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I chose Dalston because it is full of independent, quirky and individual shops, hangout spaces and live venues. The demographic of the location matches my target audience perfectly. It is also near tube stations and main train stations making it well connected to the city.

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This research further supports my packaging designs. Based on the increased popularity of the tote bag combined with the problem of excess denim and textile wastage makes my bag design profitable and useful. Solving the problem of unsustainable garment production.

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This research into the Punk era helps me to further understand what inspires my audience, their buying motivations and their societal beliefs. This means I can include a reference to the punk movement in my designs enticing them into the store and grabbing their attention.

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My aims for my costing research were to get a rough understanding of how much a typical stage set up costs for each component to ensure I created an accurate costing sheet when budgeting for my store design. This helped me to problem solve and find cheap, sustainable solutions for my design.

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Flagship store will Increase revenue by 40% from it's current 247,000 profits.

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The purpose of this research is to

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Photo taken from 'Oceans' the book. This image mimics the imagery I want to use in store to spark social change and reveal the ugly truth behind our seafood industry. To raise money for organisations to stop industrial fishing.

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My first concept board, although I liked the overall look and feel of my mood board I felt it was too cluttered and busy and each image didn’t stand out enough. The quality of the girl overplayed was also bad. To fix this I removed some images that I felt were not as relevant and equally spaced out the images. I then felt it looked more professional and clean.

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Concept board store design INP 1st edition

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This is my second bag design. In this version the writing was illegible and I felt like the graphic was too big. It also had no direct reference to the brand which might have been confusing.

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Brand Refit - Upon further reflection of The Ragged Priest's offering I found that there were limited options for tops, dresses and knitwear and instead most of their product ranges for men and women  centred around denim. In particular their jeans a.k.a their bestsellers. I then conducted some more research on 'Ragged Denim' to not find much. They didn't have their own logo, social media or separate webpage. I decided to seize this oppertunity even though it meant I had doubled my workload and had to tweak my store layout, window design and competitor research. I feel a lot happier with my new business plan as I feel it is more realistic and commercial. I can also target a larger market and denim is a staple that is constantly evolving and is in high demand.

The Founder - When I began my brand research I found that the founder of The Ragged Priest and the brand as a whole is not transparent. Financial figures have been refused to be disclosed, their is no mention of sustainable practices or their supply chain and they use some animal products. This created a lot of negatives for the brand, however I decided to use my business plan to improve the brand's reputation through monthly reports, new sustainable ranges, partnerships with charities and in store talks with environmentalists

Taking an online brand into physical retail - I did not have many examples of things the brand is currently doing and a real sense of the brand's messaging. In the digital age we are apart of most retailers are expanding their digital offerings. However I felt it was important for the brand to have a multichannel strategy to increase brand awareness through an experimental space and move forwards with plans for further stores across the UK to grow their reach.

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JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser.

We have a fantastic range of large plain floor cushions, suitable for any kind of home decor. Made up of 100% cotton fabric and filled with high quality resilient fibres this Mauve floor cushion would look lovely in any room. Available in two sizes this floor cushion coordinates well with other soft furnishings such as the scatter cushions, curtains, kitchen linen and fabric in same or similar designs. These floor cushions comes with a carry handle and are easy to carry anywhere indoors as well as outdoors. These can be used as chair pads, seat pads, dining booster cushions, children floor cushions and garden bench cushions. We have a vast collection of floor cushions in plain, thick and thin stripes, beautiful floral and retro prints and classic woven tartan checks.

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We have a fantastic range of large plain floor cushions, suitable for any kind of home decor. Made up of 100% cotton fabric and filled with high quality resilient fibres this Mauve floor cushion would look lovely in any room.

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StageDepot.co.uk. Theatre gels, lamps and & lighting, Stage consumables, tape, connectors & rigging and more for all of your equipment and supply needs

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This secondary research inspired my mobile app design. I used these tips to create an optimised, easily accessible app design which will have built in capabilities for in store experiences.

The main points to consider when building an app is to minimise cognitive load ( the ability we have to process information at one time), decluttering (keeping content to a minimum with white space, using familiar screens and icons and keeping user input tasks to a minimum. For example saving data already entered, a find my location option and a checkout as a guest option.

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About The Author

Nick Babich is a developer, tech enthusiast, and UX lover. He has spent the last 10 years working in the software industry with a specialized focus on ... More about Nick...

( This article is kindly sponsored by Adobe.) There are many things to consider when designing for mobile. We're sure that this detailed guide will help you get rid of that headache when building apps.

( This is a sponsored article.) More than ever, people are engaging with their phones in crucial moments. The average US user spends 5 hours per day on mobile. The vast majority of that time is spent in apps and on websites.

The difference between a good app and a bad app is usually the quality of its user experience (UX). A good UX is what separates successful apps from unsuccessful ones. Today, mobile users expect a lot from an app: fast loading time, ease of use and delight during interaction. If you want your app to be successful, you have to consider UX to be not just a minor aspect of design, but an essential component of product strategy.

There are many things to consider when designing for mobile. In this article, I've summarized a lot of practical recommendations that you can apply to your design.

