Tim Radley, Speaking at The Retail Design Expo
You don’t need me to alert you to the fact that retail is in very unchartered territory at the moment as a combination of e-commerce & social media, expensive store portfolios, business rate adjustments and the customer’s changing behaviour towards almost everything from loyalty, possessions, experiences and value for money, all contribute to the tearing up the maps that we have always used to navigate safe passage to profit.
The traditional centre of this retail universe is the bricks ‘n’ mortar store. Simultaneously it is now dying for some and flourishing for others.
The way the store is conceived, managed, merchandised and integrated into the wider retail context and culture of any particular business is largely behind which side of the elusive coin it now happens to fall.
Visual merchandising is a retail profession traditionally reliant on the success of the physical store, however an omnichannel retail world frequented by a visually aware and fascinated customer, does represent opportunities as well as challenges.
In my presentation & discussion at the Retail Design Expo I will explore these issues within the wider retail context. I hope to give everyone attending food for thought and reasons for comfort as visual merchandising, energetically as always, enters a new era.
Issues to be addressed and explored include:
- Today’s retail context: Do we need physical stores at all?
- Where does visual merchandising fit into omnichannel retail?
- What is the visual merchandiser “skill-set” of tomorrow?
- How will visual merchandising keep up?
- How will visual merchandising be implemented & controlled?
- Who will care about visual merchandising?
- Who will be the “champion” and “guardian” of physical stores?
- The Future of Visual Merchandising:- “Are we there yet?”
So set your alarm clock, grab your coffee, and make your way to Olympia for a 10-40 start on the 3rd May.
Come and join the debate…
And as an extra bonus you’ll also find me on the panel discussion at 12-20pm, contributing on the subject of “What is the Future for the VM Industry”
See you there.