We hear all too often that the growth of multichannel retailing, as great as it is reported to be, has a detrimental effect on our high streets. Indeed a number of retailers either have closed, or are planning to close, a great number of their outlets because of their reducing profitability. These retailers say that they are placing more emphasis on their online offers, or simply blaming on-line shopping for the demise of their physical stores.

It is great then to see how some retailers are embracing this multichannel world of retail, using their store estates to assist and further promote online shopping by creating a buy-online-collect-in-store offer. Ingenious really, and obvious!

Online sales won’t suffer, in fact their growth will continue, maybe even accelerate. It could be that many people – like myself – who usually put off on-line shopping because they aren’t at home to accept the deliveries, will be encouraged to use the service knowing they can collect in-store at their convenience. The option of buying online reduces the time needed to be spent in a store, so the simple collection option seems much more attractive.

And there are still cross-sell opportunities…

With careful design and planning of the collection points in store, there also lies an opportunity to encourage impulse purchasing and boost the failing in store sales. A win-win scenario so it seems.

C A Design services are in the enviable position of not only having the ability through our Rhubarb Retail interior Design team to create the in store look and feel, but our large and flexible teams of CADS Retail planning experts  can also quickly and efficiently provide all the planning support required to ‘roll out’ a concept such as this.

Contact our retail team on 01493 440444 for more information.

Julie

The long awaited Portas Review from retail guru Mary Portas has been published today. You can find a copy here:

The Portas Review

Written with passion as well as sound business acumen, the report is well presented and easy to follow.

You can find a summary of the key recommendations from the report here:

The Portas Review – Summary of Recommendations

We’re not fighting a losing battle just yet…

As we gear up for the launch of our brand new retail design division, Rhubarb Retail, it’s becoming clear that what’s judged as “good” retail design is very subjective. This is what makes our retail team’s job so difficult, but what they do understand is that all shoppers have a choice…

OK, I know that much is obvious to most, so let me explain: As shoppers, we all have the option to buy most things online, and yet despite the doom and gloom reports in the news, check out your local high street on a Saturday morning. It’s not completely deserted is it?

Surely buying everything from the comfort of our own homes would prove more cost-effective for most. You don’t pay for the privilege of getting to the shops, you don’t have to brave the unpredictable British weather, and you can find what you’re looking for with a quick Google search.

Despite this, the majority of people do visit the high street or shopping malls for more than just a quick purchase. Consciously or not, they are looking for a retail experience… of course this doesn’t apply to everyone, nor every purchase. But think about those products you really care about. You might research them online, but for a high-value purchase would you really hand over your hard-earned cash for something that you have never seen, touched, or tasted? Whether it’s the perfect dress, ingredients for the perfect dinner party, or the perfect car, you will want to go in-store and make sure that what you’re choosing is right for you, and the retail experience is key to this.

It’s for this reason that all stores need to provide a shopping experience – whether it’s the treasure trove of trinkets in a gift shop, or visual splendor of product and packaging in a delicatessen, visual theatre helps. It smacks of quality and makes customers feel special, giving them the personal justification that they should spend money on this product over any others they’ve found. This understanding is what makes brands like Abercrombie & Fitch, Hotel Chocolat and Penhaligon’s etc so successful.

Maybe if retail design services and advice were available more cost-effectively to the independent retailer, we would see more of these experiential store formats?

The new House of Fraser ‘Buy and Collect’ concept could bring high end shopping in a smaller footprint / format back to the High Street.

Street furniture or concierge services could allow shoppers to ‘park’ their shopping, or have it delivered to their car?

For great retail design, we need ‘outside of the box’ thinking and a truly collaborative approach. This will put the life back into our High Streets.

Chloe

http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/chloe-woods/15/81/776

Delving into any kind of retail development process can be tricky, especially sorting just where you need to start. From small everyday products to full on retail development projects, they all have a feasibility process.

What is a “Feasibility” study?

Really the name does say it all, but we need to look a little closer to really understand what goes into a successful retail feasibility study. Carrying out this process will allow you to look at whether your “grand plan” is actually possible.

One of the most important points to look at, and a good basis for any retail feasibility study, is whether or not there is a need for your product or service to begin with. I mean, if a town already has four 100,000 sqft supermarkets, do they really need or want a fifth one?

Anything from the aspect of a new building to the colour of a label, needs careful consideration to make sure that they are the best for your purpose. Then, whether for a product, service, site, or your own special project, the possibilities can be explored and planned out in as many versions as necessary until the “ eureka” moment. That’s when you know that you have done all you can to eliminate what does not work, or is not possible, and you can feel confident that you have the best scenario with which to proceed.

Being well prepared is the key to success, so an investment of time and funds in retail feasibility can reap rewards when your project is a roaring success!

Julia & Andrew

Retail Planners – CADS Retail

I’ve just come across a really useful article from the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) with guidance on Appointing an Interior Designer

I thought I’d share the article with you, since it is also relevant when choosing your retail designer.  Together with the BIID article, Julie’s blog post on Retail Design, Planning and Location will help you to build a clear picture of how to select your  designer or design team, and what to expect from the retail design and planning process.

As you may know, the CADS group includes a team of expert interior retail  designers and retail architects, under the 3d Architects brand. If you have any questions on any of the above information the team will be happy to help!

Mel