Store layout plays a crucial role in shaping consumer behaviour because it determines how shoppers move through a retail environment, what products they notice, how long they stay inside the store, and ultimately what they purchase. A well-designed store layout creates a comfortable and logical shopping journey, while a poorly designed layout can create confusion, frustration, and premature store exit. Retailers therefore use layout strategically to influence consumer navigation, product discovery, attention, evaluation, and purchase decisions. Consumer navigation refers to the way shoppers move from one part of a store to another while searching for products. The arrangement of aisles, shelves, departments, entrances, exits, checkout counters, signs, and promotional displays provides a physical structure for this movement. A clear layout helps customers understand where different categories are located and reduces the time and effort required to find desired products. For example, supermarkets commonly divide their stores into sections such as groceries, dairy products, beverages, personal care, household goods, and fresh produce. Clear category signs and logically arranged aisles enable consumers to navigate the store efficiently. At the same time, retailers may deliberately design routes that expose customers to a greater number of products. A simple and direct path may be convenient, but a carefully planned circulation pattern can encourage shoppers to pass through multiple departments. Grid layouts, commonly found in supermarkets and drugstores, use parallel aisles that make products easy to locate while allowing retailers to control customer movement. Free-flow layouts, often used in fashion and lifestyle stores, provide greater flexibility and encourage browsing. Racetrack or loop layouts guide shoppers around a predetermined path, increasing exposure to merchandise placed along the route. Store layout also influences product discovery. Consumers do not always enter a store with a complete list of products they intend to purchase. Many purchases are influenced by what shoppers see while moving through the store. Product visibility, shelf positioning, display arrangements, promotional areas, and the relationship between different product categories can stimulate consumer interest. Products placed at eye level generally receive greater attention because consumers naturally scan shelves within a comfortable visual range. Similarly, products displayed near entrances can create an immediate impression of the store and attract attention. End-of-aisle displays, commonly known as end caps, are particularly important for product discovery. They provide high-visibility locations for promotional products, new launches, seasonal merchandise, or high-margin items. A shopper who may not have intended to purchase a particular product can become interested after seeing it prominently displayed. Retailers also use attractive packaging, lighting, colour contrasts, digital screens, and promotional signs to increase the likelihood that consumers will notice selected products. The placement of complementary products is another important layout strategy. Retailers frequently place related products close to one another to encourage cross-selling. For example, pasta may be displayed near pasta sauce, toothbrushes near toothpaste, and mobile accessories near electronic devices. Such arrangements reduce the effort involved in searching for related products and simultaneously remind consumers of products