RBA GLOBAL

Restructuring Traffic Flow to Maximize Engagement

Designing paths that guide attention, increase dwell time, and turn foot traffic into revenue.

    The Problem: Why We Were Hired?

    A prominent $12M/year furniture store was experiencing flat year-over-year sales despite increasing foot traffic. The store’s leadership couldn’t pinpoint the issue — customers were visiting but not buying. Sales associates reported that shoppers were “wandering,” bypassing high-ticket areas, and becoming disengaged before reaching premium zones like power motion or mattress sections. Despite heavy advertising spend, the conversion rate was hovering at a concerning 9.4%. Management believed the problem was training or pricing — but they hired RBA Global to dig deeper.

    The Solution: Our Strategy to Solve the Problem

    RBA Global immediately conducted a full floor flow diagnostic, observing hundreds of customer behaviors over 3 days without alerting the staff. What we uncovered was a silent sales killer: the layout was working against the business. Key revenue drivers were tucked in low-traffic corners. The entryway overwhelmed guests with clearance bins, the center of the showroom created decision fatigue, and the “dead zones” (like bedding) were placed after long walking gaps that lost shopper momentum.

    The solution was clear. Restructure the traffic flow using psychological and visual architecture. We re-engineered the entry zone to spark inspiration (not bargain hunting), redirected foot traffic using subtle cues (carpet transitions, anchor lighting, and focal pieces), and repositioned mattresses and motion furniture closer to the natural path of curiosity. Instead of designing for space, we designed for experience.

    The Outcome: Results After RBA Global’s Intervention

    Within 90 days of restructuring the traffic flow:

    • Foot traffic retention rose by 42% — shoppers were staying in the store longer.
    • High-ticket product engagement (mattresses and power motion) jumped by 61%.
    • Conversion rates increased from 9.4% to 14.1% — representing nearly $1.6M in new projected annual revenue.
    • The store also saw a 32% lift in add-on attachment as traffic was now naturally routed through areas where associates had time to build stronger rapport.

    The most telling feedback? Customers said they felt “less overwhelmed” and “more inspired” walking through the showroom and associates reported that they no longer felt like they were “chasing people down” to sell. Instead, the store sold through flow.

    • Live Behavioral Observations & Floor Presence Coaching

      RBA Global performed live, in-person observation rounds over multiple weekends, silently studying how customers flowed through the showroom. We identified choke points, overlooked zones, and unconscious customer habits (like consistently skipping past mattress displays). Using these insights, we created floor presence coaching sessions for managers and sales leads training them to reposition key products, monitor walk paths, and naturally re-engage customers without being pushy.

    • Emotional Energy Zone Mapping

      We introduced the concept of “emotional pacing” into the showroom, a strategy where certain zones were intentionally designed to shift the customer’s emotional state. After high-saturation areas (like recliner zones with repetition), we inserted contrast spaces: cozy vignettes, lifestyle displays, even ambient scent zones. This technique kept customers from experiencing decision fatigue and subtly guided them back toward high-margin categories. It’s not just space, it’s how that space feels.

    • Reopened Dead Zones as Conversion Anchors

      Two areas that were once considered “lost causes”, a low-traffic mattress corner and an unused wall along the clearance section, were reimagined as conversion anchors. The mattress zone was given a soft-lit demo bay with power base activations and educational signage. The clearance wall became a “Designer’s Pick” area featuring curated packages with QR access to financing and layout tools. These once-forgotten spots began generating measurable revenue, proof that every square foot matters.