Minimize Cognitive Load

Cognitive load refers here to the amount of brain power required to use the app. The human brain has a limited amount of processing power, and when an app provides too much information at once, it might overwhelm the user and make them abandon the task.

Meet Smashing Book 6 - our brand new book focused on real challenges and real front-end solutions in the real world: from design systems and accessible single-page apps to CSS Custom Properties, CSS Grid, Service Workers, performance, AR/VR and responsive art direction. With Marcy Sutton, Yoav Weiss, Lyza D. Gardner, Laura Elizabeth and many others.

Table of Contents →

Decluttering

Cutting out the clutter is one of the major recommendations in " 10 Do's and Don'ts of Mobile UX Design." Clutter is one of the worst enemies of good design. By cluttering your interface, you overload users with too much information: Every added button, image and icon makes the screen more complicated.

Clutter is terrible on desktop, but it's far worse on mobile (simply because we don't have as much real estate on mobile devices as we do on desktops and laptops). It's essential to get rid of anything in a mobile design that isn't absolutely necessary because reducing clutter will improve comprehension. The technique of functional minimalism can help you deal with the problem of a cluttered UI:

The clear tab bar (right) is much better than the cluttered one (left). (Image: Apple)

Use the technique of progressive disclosure to show more options.

Offload Tasks

Look for anything in the design that requires user effort (this might be entering data, making a decision, etc.), and look for alternatives. For example, in some cases you can reuse previously entered data instead of asking the user to type more, or use already available information to set a smart default.

Break Tasks Into Bite-Sized Chunks

If a task contains a lot of steps and actions required from the user's side, it's better to divide such tasks into a number of subtasks. This principle is extremely important in mobile design because you don't want to create too much complexity for the user at one time. One good example is a step-by-step checkout flow in an e-commerce app, where the designer breaks down a complex checkout task into bite-sized chunks, each requiring user action.

Chunking can also help to connect two different activities (such as browsing and purchasing). When a flow is presented as a number of steps logically connected to each other, the user can more easily proceed through it.

Use Familiar Screens

Familiar screens are screens that users see in many apps. Screens such as "Gettings started," "What's new" and "Search results" have become de facto standards for mobile apps. They don't require additional explanation because users are already familiar with them. This allows users to use prior experience to interact with the app, with no learning curve.

User profile screen in Quora app

Consider reading " The 11 Screens You'll Find in Many of the Most Successful Mobile Apps " for more information on familiar screens.

Minimize User Input

Typing on a small mobile screen isn't the most comfortable experience. In fact, it's often error-prone. And the most common case of user input is filling out a form. Here are a few practical recommendations to make this process easy:

Keep forms as short as possible by removing any unnecessary fields. The app should ask for only the bare minimum of information from the user.

A rule of thumb in form design is that shorter is better. Combine multiple fields into one easy-to-fill field. (Image source: Luke W.)

Provide input masks. Field masking is a technique that helps users format inputted text. A mask appears once a user focuses on a field, and it formats the text automatically as the field is being filled out, helping users to focus on the required data and to more easily notice errors.

Use smart features such as autocomplete. For example, filling out an address field is often the most problematic part of any registration form. Using tools like Place Autocomplete Address Form (which uses both geo-location and address prefilling to provide accurate suggestions based on the user's exact location) enables users to enter their address with fewer keystrokes than they would have to with a regular input field.

Dynamically validate field values. It's frustrating when, after submitting data, you have to go back and correct mistakes. Whenever possible, check field values immediately after entry so that users can correct them right away.

Customize the keyboard for the type of query. Display a numeric keyboard when asking for phone number, and include the @ button when asking for an email address. Ensure that this feature is implemented consistently throughout the app, rather than only for certain forms.

Match the keyboard to the required text input. (Image: ThinkWithGoogle)

Anticipate Users Needs

Proactively look for steps in the user journey where users might need help. For example, the screenshot below shows a part where users need to provide specific information.

Use Visual Weight to Convey Importance

The most important element on the screen should have the most visual weight. Adding more weight to an element is possible with font weight, size and color.

Large items catch the eye and appear more important than smaller ones. The "Request Lyft" button will capture user attention.

Avoid Jargon

Clear communication should always be a top priority in any mobile app. Use what you know about your target audience to determine whether certain words or phrases are appropriate.

Unknown terms or phrases will increase cognitive load for the user. (Image source: ThinkWithGoogle)

Make The Design Consistent

Consistency is a fundamental principle of design. Consistency eliminates confusion. Maintaining an overall consistent appearance throughout an app is essential. Regarding mobile app, consistency means the following:

Here are a few practical recommendations on how to make a design consistent:

Respect platform guidelines.
Each mobile OS has standard guidelines for interface design: Apple's Human Interface Guidelines and Google's Material Design Guidelines. When designing for native platforms, follow the OS' design guidelines for maximum quality. The reason why following design guidelines is important is simple: Users become familiar with the interaction patterns of each OS, and anything that contradicts the guidelines will create friction.

Put The User In Control

Keep Interactive Elements Familiar And Predictable

Predictability is a fundamental principle of UX design. When things work in the way users predict, they feel a stronger sense of control. Unlike on desktop, where users can use hover effects to understand whether something is interactive or not, on mobile, users can check interactivity only by tapping on an element. That's why, with buttons and other interactive elements, it's essential to think about how the design communicates affordance. How do users understand an element as a button? Form should follow function: The way an object looks tells users how to use it. Visual elements that look like buttons but aren't clickable will easily confuse users.

