In a world of digital competition, improving your in-store offering to entice new customers has never been more vital. Here’s our guide to maintaining retail relevance.
While many high-street retailers feel there are few retail-related wheels left to reinvent, adopting the latest and greatest in-store trends is sure to interest your customers. The UK might be in the middle of a Br-existential crisis, with consumer confidence slumping, but the idea of a high-street revival brings joy to the heart of even the most digitally-blinded consumer. By encompassing easy and efficient in-store solutions, retailers can entice their customers back to the wonder of the physical shop-front.
The digital generation holds a sizeable amount of purchasing power – in fact it is estimated that by 2020, Generation Z (those born in 1996 or later) will account for 40% of the customer base worldwide. It is important to appeal to these younger customers in the retail space, as although this generation have grown up in a world of ‘140 characters or less’, they are actually statistically less likely to do their Christmas shopping online than those in Generations X and Y. By offering a retail experience, rather than just somewhere to make a purchase, retailers can appeal to these younger, tech-savvy shoppers.
Concept stores
In the world of the concept store, traditionally, many brands have opted for small, temporary spaces, testing the waters and judging public reception. However, there is a growing trend for innovating at scale, with large concept stores making splashes in the retail space. For example, Apple leapt way out the box with the whole ethos of the Apple Store – these spaces have an unquestionably strong brand, and a style as sleek as their products. Whether in a London shopping centre or a glass box on New York’s Fifth Avenue, their impact is undeniable. To make an impact on a smaller scale, however, adopting simple in-store merchandising techniques can provide just as good a return on investment. All in all, though making a sale is obviously important in the short term, ensuring consumers have an all-round enjoyable experience is, arguably, more important for long-term customer retention.
Tempting customers
Implementing points of sale (POS) – such as free-standing display units (FSDUs) and counter display units (CDUs) – is an important way to maximise your sales potential. We’ve all fallen victim to the packets of sweets at the supermarket till or the dumpbins of socks in clothing stores’ queues – both classic examples of an impulse buy, instigated by a point-of-sale display. FSDUs are perfect for ultimately extending the traditional shelving units within a retail space, putting specially chosen products directly in the eyeline of customers as they make their way through the buying process, and encouraging additional purchases.
By situating related items close to each other, retailers can highlight products that customers didn’t even know they needed. Whether it’s an additional controller, the latest game or a subscription package such as Xbox Game Pass, placing these in the customer’s eyeline will get them thinking about what else they need.
With a wide variety of expertise, and a portfolio to match, the Exertis Retail Services specialists can improve your customers’ retail experience with everything from point-of-sale merchandising units to complete brand pop-ups, and everything in between. From integrating displays and kiosks into existing retail spaces, or creating bespoke POS displays, Exertis’ strong relationships with both retailers and brands position the Retail Service’s team to offer a full, bespoke design service – from the design process through to implementation.
Retail services
Working with Exertis, maximising vital retail space couldn’t be easier. Bringing shelf planning to life, planograms help to visualise retail space digitally before making real physical changes. Designing the schematic layouts, through to specialist instore merchandising and installation, the Retail Services team bring Planograms to life, enhancing the customer experience and their engagement with products. In keeping with fixed retail requirements, our Retail Services team can create bespoke displays to entice end user engagement – offering free-standing display units, interactive demo tables and so much more.