With the advent of globalisation, interconnected economies and highly reduced barriers for trade, competition has shifted from the national arenas to international levels. Every mall, supermarket or departmental store seems to stock similar (if not same) brands. And yet, some stores command whopping sales while some languish to even break even! There could be many factors at play here, but one overwhelmingly important factor is the store design and layout.

 Retailers should use the store design and layout to influence their customers’ behaviours. The ways in which a store layout could be used are as follows: 

1. Determining Shopping Patterns: Positioning the most essential products at the back end of the store and welcoming the customer with the most visually appealing ones are classic ways to ensure that the customer enters the store, spends more time (and money) there and indulges in impulse purchases. Grouping and displaying complementary products together (like shower gel with loofah), increases the customer’s meaningful purchases. 
2. Influencing Impulse Purchases: While grid layouts emphasise on speed and convenience, freeform layouts allow greater exploration by customers. The Gruen Effect is something that all successful stores employ. It is about creating a layout meticulously to deeply engage the customer so that he/she forgets the original intentions of coming to the store and engages more in impulse purchases. The display should arouse the customer because research at the successful IKEA stores shows that 80% of purchase decisions made there aren’t based on needs but emotions. 
3. Optimising The Retail Space: The right design and layout will ensure that each brand/product is allotted space according to its sales potential. Also, luxury items need to be given more space to emphasise the premium aspect compared to lesser ticket items. You will be surprised at the boost in sales that can be achieved by a simple rearrangement of the merchandise. 
4. Enhancing Buying Atmosphere: Lights, displays and store design can be used to subconsciously steer customers towards certain areas which look ‘scenic’. You can extend window shopping into the store and convert it to actual shopping too!

 Creating a perfect store set up is best left to experts who have been in the field for years. One such quality-driven Indian company designing and manufacturing retail fixtures and  furniture is Autumnwood. With architects, designers and contractors who are all connoisseurs in their own right, you can rest assured that apart from being economical, your retail store design and layout will be of the finest quality.

What is the best wood for my furniture? The answer to this question depends on what you are looking for in your furniture. Do you want it ornate or simple? Do you want it to last for a lifetime or do you want to change it at regular intervals? How much are you ready to invest for it? Understanding the wood behind your furniture along with its pros and cons will make your decision-making easy.

Types of Wood

Wood broadly arrives in two varieties – hardwood and softwood. The names are misleading because hardwood is not necessarily harder than softwood! The difference lies in biology.

Hardwood comes from angiosperms or flowering trees that grow very slowly. These trees possess the xylem vessels to transport water. Hence, the wood is dense. It is also costly because it takes a lot of time to form.

Softwood comes from gymnosperms or non-flowering trees (pines and cones) which grow relatively fast. These trees don’t possess the xylem vessels to transport water. Hence, the wood is not as dense as hardwood. It is also cheaper because it takes less time to form.

There is a third kind which we can call hard grasses. They are the fastest growing and also the cheapest.

Hardwood – That Lasts a Lifetime

Hardwoods are best suited for furniture that needs to last a lifetime. Hardwood furniture can easily bear the rigours of daily use and requires minimal maintenance. They continue looking great year after year. They are the most fire-resistant among woods and most of them have very good waterproof and termite-resistant properties. These qualities make them the first choice to create ornate and carved furniture that also double up as art pieces. But they are also among the most expensive of all the woods out there. Hardwood trees include teak, mahogany, sal, rosewood, mango, satin and rubber.

Softwood – The Cost Saving Option

Softwoods are cheaper than hardwoods and are generally easier to work with which adds to the cost-savings. Since these trees grow very fast and are replenished faster, softwood is more sustainable than hardwood. Many softwoods are also waterproof and termite-resistant though they tend to catch fire a bit more easily. They are perfect to make furniture that you intend to use for a few years and discard or recycle. Softwood trees include sal, white cedar, red cedar, pine and deodar.

Grasswood – Durable, Strong & Economical

Grasswoods like bamboo and cane are surprisingly durable and strong. In fact, bamboo is stronger than many hardwood trees. Being the fastest growing among all the woods, bamboo and cane are the most economical and eco-friendly options, as well. Bamboo is also the most fire-resistant and insect-resistant also. However, bamboo and cane furniture arrive with limited options in design and style. It is also not possible to carve or emboss on them.

Engineered Wood

Also called composite wood or manufactured board, this is a derivative wood product created by binding strands, particles and scraps of wood with adhesives. Apart from being highly cost-effective, engineered wood is available in abundance and is very versatile. It is easy to cut, drill, route, join, glue and fasten compared to solid wood. A variety of looks also can be achieved by using appropriate laminates or veneers. Engineered wood tends to soak up water and therefore is best for indoor use. Make sure to recycle it because the adhesives used in it are sometimes toxic for the environment. Engineered wood includes plywood, particle boards, block boards, strand boards, laminated veneers and MDF (medium density fiberboard).

 Whatever be your furniture preference, Autumnwood craftspeople are skilled and experienced in creating the best for you at the greatest value. Visit our store to see more.

Education is evolving today – from a mass teaching program to a personalised and customised learning experience based on the students’ aptitudes. This is especially true of university education where the number of courses and specialisations are increasing exponentially each passing year. Extracurricular activities, cultural activities and sports are being given equal importance as academics. To cater to the students’ varying needs, even new colleges are mushrooming. However, there has hardly been any progress on one life-defining aspect of university and college education – ergonomics!

College Furniture – Outdated Or Never Updated 

Go online and run an internet search for important points to keep in mind while choosing a college. Multiple results will show up which emphasise on budget, career goals, faculty, campus culture, reputation etc. But you will find almost no results focusing on the quality of the furniture at college! There may be a smile on your face reading that statement but it is no laughing matter. While college students spend almost 9 hours at the desk every day, research shows that almost 83% of them sit on furniture that is not suitable for their body structure! While the college regularly updates its courses, teachers and, not to forget – fees, it rarely upgrades its furniture.

Two Opposing Perspectives?

The students may belong to the same age group but, just as their aptitudes need customised courses, their body structures require customised furniture. Bad posture can cause severe and chronic pains, especially in the back and neck. It also affects the students’ ability to concentrate in class. This, in turn, makes the teachers’ job harder and ultimately affects the college’s results! So, it is time that colleges give up the conventional plug-and-play furniture and invest in customised solutions.

However, there is also the college administration’s perspective to consider. It is a practical impossibility to have personalised furniture for each student who will be replaced with another student in a span of a year. Customisation also costs a lot. Colleges mostly look only for durability in the furniture because it is a big investment and the students are not always careful with them. The second-most important criteria is looks. Ergonomics probably does not even make it to the criteria list!

A Turnkey Solution

This is where experienced designers and fabricators of commercial furniture can come into picture to provide assistance in design-development, value-engineering and professional installation. The furniture should not only be resilient for everyday rough use, it should also be flexible to meet the differing needs of the students as well as the curricula. That is why, equipping the colleges and universities with furniture should be considered as a turnkey project rather than a piecemeal one.

This requires a thorough recce of the campus followed by the development of an appropriate design concept. Needless to say, innovation and versatility in design are absolutely essential to ensure that there is at least some level of customisation in the furniture without burgeoning costs.

Education is evolving today – so must ergonomics!