The "Back" Button Should Work Properly

An improperly created "back" button can cause a lot of problems for users. Prevent situations when tapping the "back" button in a multi-step process would take users all the way back to the home screen.

A good design makes it easier for users to go back and make corrections. When users know that they can take a second look at data they've provided or options they've selected, this allows them to proceed with ease.

Meaningful Error Messages

To err is human. Errors occur when people engage with apps. Sometimes, they happen because the user makes a mistake. Sometimes, they happen because the app fails. Whatever the cause, these errors and how they are handled have a huge impact on the UX. Bad error handling paired with useless error messages can fill users with frustration and could be the reason why users abandon your app.

Take an error-state screen from Spotify as an example. It doesn't help users understand the context and doesn't help them find the answer to the question, "What can I do about it?"

Don't assume users are tech-savvy enough to figure things out. Always tell people what's wrong in plain language. Each error message should tell users:

what went wrong and possibly why,

what's the next step the user should take to fix the error.

Consider reading " How to Design Error States for Mobile Apps " for more information on error handling.

Design An Accessible Interface

Accessible design allows users of all abilities to use products successfully. Consider how users with vision loss, hearing loss and other disabilities can interact with your app.

Be Aware Of Color-Blindness

4.5% of the global population experience color-blindness (that's 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women), 4% suffer from low vision (1 in 30 people), and 0.6% are blind (1 in 188 people). It's easy to forget that we're designing for this group of users because most designers don't experience such problems.

Let me give you a simple example. Success and error messages in mobile forms are often colored green and red, respectively. But red and green are the colors most affected by color-vision deficiency (these colors can be difficult to distinguish for people with deuteranopia or protanopia). Most probably you've seen the following error message when filling out a form: "The fields marked in red are required"? While it might not seem like a big thing, this error message combined with the form in the example below can be an extremely frustrating experience for people who have color-vision deficiency.

The form field's design relies only on red and green to indicate fields with and without an error. Color-blind users cannot differentiate the fields highlighted in red.

As the W3C's guidelines state, color shouldn't be used as the only visual means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response or distinguishing a visual element. It's important to use other visual signifiers to ensure that users will be able to interact with an interface.

The use of icons and labels to show which fields are invalid better communicates the information to a color-blind user.

Make Animations Optional

Users who suffer from motion sickness often turn off the animated effects in their OS settings. When the option to reduce motion is enabled in accessibility preferences, your app should minimize or eliminate its own animations.

Helping users navigate should be a high priority for every app. All the cool features and compelling content that your app has won't matter if people can't find them; also, if it takes too much time or effort to discover how to navigate your product, chances are you're just going to lose users. Users should be able to explore the app intuitively and to complete all primary tasks without any explanation.

It's better to use standard navigation patterns, such as the tab bar (for iOS) and the navigation drawer (for Android). The majority of users are familiar with both navigation patterns and will intuitively know how to get around your app.

Side drawer (Android). (Image source: Material Design)

For more information on navigation patterns, read the article " Basic Patterns for Mobile Navigation: Pros and Cons. "

Prioritize navigation based on the way users interact with your app. Assign different priority levels (high, medium, low) to common user tasks. Give prominence in the UI to paths and destinations with high priority levels and frequent use. Use those paths to define your navigation. Organize your information structure in a way that requires a minimum number of taps, swipes and screens.

When you choose a primary navigation pattern for your app, use it consistently. There shouldn't be a situation in which part of your app has a tab bar, while another part has a side drawer.

As Jakob Nielsen says, recognizing something is easier than remembering it. Minimize the user's memory load by making actions and options visible. Navigation should be available at all times, not just when we anticipate that the user needs it.

Communicate Current Location

Failing to indicate the current location is a very common problem of many mobile app menus. "Where am I?" is one of the fundamental questions users need to answer in order to successfully navigate. People should know where they are in your app at any moment.

The Health app (designed by Apple) provides information about the current section (the navigation option "Health data" is highlighted) and subsection (the headline "Activity" is visible at the top of the layout).

Animation is the best tool to describe state transitions. It helps users comprehend a state change in the page's layout, what has triggered the change and how to initiate the change again when needed.

Be Careful With Using Gestures In The UI

Using gestures in interaction design can be tempting. But in most cases, it's better to avoid this temptation. When gestures are used as a primary navigation option, they can cause a terrible UX. Why? Because gestures are hidden controls.

As Thomas Joos points out in his article "Beyond the Button: Embracing the Gesture-Driven Interface," the biggest downside of using gestures in a user interface is the learning curve. Every time a visible control is replaced with a gesture, the app's learning curve goes up. This happens because gestures have lower discoverability - they are always hidden, and people need to be able to identify these options in order to use them. That's why it's essential to use only widely accepted gestures (the ones that users expect in your app).

When it comes to using gestures in a UI, follow a few simple rules:

Use standard gestures.
By "standard," I mean gestures that are most natural for the app in your category. People are familiar with the standard gestures, so no extra effort is required to discover or remember them.

