One more thing about Free Flow!

Below is a picture of a 'Free Flow Layout' that is more clear and labeled of where things are located. The way things are set reminds me of some of the stores in the mall including: American Eagle, Aeropostale, Express, Vanity, Victoria Secret, The Buckle, and some others within the College Square Mall.

Right when you walk into the store, the store is split into two sides, usually a men and female side. I read an article the other day that said there is a "decompression zone" within 15 feet from the entrance where shoppers do not notice the products, but I think the front of the store should appealing and catches the eye of the customers because it plays a huge role if the customer wants to continue on browsing in the store or not.



The checkout counter is typically in the middle or off to the side. With it being in the middle, its a good way to interact with the customers when they enter the store because since you are in the middle, you can see and greet people that come in.

Next, we have the clearance items. Who doesn't like things on sale?! Clearance items are usually stationed in the back because the stores know that most customers end up looking in clearance, but having it in the back allows the customers to browse at other items before heading back there.

The dressing rooms are generally in the back as well mainly because you've already browsed the store and now you're standing in the back and the dressing room is the last stop you need to go before making your way to the counter and purchasing your items.

Overall, this is the ideal set up when it comes to clothing stores in any mall.

The Good and Bad of Free Flow

Put yourself in the customers shoes. Picture the experience in which you want when you enter a clothing store. What is your ideal set up when going into the store? Starting from the front to the back of the store without encountering any difficulties. Customers depend on the layout of the store. It plays a big part on whether the customers want to purchase anything and if they want to return or recommend it to others.

The main goal of a layout is to be able to create a space where customers and the associates to move around freely, to widen the space, and to expose the products to the public eye. The 'Free Flow Layout' accomplishes all these goals.

A lot of the stores at the College Square Mall has a free flow layout. This layout seems to work best for small stores such as boutiques, clothing, and jewelry stores.

To the right is a picture of a free flow layout. As you can see the circles are all spaced out so it allows for customers to come in and easily browse and wander freely. With the items spaced out, it gives the customers a more visual appeal of the products and the more merchandises are exposed, the more customers are intended to purchase.

There are some disadvantages to this layout:
1. It encourages customers to loiter.
2. It can confuse customers.
3. It's a waste of floor space.
4. Cleaning can be difficult.

Layouts & Atmospheres

We all have pet peeves and what may turn off one person may not turn off another person. Here is one of my pet peeves. Maybe it's just me, but I don't have the patience to go into a really disorganized store and I'm not even talking about Black Friday I can't do it.  Just in general, I can't go in a store that has clothes thrown all over their place or have to dig through racks or go into stores that are crowded and are really small that cram their items from the floor to the ceiling. I would be frustrated and stressed out.

Am I the only one who feels that way? What affects your shopping experience when walking into a store?

The store image is important. The store image is the overall perception the consumer has of the store's environment. I like to go into a store that is clean, has stocked shelves and organized. By organized, I am talking about the store layout.

Below is a picture of some of the different kinds of store layouts.

On the top left corner is the 'Freeflow layout.' The free flow layout allows customers to roam around the store freely and to browse.

Next, is the 'Grid Layout.' Just think of this like a grocery store with the columns as aisles. It makes is easier for consumers located what they're looking for because its organized.

The 'Spine Layout' consists of a main aisle with aisles located on either sides. It is a variation between the freeflow, grid, and loop layouts.

The 'Loop Layout' is also known as the racetrack layout. It is mostly used in department stores. It loops with a major aisle that draws customers to look around the whole store and has multiple entrances.

Stay tuned for my next post on seeing the layouts of the stores at College Square!

Any Mall Better Than No Mall

Let's be real. Why are people hating on the College Square Mall? Word of mouth, I have heard things about the College Square Mall that I am only going to repeat here and here only.


"It's tiny"
"It sucks"
"It's for mall walkers"
"There's nothing there"
"They need to get more stores"
"There's not many stores that appeal to me"

But really, the College Square Mall provides certain demands to the Cedar Falls population that you can't find anywhere else within the area...unless you want to drive ten minutes out to Waterloo to the Crossroads Mall. I rather have any kind of mall then no mall at all.

The College Square is a decently sized, accessible and efficient mall located on University Avenue in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The mall has some vacant spots, but also has stores that every mall seems to have. These stores include: Aeropostale, American Eagle, Bath & Body Works, Buckle, Christopher & Banks, Claire's Boutique, Express, General Nutrition Center (GNC), Great American Cookies, Hat World, HuHot Mongolian Grill, My Dress Up Shop, Modern Nails, Old Chicago, Perfect IBrowz, Pretzelmaker, Regis Salon, Riddles Jewelry, Sassy's Bling N Things, U.S Cellular, UniversiTees, Vanity, Verizon Wireless, Vila Italian Specialities, Victoria Secret, Von Maur, and Younkers. The movie theatre is also attached to the mall.

All these stores are unique and different in their own way. Look for my next blog on store layouts!

Let's get started!

Hey ladies and gents,

I'm Connie Chuong and I am a Marketing student with an advertising emphasis at the University of Northern Iowa and am currently working in a retail store here in Cedar Falls, Iowa. I have an eye for fashion and a mind for business. This is not a blog where you would find 'Outfit of the day pictures' because lets be honest, who has time to dress up everyday?

Fashion plus Marketing: The best of both worlds!

Increasing sales is the ultimate goal in businesses. People need to buy clothes and businesses need people to sell them! But what makes a store stand out from other stores? What draws customers into a store? Is it the environment? Advertisements? Social Media? Well thats what I'm here for! I am interested in the consumers and seeing what draws them in a store. Because I work at the College Square Mall, I will be focusing on the stores within the mall.

Till next time!
Connie