Hinterlander November / December 2016 | Page 3

SALES TALK Retail tales The importance of retail design From Retail Gazette Effective retail design can have a tangible and far-reaching impact on a business. It can increase footfall and sales, ensure that a brand is correctly positioned and allow differentiation from its competitors. Ons takke kry binnekort ‘n lekker ONTRIMPELING! Insette deur: Rupert Jacobs, STREEKBESTUURDER, FARM CITY TAKKE As deel van die ondersteuning van die kleinhandelstrate­ gie is Hinterland besig om die ontwikkeling te doen van hoe ons winkels moet lyk. Ons wil graag hê dat ons winkels ‘n eenvormige beeld moet uitdra wat uiteindelik ons handels­ merkbeeld sal ondersteun. Die doel is om ons winkels op ‘n standaard te kry wat kan vergelyk met die beste kleinhandels­ praktyke in die land. Die ontwikkeling word deur Design Partnership gedoen, wat ons op ‘n wetenskaplike basis gehelp het om die regte winkel­ ontwerp, vloeruitleg en produkaanbieding vir ons spesifieke mark te ontwikkel. Die ontwikkeling is ‘n geruime tyd al aan die gang en die eerste winkels sal vroeg in 2017 hulle gedaantever­ wisselings begin ondergaan. Ons het nog nie die uitrolplan gefinaliseer nie, maar sal sekerlik reeds in Januarie begin met winkels wat ons identifiseer deur ‘n kombinasie van waar huidige aanbieding dit die nodigste het, die mark dit van ons verlang en waar die kompetisie die groot­ ste impak het. Die vyf winkels waarmee ons sal begin is Delmas, Bethlehem, Bothaville, Middelburg en Lydenburg. Ons plaas graag die volgende inligting om die strategie te ondersteun en te verduidelik waarom ‘n nuwe uitleg nodig is. Effective design helps to boost customer understanding and enjoyment of the products and the brand itself – and therefore sales! The store environment is the ultimate showcase and the physical touch point between the brand and the customer. It physically and emotionally reaches out and embraces them and it is also a great opportunity to actually talk to custo­ mers directly. Creating this space where a customer can be completely immersed in the brand really brings it to life and is what allows a customer to fall in love with a brand, becoming a true brand advocate. In the digital age its importance only increases. Since customers can buy almost everything online, retail environ­ ments definitely need to offer a richer experience for con­ sumers than ever before. The physical space can be smaller and the levels of stock can be lower but the actual experi­ ence needs to be more stimulating with the brand turning up the volume on aspects such as design, knowledge and service. The environment in which products and services are displayed and purchased does add an inherent value and consumers infer a huge amount about the relative merits of a brand from their in-store experience. Even other players in the retail space will elevate their perception of a brand and store as a result of the messages their in-store environment portrays. Retail design also has an incredibly important role to play in positioning a brand to its consumers and, perhaps more importantly, repositioning it when it’s incorrectly aligned. 3