Offer gestures as a supplement to, not a replacement for, visible navigation options.
Gestures might work as shortcuts for navigation, but not as a complete replacement for visible menus. Thus, always offer a simple, visible way to navigate, even if it means a few extra actions.

For more information on using gestures in your UI, consider reading " In-App Gestures and Mobile App User Experience."

Focus On The First-Time Experience

The first-time experience is a make or break part of mobile apps. You only get one shot at a first impression. And if you fail, there's a huge probability that users won't launch your app again. (Research by Localytics shows that 24% of users never return to an app after the first use.)

Avoid Sign-In Walls

A sign-in wall is mandatory registration before using an app. It is a common source of friction for users and one of the reasons why users abandon apps. The number of users who abandon the process of registration is especially significant for apps with low brand recognition or those in which the value proposition is unclear.

Pinterest asks users to create a new account or log in upon first loading.

As a rule of thumb, only ask users to register if it's essential (for example, if core features of your app are available only when users complete registration). And even in this case, it's better to delay sign-in as long as possible - allow users to experience the app for a little while (for example, take a tour), and only then gently remind them to sign up. This will give your users a taste of the experience, and they will be more likely to commit to it.

Design A Good Onboarding Experience

In the context of the mobile UX, delivering an excellent onboarding experience is the foundation for retaining users. The goal of onboarding is to show the value your app provides.

Among the many strategies for onboarding, one is especially effective: contextual onboarding. Contextual onboarding means that instructions are provided only when the user needs them. Duolingo is an excellent example. This app pairs an interactive tour with progressive disclosure to show users how the app works. Users are encouraged to jump in and do a quick test in their selected language. This makes learning fun and discoverable.

Duolingo has a user-guided tour that consists of a quick test.

Another thing that can be very helpful during onboarding is an empty state. An empty state is a screen whose default state is empty and requires users to go through one or more steps to populate it with data. Besides informing the user of what content to expect on the page, an empty state can also teach people how to use an app. Even if the onboarding process consists of just one step, the guidance will reassure users that they are doing the right thing.

The empty state in Expensify reassures users by telling them how to get started.

Consider reading " The Role of Empty States in User Onboarding " for more information on onboarding.

Don't Ask for Set-Up Information Up Front

A mandatory set-up phase creates friction and can lead to abandonment of the app. When users launch an app, they expect it to just work. Thus, design your app for the majority of users, and let the few who want a different configuration adjust their settings to meet their needs any time they want.

Tip: Try to infer what you need from the system. If you need information about the user, device or environment, query the system for that whenever possible, instead of asking the user.

Avoid Asking For Permissions Right At The Start

Avoid a situation in which the first thing a user sees when launching the app is a dialog requesting permission. Similar to a sign-in wall or up-front set-up phase, requesting permission at launch should be done only when it's necessary for your app's core function. Users won't be bothered by this request if it's evident that your app depends on that permission in order to operate (for example, it's clear why a photo editor would request access to photos).

Permission request patterns proposed by Google. (Image: Material Design)

But for any other cases, ask for permissions in context. Users are more likely to grant permission if asked during a relevant task.

Apps should ask for permissions in context and should communicate the value that the access will provide. Prompt users to accept permissions only when they try to use the feature. (Image: Cluster)

Tips:

Make Your App Appear Fast And Responsive

Loading time is extremely important for the UX. As technology progresses, we get more impatient, and today, 47% of users expect a page to load in 2 seconds or less.

If a page takes more time to load, visitors might become frustrated and leave. That's why speed should be a priority when building a mobile app. But no matter how fast you make an app, some things will take time to process. A slow response could be caused by a bad Internet connection, or an operation could be taking a long time. But even if you can't shorten the line, at least try to make the wait more pleasant.

Concentrate On Loading Content In The Visible Area Of The Screen

Load just enough content to fill the screen when a page opens. Content available on scroll should continue to load in the background. The benefit of this approach is that users will be engaged in reading the initial content and, in some cases, won't even notice that content is still loading.

A blank or static screen that users see when content is loading can make it seem like your app is frozen, resulting in confusion and frustration, and potentially causing people to leave your app. At a minimum, show a loading spinner that makes it clear that something is happening. For a longer wait time (more than 10 seconds), it's essential to display a progress bar so that the user can gauge how long they'll be waiting.

Consider reading " Best Practices for Animated Progress Indicators " for more information on loading indicators.

Offer A Visual Distraction

If an app gives users something interesting to look at while waiting, users will pay less attention to the wait itself. Thus, to ensure people don't get bored while waiting for something to happen, offer them a distraction. A fine animated waiting indicator can retain users' attention while they wait.

Tip: Keep longevity in mind. Even good animation can be annoying when it's overused. When designing an animation, ask yourself, "Will the animation get annoying on the hundredth use, or is it universally clear and unobtrusive?"

Skeleton Screens

Skeleton screens (i.e. temporary information containers) are essentially a blank version of a page into which information is gradually loaded.

A skeleton screen shows the screen immediately. Placeholders replace any elements in the layout whose content isn't available yet. (Image: Slack)

A skeleton screen would appear the moment your app starts loading data, giving users the impression that your app is fast and responsive. Unlike a loading indicator, which just conveys that something is happening, a skeleton screen focuses on actual progress.

