I’ve always loved poking around REI stores, with their vast selection of outdoor goods and clothes. I haven’t always agreed with their merchandising tactics, however. It seemed to me that merchandise was just clustered around the store by product type, such as kayaks in one corner, handheld GPS systems in a kiosk, hiking boots in a rack, etc. I didn’t feel like I was having much of a customer experience at a destination store. Instead, it was just a walk through an assortment of departments with nice merchandise.

Now it looks like a more thoughtful approach to merchandising is seeping into the national cooperative chain, according to an article in Today’s Facility Manager. Top management is doing what any retailer — large or small — should do on a regular basis: imagine how your store(s) will look two, five or 10 years down the road.

You don’t have to pay analysts or buy research data to get ideas on planning for the future. Ask employees and customers for feedback. REI sales associates had plenty to say about floor comfort, so the REI prototype store of the future in Boulder, Colorado, incorporates their suggestions. Lighting also was a concern, so the new store features a tubular lighting system that saves energy by funneling sunlight from the roof to throughout the store.

To maintain ties to its community, the prototype store has a 2,000-square-foot community center with meeting areas and play area for kids. For-profits can rent the space, with revenues donated to various environmental groups. That’s sure to please REI’s large base of eco-aware members.

The store was kept open for all but five days before the grand opening, and was promoted on REI’s website so customers could keep abreast of the upcoming changes. Overall, it sounds like REI did a great job of planning and building out the prototype store with great concern for staff and members.

You should be thinking about your future as well. If you’re not doing so already, be sure to keep up with the latest design and merchandising trends. It’s very easy to do on the web. It took me all of 30 seconds to find the article about REI via a Google search. Survey your customers by email, and your employees in person, to find out what they like now and what they’d like to see in the future. You don’t need to plan on a scale as grand as REI’s. But if you don’t plan at all, the reality is that you might not have much of a future to look forward to.