Category adjacencies help define the location of product categories within a store and are considered as part of the macro space planning process to create a good in-store customer experience.
Category adjacencies are important because they help customers find what they are looking for by locating associated categories together. When successfully located, category adjacencies can trigger thoughts of forgotten products, encourage browsing and dwell time, as well as enhancing the shopper’s experience of convenience and ultimately leading to increased sales.
A Proctor and Gamble study in 2014 (cited by Fares, 2019) showed that customers tend to spend up to 15% more in stores with easy navigation across categories.