Optimize Content For Mobile

Content plays a significant role in design. In most cases, the primary reason why people use an app is the content it provides. But it's not enough just to have clear, well-crafted content. The content has to be easy to digest.

Make Text Readable and Legible

When we think about content, in most cases we mean typography. As Oliver Reichenstein states in his essay " Web Design Is 95% Typography ":

"Optimizing typography is optimizing readability, accessibility, usability(!), overall graphic balance."

The key to mobile typography is readability and legibility. If users can't read your content, there's no point in offering content in the first place.

First, a few practical recommendations on legibility:

Font family
Most users prefer a clear, easy-to-read font. A safe bet is the system's default typeface (Apple iOS uses the San Francisco font; Google Android uses Roboto).

Contrast
Light-colored text (such as light gray) might look aesthetically appealing, but users will have a hard time reading it, especially against a light background. Make sure there is plenty of contrast between the font and the background for easy readability. The WC3's web content accessibility guidelines provide contrast ratio recommendations for images and text.

Even high-contrast text is hard to read when there is glare, but low-contrast text is nearly impossible to read.

And now, a few recommendations for readability:

Left: The text is too small to read on a small device without pinching and zooming. Right: The text is comfortable to read on a mobile screen.

Too tight, too much, and just right. By adding the right amount of space to text - both between lines and in the margins - you help users better absorb the words.

HD-Quality Images And The Right Aspect Ratio

The rise of devices with high-resolution screens sets a bar for the quality of images. Images shouldn't appear pixelated on HD screens.

Images should always appear in the right aspect ratio, so that they don't look distorted. Images that are stretched too wide or too long just to fit in a space will look unappealing and out of place.

The latest challenge many mobile designers face is optimizing the UX for the iPhone X. Designing for the iPhone X requires a different size of artboard that any other iPhone (you'll need 375 x 812-point resolution images at 3x).

(Image credit: Apple)

Consider reading " Designing Apps for iPhone X: What Every UX Designer Needs to Know About Apple's Latest Device " for more information on designing for the iPhone X.

Video Content Is Optimized For Portrait Mode

Video is quickly becoming a standard method of content consumption for many users. According to YouTube, mobile video consumption grows by 100% every year. By 2020, over 75% of global mobile data traffic will be video content. This means that it's essential to optimize video content for portrait mode.

According to ScientiaMobile, 94% of users use their mobile device in portrait mode. If your app provides video content, it should be optimized to allow users to watch it in portrait mode.

Facebook Live allows you to watch video in Facebook's timeline. (Image source: Giphy)

Design For Touch

Designing for touch has a goal of reducing the number of incorrect inputs and making interaction with an app more comfortable.

Design For Fingers, Not Cursors

When you're designing actionable elements in a mobile interface, it's vital to make targets big enough so that they're easy for users to tap. Mistaken taps often happen due to small touch controls.

A small touch target increases the chance of false selection. (Image source: Apple)

When designing a touch target, you can rely on the MIT Touch Lab's study (PDF) to choose a proper size for interactive elements. This study found that the average size of finger pads are between 10 and 14 mm and fingertips are 8 to 10 mm, making 10 by 10 mm a good minimum touch target size.

10 by 10 mm is a good minimum touch target size. (Image source: UXmag)

Not only is the size of the target important, but it's also essential to have the right amount of space between targets. If multiple touch targets are near each other (for example, "Agree" and "Disagree" buttons), ensure that there is good amount of space between them.

An example of space between buttons. (Image source: Material Design)

Consider Thumb Zone

Designing for thumbs isn't only about making targets big enough, but also about considering the way we hold our devices. A lot of users hold their phone with one hand. Only a part of the screen would be a genuinely effortless territory for their thumbs. This territory is called the natural thumb zone. Other zones require finger stretching or even changing the grip to reach them. Below, you can see what the safe zone looks like on a modern mobile device.

Thumb zones, according to research by Scott Hurff. (Image source: Smashing Magazine)

The bigger the display, the more of the screen is less easily accessible.

Consider all zones when designing for mobile:

The green zone is the best place for navigation options or frequent interactive actions (such as call-to-action buttons).

The red zone is the best place for potential danger options (such as "Delete" or "Erase"). Users are less likely to trigger this option accidentally.

Feedback on Interaction

In the physical world, objects respond to our interaction. People expect a similar level of responsiveness from digital UI controls. You'll need to provide instant feedback on every user interaction. If your app doesn't provide feedback, the user will wonder if it has frozen or if they missed the target. The feedback could be visual (highlighting a tapped button) or tactile (a device vibration on input).

Humanize The Digital Experience

UX isn't only about usability; it's mostly about feelings. And when we think about what makes us feel great, we often think about well-crafted design.

Personalized Experience

Personalization is one of the most critical aspects of mobile apps today. It's an opportunity to connect with users and provide the information they need in a way that feels genuine.

There are countless ways to improve the mobile UX by incorporating personalization. It's possible to offer personalized content depending on the user's location, their past searches and their past purchases. For example, if your users prefer to purchase particular groups of products each month, an app might track that and offer them special deals on those types of products.

