Category: store experience
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Lush cleaning up with festival-goers as it evolves ‘Customer location planning’
in accessories, branding & visual communication, customer experience, customer service, customer-engagement, disruptive retail, ethical retailing, health & beauty, high street planning, location strategy, meaning in the retail madness, new retail, omni-channel retailing, pop-up stores, retail, retail brand heritage, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, sales promotions & events, shop of the future, store experience, store theatreBeauty brand Lush has recently been in the news with its pop-up shops & shampoo parlours at some of the UK’s largest music festivals, notably WOMAD & Bluedot. Never a brand to stand still, this is an innovative move that is based around some very sensible strategies, and a realisation that being a successful retailer…
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A Soliloquy to Visual Merchandisers and the beauty they bring to today’s ‘Shops of the Future!’
in accessories, assortment structure planning, branding & visual communication, customer experience, fast fashion, ladies fashion, luxury, menswear, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, shop of the future, space planning, store experience, store layout, store theatre, telling product stories, visual merchandising, visual merchandising operations, windowsVisual Merchandising, like any other function within a retail business is having to adapt in response to the paradigm shifts that are occurring in the retail industry. Those changes are becoming a revolution, not an evolution. What began with globalised supply chains, fast fashion, the advent of ecommerce, pureplay retail, has accelerated into social and…
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Marks & Spencer looking good, by making ‘Less look commercially attractive!’
in assortment structure planning, customer experience, fashion accessories, food & drink, high street planning, home, kids fashion, ladies fashion, location strategy, meaning in the retail madness, multi-category, omni-channel retailing, retail, retail brand heritage, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, shop of the future, space management, space planning, store experience, store layout, store theatre, town centre planningMarks & Spencer continues to impress with its sales figures and market share across fashion and home, as well as the more predictable food category. And whilst few would argue that they have the most exciting shops on the high street, the ambitious and highly successful store regeneration program is already reaping rewards, and putting…
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How dull must the future of fashion seem to Generation Z!?
in customer experience, disruptive retail, ethical retailing, fashion accessories, fast fashion, ladies fashion, meaning in the retail madness, new retail, re-sell, recycling, renting, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, secondhand, shop of the future, store experience, sustainabilityI wouldn’t imagine that too many GenZ’s have seen the latest ‘Top 30 Fashion Retailers by 2026’ report from Retail Week, or indeed read Retail Week at all. If these 18-24 year olds did read it, then I’m sure their hearts would plummet at a top 10 filled with the old bastions of retail, topped…
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TK Maxx. Using Visual Merchandising to make every customer’s visit into their luckiest day!
in accessories, assortment structure planning, customer experience, disruptive retail, fashion accessories, footwear, health & beauty, kids fashion, ladies fashion, meaning in the retail madness, menswear, multi-category, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail strategy, space management, space planning, store experience, store layout, store operations, value retailing, visual merchandising, visual merchandising operations, vm compliance, vm operationsThe best brands make extraordinary things very simple. And the clever use of visual merchandising does not need to be complex or sophisticated to define a brand and create unique experiences. I was involved in the research for the Channel 5 documentary about TK Maxx. The interview with one of the producers made me distill…
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Arming yourself with ‘Added-value’ propositions in the war on low price
in assortment structure planning, branding & visual communication, customer experience, customer service, customer-engagement, health & beauty, meaning in the retail madness, product suppliers, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, sales promotions & events, store experience, supply-chains, value retailingIn these ‘cost-of-living’ times I am reminded of one of my first lessons in retail. The difference between price & value. They sound similar and considering how often the word ‘value’ is misused, as in ‘value retailers’ who are in fact ‘low price retailers,’ anyone would be excused for thinking they are the same. I’ve…
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In today’s ‘Shop of the Future’ do you spread visual merchandising more thinly or indulge in its richness?
in branding & visual communication, brave-words, customer experience, customer service, customer-engagement, disruptive retail, fashion accessories, fast fashion, ladies fashion, meaning in the retail madness, menswear, new retail, omni-channel retailing, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, shop of the future, space management, space planning, store experience, store layout, technology & electrical, visual merchandising, visual merchandising operations, vm operations, windowsVisual Merchandising, like any other function within a retail business is having to adapt in response to the paradigm shifts that are occurring in the industry. Those changes are becoming a revolution, not an evolution. What began with globalised supply chains, fast fashion, the advent of ecommerce, pureplay retail, has accelerated into social and rich…
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Celebrating the healthcare sector. From ‘Good People’ into ‘Great Retailers’
in brave-words, customer experience, customer service, customer-engagement, disruptive retail, ethical retailing, food & drink, health & beauty, meaning in the retail madness, retail, retail brand heritage, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, store experience, sustainabilityThe healthcare sector is indeed perfectly, and tantalisingly, positioned to satisfy the growing customer desire for products that improve physical and mental wellbeing, as well as bringing ‘meaning and integrity’ into the retail experience itself. So, it is my pleasure to be collaborating with Target Publishing Ltd on a regular new column for Health Food Business that…
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Good customer experiences come in all shapes and sizes: Make sure they’re always in-stock!
in customer experience, customer service, customer-engagement, disruptive retail, impulse retailing, meaning in the retail madness, personalisation, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, sales promotions & events, store experience, store operations, store theatre, visual merchandisingGood customer experiences come in all shapes and sizes: Make sure they’re always in-stock! Ask the customer, ask your colleagues, and ask yourself what is a ‘good customer experience?’ and you will automatically receive a myriad of answers…even from yourself. One of the popular answers will be a physical shop which has atmosphere, beautiful displays,…
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The Age of the Retail Creatives is upon us. “12 questions that will shape your visual merchandising career!”
in branding & visual communication, customer experience, customer service, customer-engagement, disruptive retail, fast fashion, ladies fashion, luxury, meaning in the retail madness, menswear, new retail, omni-channel retailing, personalisation, retail, retail brand heritage, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, sales promotions & events, space management, space planning, store experience, store layout, store operations, store theatre, telling product stories, visual merchandising, visual merchandising operations, vm compliance, vm operations, VM Selling Toolkit, windowsIt will be my great pleasure to speak at the International Display Conference this week. The 2-day event in Dublin, promises to bring together some of the brightest lights in the visual merchandising industry from all corners of the world. My subject?“12 questions that will shape your visual merchandising career!” I have been presenting on…
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