For high-end retail brands like Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari (LARKI customers) every centimetre counts. Shopfitting for luxury stores demands an impeccable level of detail, where curved walls, cabinetry, moulded elements, and structural features must align perfectly. Even the smallest measurement error can lead to costly delays, site-call out fees and variations.
That’s why 3D scanning has become a game-changer for retail fit-outs. By capturing the existing space with centimetre resolution and accuracy, 3D laser scans provide remote teams such as architects, engineers, builders and international clients with a true-to-life digital model – a spatial digital twin or reality capture, if you will – allowing for precise planning, seamless collaboration, and flawless execution.
Three Reasons Why 3D Scanning is Essential for Shopfitting
1. Exact Spatial Awareness for Seamless Design
Luxury fit-outs often require complex, bespoke designs – think undulating displays, intricate mouldings, recessed channels, hidden vents, spot-on lighting and custom fixtures that must fit perfectly around the shell, beams, columns, pipes, cable trays, ducts, mechanical services and changes in floor levels.
A 3D point cloud survey ensures that every element is designed to fit within the real-world constraints of the space, reducing the risk of misalignment and costly rework.
Remote Collaboration for Faster Approvals & Faster Completion
Shopfitting projects involve a range of stakeholders that could be anywhere in the world – architects, MEP engineers, off-shore designers, tradespeople, installers, project managers and owners – who all need instant access to comprehensive and accurate site data.
LARKI’s Digital Twin Platform is built for instant access to view, measure and annotate online , so teams can:
- View 3D point clouds, BIM models, and 360-degree site photos in a web browser
- Take precise measurements remotely, reducing the need for repeated site visits which can waste days in time and incur unnecessary site call-out fees
- Share relevant spatial information with link, allowing for quicker decision-making and approvals
- Work with multiple people simultaneously to turbo-boost collaboration
Highly efficient, remote collaboration is especially valuable for international brands, whose designers may be working from different countries, but still need a full understanding of the space.
3. Minimising Disruptions & Variations
Shopfitting projects often have tight deadlines, and need to be built in high-traffic retail environments. Delays in design, approvals and extensions of time in construction can be very costly in lost rental, and more importantly, lost retail income. Unexpected variations – whether due to missed or inaccurate ed pipes, structure, joinery, framing, which are typical of traditional 2D survey and manual measure-ups, can be eliminated by the exceptionally detailed and accurate 3D laser scan data.
3D scanning helps prevent this by:
- Accurately mapping out existing conditions before design and fit-out work begins
- Ensuring precise locating of electrical, mechanical, and plumbing services
- Providing a digital record of each construction stage, including rough-in phases where wiring, structure and pipework are installed before walls and ceilings are fitted off.
Providing a digital record of each construction stage, including rough-in phases where wiring and pipework are installed before walls are sealed.
3D Scanning in Action: From Shell to Perfect Fit-Out
Using LARKI’s 3D Viewer, project teams can track multiple scan files over different stages of the fit-out. From the initial shell condition, to rough-in, installation, and final finishes, every detail is captured and measurable. This provides a comprehensive reference point to ensure smooth and coordinated work.
Additionally, our platform allows users to tag and upload asset information like warranties, manuals and maintenance schedules to furniture, mechanical units, plumbing, electrical, fire equipment and other fixtures, making ongoing operation, maintenance and future refurbishments a breeze.
Have a retail project that could benefit from 3D Scanning?
In high-end retail, precision isn’t optional—it’s essential. With LARKI’s 3D scanning and Digital Twin Platform, designers, engineers, builders and operators (everyone in the AECO industry) and their clients can create shopfitting solutions that fit perfectly—every time.
3D Scanning isn’t just for fitting out a flagship boutique or a high-end department store. Any commercial or retail space can benefit from fast accurate measurements and a way to collaborate seamlessly with stakeholders online. Our cutting-edge technology ensures the process is faster, easier, and more precise.
Fill out the enquiry form here for a FREE quote on your next shopfitting project, and see how 3D scanning can elevate your retail fit-out to world-class standards.