Starbucks' mobile app is an excellent example that follows this approach. The app uses information provided by users (for example, the type of coffee they usually order) to craft special offers.

Starbucks provides offers and services tailored to individual customers

Delightful Animation

Unlike functional animation, which is used to improve the clarity of a user interface, delightful animation is used to make an interface feel human. This type of animation makes it clear that the people who crafted the app care about their users.

Optimize Push Notifications

Annoying notifications are the number 1 reason people uninstall mobile apps (according to 71% of respondents).

(Image source: Appiterate Survey)

Don't send push notifications just because you can. Each notification should be valuable and well timed.

Push The Value

When a user starts using your app, they won't mind getting notifications, as long as the value they get is sufficiently greater than the interruption. Almost 50% of users are grateful for notifications that interest them. Personalizing content to inspire and delight is critical. Netflix is an excellent example of a company that "pushes the value." It carefully uses viewing data to present recommendations that feel tailor-made.

Netflix does a great job of personalizing its push notifications, letting users know when their favorite shows are available.

Avoid Sending Many Notifications In A Short Period Of Time

Too many notifications delivered in a short period of time can lead to the situation known as notification overkill - where a user can't process the information and simply skips it. Limit the total number of notifications by combining different messages.

Time Your Notifications

Not only is what you say important, but also when you say it. Don't send push notifications at weird hours (such as in the middle of the night). The best time for push notifications is peak hours of mobile usage: from 6:00 pm till 10:00 pm.

(Image source: comScore)

Consider Other Channels To Deliver Your Message

Push notifications aren't the only way to deliver a message. Use email, in-app notifications and news feed messaging to notify users about important events, according to the level of urgency and type of content you would like to share.

Select the proper notification type based on the urgency and content. (Image: Appboy)

Optimize For Mobile

Design For Interruption

We live in a world of interruption. Something is constantly trying to distract us and direct our attention elsewhere. Not to mention, a lot of mobile sessions happen when users on the go. For example, users might use your app while waiting for the train. Such sessions can be interrupted at any time. Users can be easily frustrated when an app forgets their current progress as soon as they close it.

When an interruption occurs, your app should save the current state (context) and allow users to continue where they left off. This will make it easier for users to re-engage with the app when they return to it after the interruption.

Take Advantage Of The Device's Capabilities

Mobile devices have a lot of sensors (camera, location tracking, accelerometer) that can be used to improve the UX. Here are just a few features that you can use to do that:

(Image credit: Business Insider)

Apps like Uber Eat already use this property to reduce the number of actions required by the user.

Chase Mobile's app provides a one-touch log-in feature.

Tip: You can find practical recommendations on how to use Apple's Face ID in our article " Designing Apps for iPhone X: What Every UX Designer Needs to Know About Apple's Latest Device."

Use Face ID during sign-in for the iPhone X (as a replacement for a password). (Image source: Tesco)

Strive To Create A Multi-Channel Experience

Don't think of your mobile app as an isolated experience. When it comes to creating a user journey, the ultimate goal is to create a seamless experience, across all devices. Users should be able to switch to a different medium and continue the journey.

According to Appticles, 37% of users do research on mobile but switch to desktop to complete a purchase. Thus, if you're designing an e-commerce app, mobile users should be able to switch to their desktop or laptop to continue the journey. Synchronization of user progress across devices is a key priority for creating a seamless experience. It makes users feel that their workflow isn't interrupted.

Adapt Mobile Design To Emerging Markets

According to Google, a billion new users are expected to come online in the next couple of years. And the vast majority of them will be from emerging markets (or so-called mobile-first countries, like India, Indonesia, Brazil and Nigeria). They will gain access through a mobile phone. These users will have very different experiences and expectations from those who are in the US and Europe.

If you're interested in going global, it's important to consider their experiences.

Poor Internet Connectivity

In the US and Europe, users are accustomed to ubiquitous connectivity. But that certainly isn't true worldwide. Products in emerging markets have to be able to perform over slow or intermittent connectivity. Depending on a person's location, the network might switch from Wi-Fi to 3G to 2G to no connectivity at all, and your product has to accommodate that.

If you plan to design for such market, consider the following:

YouTube Go is an excellent example of a mobile app designed around connectivity constraints. The app was designed to be offline-first (meaning that it's usable even when it isn't connected to the Internet). The app lets users preview videos first and allows them to select a video's file size before saving it offline to watch later. It also has a great feature that lets users share videos easily with friends and family nearby, without using any data.

YouTube Go lets users send and receive videos when they're together, using offline peer-to-peer sharing.

Google News & Weather is another great example of an app that was designed around bad connections. The app has a feature called "Lite mode" for people on low-bandwidth connections. When this mode is activated, it trims content down to its essentials, so that the app loads more quickly. According to Google, this mode uses less than one third of the normal data, and it activates automatically when the app detects a slow network.

Limited Data

In about 95% of emerging markets, people rely almost entirely on expensive prepaid mobile data. People buy a fixed amount of data, and many can only afford something like 250 MB of data per month.

These users appreciate transparency when it comes to understanding their data consumption. They also value the ability to control whether a product downloads over Wi-Fi or uses data.

Below, you can see another example from YouTube Go. After selecting a video, users can choose the quality of the video. The app lets them know up front how much data they'll spend before committing to an action.

