In a challenging economy, everything is scrutinized to ensure it is performing at its optimum potential.

In apparel store retailing, that means making the most of each customer's visit. On average, a man spends about 89 minutes and a woman 110 minutes shopping in stores for clothing each month, according to the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor™ survey.

When the economy was in high gear, retail merchandising reaped the benefits. In the downturn, though, merchants had to re-examine every strategy, down to inventory, layout, and even fitting rooms. While some are opting for less merchandise and cleaner lines, others are cramming every square inch with product. Some big department stores and mass merchants, too, are examining new layouts or experimenting with smaller footprints.

Toronto-based DMD Retail Design's Bruce Smith, vice-president of business strategy, says many stores are adopting an "infill strategy" (filling an otherwise unoccupied space) because they have run out of places to put a 120,000-square-foot big box.

"Smaller stores are another way to grow," Smith says. "Also, we're so over-retailed that there are places where it's hard to justify putting up yet another big, permanent store. That's when a smaller pop-up makes sense," he adds. "The other factor is people are getting tired of going to the mall and are rediscovering the appeal of Main Street."

The Monitor survey finds 61% of women "love or enjoy" clothes shopping, compared to 30% of men who feel similarly. Instead, more men (37%) say they head to the store only to buy what they need and leave.

The National Retail Federation says it is vital that retailers understand the customer experience "as desired by your customers."

Walmart admits it took a major misstep when it scaled back product and streamlined its look in an effort to attract Target shoppers who were trading down. Hence, stores that had been crammed full of product -- with pallets and displays often set up right in the middle of the aisles -- acquired a cleaner look. But the effect was detrimental.

"They loved the experience," William S. Simon, chief executive of Walmart's United States division, said in a conference. "They just bought less. And that generally is not a good long-term strategy."

In contrast, when designer Alexander Wang opened his first flagship store in New York's SoHo earlier this year, it was a study in minimalism: white walls, ceilings, columns and marble floors were interrupted only by decorative metal caging, a couple pieces of dark seating and a faux fur hammock suspended from the ceiling. Wang said he wanted to "strip the formality out of the shopping experience."

The NRF describes the the "art" of the customer experience as being the many strategies and techniques retailers use "to engage and delight customers, and inspire their behavior.

"This can take many forms," the NRF instructs: "Décor that resonates with customers' lifestyles or aspirations; lifestyle displays that help customers understand how to integrate particular merchandise into their lives; pleasing scents and sounds; special services to respond to special customers' every whim; and more."

Yet most consumers prefer to shop at chain stores for their apparel (25%), which differentiate themselves more so by price than by special services or aspirational décor, followed by mass merchants (23%), specialty stores (13%), department stores (13%) and off-pricers (6%), according to Monitor data.

Kohl's is a favorite outlet among consumers (12%), the Monitor finds, followed by JC Penney (10%), Walmart (8%), Macy's (8%), Old Navy (5%), and Target (4%). After Walmart revised its strategy, the New York Times ran an article outlining why some stores are filling their shelves to overflow.

"Historically, the more a store is packed, the more people think of it as value — just as when you walk into a store and there are fewer things on the floor, you tend to think they're expensive," Paco Underhill said to the Times. Underhill is founder and chief executive of Envirosell, a commercial consulting agency.

Smith says streamlined is not necessarily better than crowded, or vice versa. "It's about retailers differentiating themselves and getting the consumer to remember them. When we design the outside of a store, we say, 'How do we get the soccer mom or dad's attention when they're driving past at 50 miles an hour?'"

If retailers can attract consumer attention, it can pay off well: on average, men and women spend $56 on clothes alone each month, according to Monitor data.

Those retailers savvy enough to woo consumers inside, however, might find they lose them just as quickly in the dressing room. A U.K. study found 75% of women report they have stopped trying on clothes in stores because they are unhappy with things like curtains that do not shut properly, long lines, and a lack of space. The study, done by marketing research firm Opinion Matters, also found 58% of women say the dressing room experience left them feeling frustrated.

"In dressing rooms, lighting is the new paint," Smith says. "We're more aware that it can have a profound effect. Correct lighting can totally change clothes and the way people look. In the old days, there would be a buzzing, flickering bulb overhead. That won't cut it now. Lighting has to be done very right or it can really tick off a customer."

Jeffrey Hutchison, president of fashion retail architecture firm Hutchison & Associates, says given the marked increase in online retail, it is more important than ever to understand the critical differences that will help retain and grow the in-store customer base.

"While shopping online offers convenience, brick-and-mortar retailers have the opportunity to create a dynamic experience that fosters a sense of surprise, discovery and delight."