Retail Store Equipment: What You Need Before Opening Your Retail Store

Opening a retail store entails many aspects. After you’ve drawn up your business plan, registered your business, obtained licenses, determined your financing, and found a location, you also need to consider your inventory and many other things.

However, there are a host of other essential retail store supplies that you will need. Among many other things, you’ll likely need a retail cash wrap, point of sale system with necessary accessories, cleaning materials, technical devices, signage, and display hardware. Having a well-equipped, clean, connected, and easy-to-manage store is essential to setting yourself, your staff, and your business up for success. Read this blog to learn more about the retail store equipment you’ll need to prepare for your store’s grand opening or improve an already open operation.

Retail POS System 

Today, the average modern-day consumer pays for their daily purchases with credit cards, debit cards, or mobile wallets. One of the first pieces of retail store equipment is your point of sale system. Every brick-and-mortar business should have a fully functional payment processing system. Hardware choices for the POS system range from powerful desktop solutions to small mobile tablets. No matter what type of store you run, you will have options.

Tablets

Use mobile tablets to quickly open new lanes during busy times so your customers are satisfied and not waiting for extended periods of time. This allows you to speed up the customer checkout process and avoid long lines that could frustrate customers. 

Receipt printers

Your point of sale should never delay a line, which is why you need exceptionally fast receipt printers. Fast lines mean more transactions and better sales.

Ticket and inventory scanners

This equipment ensures speed and accuracy in ticketing or inventory counting operations with reliable barcode scanners that can be operated by hand.

Credit card readers

Credit card readers allow you to securely accept various modern card payments from your customers through reliable credit card machines.

Terminals and cash drawers

The cash drawer is a section underneath the cash register or point of sale device that holds credit card receipts, cash, and other documents. The cash drawer has a removable tray for storing cash. It’s widely used in retail operations, especially together with a POS system. The drawer closing prevents you from doing anything else with an open drawer at the point of sale. Have employees close the cash drawer after each sale.

Other hardware

In addition to your credit card machine, you should consider scanners and a receipt printer to make checkout quick and efficient for your employees and customers. The point of sale system should also provide essential features for inventory management. Order levels, automated counting, shipment tracking, labels, and sticker printing are some of the most important. Aside from a point of sale system, the most crucial software to add to your business are accounting and bookkeeping, human resources and payroll, and payment processing software. 

Quick Note: Choosing the right POS system for your retail business can quickly become stressful or intimidating if you don’t know how to navigate the plethora of POS providers on the market. The wrong choice of POS system can be detrimental to your business. Feel free to hop on a call for demos to learn more about a POS brand’s features, hardware, customer support, rates, and other fees.

Retail Display And Fixtures

The type of merchandising displays you need depends on the product you sell, your space size, and your budget. You will have different needs if you are opening a clothing store than, for example, a consumer goods or electronics store. 

However, you will need to keep two things in mind: making your products stand out and making it as easy as possible for your customers to shop in the most convenient way. Some of the most important retail store supplies to consider are retail shelving, sign holders, aisle signs, retail cash wraps, display cases, a security system (camera, alarm, merchandise protection), carts/baskets, etc. Let’s assume for a moment that you are planning to open a clothing store. In this case, in addition to the above-mentioned items, you will probably need the following:

• Mannequins
• Display cases
• Mirrors
• Clothes racks/curtains/divisions
• Mannequin displays

Retail Back Office Supplies

When you are starting out and focusing on your product development, you can easily forget basic elements, which are nevertheless important as retail store equipment:

• WiFi system
• Computer or tablet
• Basic office items (pens/paper/stamps/clips)
• Cleaning Products: items such as trash cans, trash bags, brooms, mops, and disinfectant wipes to help your store maintain a level of cleanliness to attract customers. 

Ensure your employees have everything they need to thrive. Keeping things simple, like comfortable break rooms, will let your employees know they work for someone who recognizes them as individuals and cares about their well-being.

• Breakroom supplies: Ensure your employee break room is well stocked if you have one. Add a microwave, tea kettle, coffee pot, snacks, tea, coffee, and water station. Have a first aid kit on site in case of any minor injuries.
• Training and orientation: Consider training cashiers and provide educational resources to help your staff learn about products, customer relations, store operations, and occupational health and safety.
• Uniforms and badges: Make a good impression and ensure that customers can find your staff in the store with uniforms and badges.

Retail Lighting, Colors, Furniture, And Signs

While product quality is essential to the success of your business, the atmosphere inside your store can also play a significant role in driving foot traffic to your retail store. The key is ensuring you’ve invested in a lighting setup that makes your products shine at all times of the day and finding signage that matches your brand while clearly selling your products. Your lighting choices can affect your entire business, including setting the right mood and guiding customers to specific areas of your store. Signage inside and outside your store also provides another branding opportunity.

Signage alerts customers to discounts and promotions. Here are some of the different types of signage to consider:

• Restroom signage
• Locker room signage
• Anti-theft and CCTV signage
• Hanging or freestanding banners
• A-frame sidewalk signs
• Branded awnings
• Floor mat signs

Brief, direct signage is recommended. They should be easy to read and consistent with the store’s theme. Promotional signage is not the only form of signage assistance available. Small things can make a huge difference in building customer loyalty, like unusual (but comfy) seating or original artwork on the walls. So if you have the budget to make your space a little bigger, then, by all means, go ahead and add a special touch to your store. 

Security Supplies

If you own or run a retail business, you probably know that your store is a target for thieves. With a comprehensive retail security system, store owners and operators can control what goes on in an establishment and stop criminals in their tracks. Valuable supplies for store security include display locks, magnetic media, security tags, HD CCTV cameras, and physical cables.

Wrapping It Up: Retail Store Equipment

Inventory

• Shelving
• Labels; printer; pricing gun
• shipping materials 

POS System

• Scanners
• Receipt Printers
• Ticket & Inventory Scanners
• Credit Card Readers
• Terminals & Cash Drawers
• Tablets

Retail display

• Shopping bags
• Security system
• Stickers
• Retail cash wrap 

Marketing materials 

• Customer cards
• Branded merch
• Shirts, bags, and hats

Back office

• WiFi system
• Computer or tablet
• Pens/paper/stamps/clips)
• Cleaning products
• Cleaning supplies

Ambiance

• Lighting 
• Signage
• Plants 
• Carpet