YouTube Go lets you preview videos and choose their file size before saving it offline to watch later.

Limited Device Capabilities

Smartphones in mobile-first countries have dramatically different capabilities from the Pixels and iPhones popular in the US. Most emerging-market devices cost below $100 and might come with limited storage and processing power. Make sure that the product you design works with older, low-end devices and software.

Local Aesthetics

Minimalist design, which is popular in the Western world today, might be considered too bare for other cultures. If you want your product to succeed in emerging markets, pay attention to the cultural aesthetics. You can get inspiration from regionally popular products or hire local designers who are familiar with user preferences. Designing according to local aesthetics will make your product feel more relatable.

Specifics of Region

When Google adapted Google Maps for India, it considered that India is the largest two-wheeler market in the world, and the millions of motorcycle and scooter riders have different needs than drivers of automobiles. It released two-wheeler mode in Maps. This mode shows trip routes that use shortcuts, not accessible to cars and trucks.

Testing And Feedback

All of the principles you've just read can help you design a better experience for mobile, but they won't replace the need for user research and testing. You'll still need to test your solution with real users to understand which parts of the UI require improvement.

Feedback Loop

Encourage user feedback at every opportunity. In order to collect valuable feedback, you need to make it easy for users to provide it. Thus, build a feedback mechanism right into your product. This could be as simple as a form marked "Leave feedback." Just make sure that it works seamlessly for your users.

Design Is A Never-Ending Process

It's fair to say that design is a process of continual improvement. As product designers, we use analytics and user feedback to improve the experience continually.

Helpful Tools And Resources For Designers

Color Contrast Checker

It's surprising how many mobile apps don't pass the AA test. Don't be one of them! It's essential to check the accessibility of your color contrast. Use WebAIM's Color Contrast Checker to test color combinations.

WebAIM Color Contrast Checker

UI Kits For Adobe XD

A well-designed user interface will make your app shine. It's great when you can design your UI not from scratch, but using a solid foundation such as a UI kit. Adobe XD has five UI kits that you can download absolutely for free.These kits will boost your creativity and help you deliver visually interesting UI designs.

Conclusion

A great design is the perfect combination of beauty and functionality, and that is exactly what you should be aiming for when building an app. But don't try to build a perfect app right on the first attempt. It almost impossible. Instead, treat your app as a continually evolving project, and use data from testing sessions and user feedback to constantly improve the experience.
This article is part of the UX design series sponsored by Adobe. Adobe XD is made for a fast and fluid UX design process, as it lets you go from idea to prototype faster. Design, prototype, and share - all in one app. You can check out more inspiring projects created with Adobe XD on Behance, and also sign up for the Adobe experience design newsletter to stay updated and informed on the latest trends and insights for UX/UI design.

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A Comprehensive Guide To Mobile App Design

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( This article is kindly sponsored by Adobe.) There are many things to consider when designing for mobile. We're sure that this detailed guide will help you get rid of that headache when building apps. ( This is a sponsored article.) More than ever, people are engaging with their phones in crucial moments.

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Mobile apps can greatly improve customer experience in store helping to create a seamless experience.

IN STORE COLLECTION - "Mobile apps allow customers to check in when they arrive or even let the store know they are on their way and estimate when they will arrive. Instead of requiring customers to call once they get to the designated parking spots, mobile apps can automatically check customers in, which makes for a seamless experience for customers and employees."

REAL TIME INVENTORY-
"Mobile apps help customers know exactly where an item is in store and if it is in stock so they don’t have to wander up and down the aisles. In the Home Depot app, customers can search with text or picture to find items, check inventory and even be directed to the exact bay the item is located in at their local store."

"Walmart is unveiling a mobile scan and go feature on its app that allows customers to scan items with their phones as they shop, then scan a code to pay at self-checkout. The app helps customers see their totals in real time and creates a faster, contactless shopping experience.  "

I want to revolutionise the in store shopping experience through my flagship store and a large part of my concept is through implementing pioneering tech. This article has directly inspired my TRP app and solves any inconsistencies caused by online customers venturing into The Ragged Denim store. Such as a lack of stock, price differences, long que times and a confusing store layout.

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Surviving a pandemic? There's an app for that.

Online shopping has experienced huge growth due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but technology is for more than just shopping online. Mobile apps can greatly improve the in-person shopping experience.

Apps have long been the future of in-person retail, but the pandemic sped up their adoption. Apps help brands continue to deliver great experiences while maintaining social distancing and following local guidelines. Mobile apps are key to solving many of the problems retailers face during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mobile apps can improve the in-person shopping experience during COVID-19 in three main ways:
1 . Facilitate Seamless Pickup
BOPIS (buy online, pickup in store) has seen tremendous growth during the pandemic. But much of the convenience factor is lost if customers can't get their items quickly when they arrive at the store. Mobile apps allow customers to check in when they arrive or even let the store know they are on their way and estimate when they will arrive. Instead of requiring customers to call once they get to the designated parking spots, mobile apps can automatically check customers in, which makes for a seamless experience for customers and employees.

