- Wi-Fi system: Before you open your doors, ask yourself if Wi-Fi will be used for staff only or if you want to offer an option for customers to connect.
- Computer or tablet: While you can do plenty of business management from your phone, it’s helpful to have a computer or tablet available for larger projects.
- Office basics (pens/paper/staplers/clips): Like many of these tools, buying in bulk and budgeting ahead can help save on future costs.
- Cleaning supplies: Items such as rubbish bins, rubbish bags, brooms, mops, dust pans and disinfectant wipes will help your store maintain a level of cleanliness to attract customers.
Consider
You might not need a traditional break room, but consider spaces dedicated to your team. Giving employees an area to unwind with amenities – even small ones like comfortable chairs and a stocked fridge – is a nice step to attracting and retaining talent.
- Break room: You can get creative here, and employees are likely to appreciate any extra perks.
- Filing cabinet and safe: You might not require space for tracking physical documents or providing security for specific items at your retail location, but both can be helpful tools as you’re getting started.
- First aid kit.
Retail display and fixtures
Essentials
The specifics here will depend on what you’re selling and the size of your space, but this all comes down to two factors: letting your products shine and making it as easy as possible for your customers to make purchases the way that works best for them.
- Shelving/racks/hangers: Plan for the amount of space you need for featuring your products as well as giving customers room to browse.
- Shopping bags: If you have the budget for it, this can be another opportunity to market your business with s creative shopping bag design.
Consider
While these items aren’t quite essential, they can provide functional value while also enhancing the customer experience. After you map out the costs for all of your key purchases, you can see what else you need and are able to afford.
- Shopping baskets
- Security system (camera, alarm, merchandise protection)
- Dressing rooms/curtains/dividers
- Display cases
- Sign holders
- Countertops
- Dividers
- Mirrors
- Point-of-purchase (POP) displays in the centre of your store
- Stereo system or speakers to play music
- Mannequin displays
Point of sale (POS) system
Essentials
Whether it’s a stand for your tablet, a wireless EFTPOS terminal, or a full register, your point-of-sale system is so much more than a tool for the essential task of processing payments. The best POS nails the basics while streamlining administrative tasks and tracking everything from sales reporting to customer engagement to inventory management. Here’s how to get started choosing the one for you.
Consider
- Receipt printer: Make sure you’re aware of the types of receipts you should keep as a business owner.
- Barcode scanner: A USB handheld barcode scanner like this one provides fast, reliable scanning in an ergonomic, lightweight form.
- Gift wrapping supplies
Retail lighting, colours, furniture and signage
Essentials
Your product matters, but the vibe inside of your store can also play a large role in attracting customers. Make sure that you’ve invested in a lighting setup that makes your products shine any time of day, and find signage that fits your brand while selling your products clearly.
- Lighting: Your lighting choices can have effects across your business, including setting the right mood and guiding customers to specific areas of your store.
- Signage: Signage inside and outside your store can provide guidance to customers while also acting as another branding opportunity.
Consider
Have the budget to amplify your space a bit more? Small things can make a huge difference in building customer loyalty. You want shoppers to feel a sense of comfort and curiosity as they browse your store. Work with a fit out or interiors specialist to determine the right mix of design elements and amenities:
- Plants
- Rugs and other decor
- Artwork
- Seating/furniture
- Bathroom facilities
Retail store marketing materials
Consider
While physical marketing tools aren’t essential items for your retail business, you should consider whether they’re useful for the business you’re starting and if they fit inside your budget. While digital marketing can be highly effective, a new retail store can get a boost from these items.
- Business cards and loyalty programs
- Stickers, pens and small giveaway items
- Branded merch, including t-shirts, canvas bags and hats
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. For specific advice applicable to your business, please contact a professional.