The Target app is a leader in curbside pickup. Customers can tell the app when they are on their way to the store and be automatically checked in when they arrive. The app alerts employees to bring the order to the car for contactless delivery. Similarly, the Nordstrom app sends a notification when an online order is ready for pickup. Once customers arrive in the parking lot, they simply press a button in the app to check in, making for a smooth and quick pickup.
2 . Empower Employees
Store employees have been handed new responsibilities during the pandemic, such as controlling store capacity and social distancing. Mobile apps serve as powerful tools to empower employees with their new responsibilities. Some stores, including Lowe's, use employee apps to track customer counts across multiple store entrances and exits. UK supermarket chain Asda uses an app with a virtual queue so customers can check in via text or on the app and receive a notification when it's their turn to enter the store. Other stores, restaurants and day care centers around the world use similar technology that allow customers to wait safely in their cars until it is their turn.

Within stores, apps help employees check inventory and answer questions. Instead of rushing off to check the storeroom, apps put everything right in employees' fingertips. Gap created an app called In Stock On Shelf that alerts employees when items are running low on the sales floor and makes it easy for them to check what's in the stockroom from their mobile devices.
3 . Improve The In-Store Customer Experience
When customers do go in store, they want to be as efficient as possible. This has always been true, but especially during the pandemic when many people are trying to limit their exposure to germs and other people.

Mobile apps help customers know exactly where an item is in store and if it is in stock so they don't have to wander up and down the aisles. In the Home Depot app, customers can search with text or picture to find items, check inventory and even be directed to the exact bay the item is located in at their local store.

Walmart is unveiling a mobile scan and go feature on its app that allows customers to scan items with their phones as they shop, then scan a code to pay at self-checkout. The app helps customers see their totals in real time and creates a faster, contactless shopping experience.
How To Create An Effective Mobile App:

Have an empathetic mindset. Put yourself in the customer or employees' shoes. What features would make their experience smoother? In many cases, companies create apps based on what they think is the most important, not what customers actually need and value. Get feedback and use empathy to build an app customers actually want to use.

Ensure data is accurate. A major app frustration for customers is ordering something or seeing an item is in stock on the app, only to get to the store to find the item is no longer available. The increase in mobile ordering has made inventory management challenging, but the most effective apps use accurate, real-time data to provide an up-to-date view of inventory.

Keep it simple. Don't make customers work harder than they need to. If they might need to contact the store, don't make them download a different app or make a phone call. Incorporate all the functions they need into the app and remove things that customers simply don't need.

Offer notifications. Customers want to feel empowered and know what is happening with their order. Include notifications so customers can know the status of their order as it changes, if their items are available and if there is anything else they need to do. Push notifications make it easy for customers to stay involved in their order without having to constantly open or refresh the app.

Mobile apps create a safer and more efficient shopping experience for customers and employees. Creating a multifunctional app helps stores to move forward safely during the pandemic.
For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter .
... Read More

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How Retailers Use Mobile Apps To Improve Shopping Experiences During COVID

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Surviving a pandemic? There's an app for that. Online shopping has experienced huge growth due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but technology is for more than just shopping online. Mobile apps can greatly improve the in-person shopping experience. Apps have long been the future of in-person retail, but the pandemic sped up their adoption.

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Levi's are one of the major players in the denim industry and have been for a long time. They are championing the sustainability movement and are being widely recognised for doing so.,

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With a new chief executive-creative director duo at the helm, Diesel is forging ahead with founder Renzo Rosso taking a big step back. CEO Massimo Piombini details the brand's updated strategy.

When Massimo Piombini visited Diesel's Italian sneaker factory in June, five months after becoming chief executive, he faced an immediate dilemma. "I didn't like the collection. I didn't like the strategy behind it. I didn't like anything," says Piombini, who had left his Paris-based job as CEO of Balmain to join the Italian denim brand.

His challenge was to confront his new boss, Diesel founder Renzo Rosso, who often calls the brand his "baby" and at the time led creative direction at the label he founded in 1978. In Rosso's office that afternoon, 59-year-old Piombini says he proposed that Diesel build a new dedicated sneaker business, hiring fresh designers, merchandisers and suppliers.

It was the middle of the global pandemic. Diesel's revenues were headed for a 22 per cent slide this year from $900 million in 2019, capital spending had been halted, stores shuttered, employees laid off and furloughed, and executives - including Piombini - had taken 20 per cent pay cuts.

Rosso listened, Piombini says, and replied, "Okay. Go ahead."

Rosso, who is 65, for three years had been on a mission to recreate the energy that defined Diesel in the 1980s and 1990s. Built with a rock-and-roll vibe and provocative often surreal advertising - campaigns have portrayed imaginary life in North Korea, imitated car crashes and showed same-sex couples kissing decades before it was normalised - Diesel saw its edge and its profits decline in the naughts as it sought a mass market by lowering prices, producing more mundane designs and aggressively expanding retail outlets. In recent years, it has emerged from bankruptcy protection in the US while Rosso stepped back in to oversee operations after spending years investing in luxury brands such as Maison Margiela, Viktor & Rolf and Marni through his holding company, Only the Brave Group, which is based in Breganze, a small town an hour west of Venice.

When the pandemic hit, the label had just begun a turnaround with a series of capsule collections with designers such as A-Cold-Wall's Samuel Ross. Store traffic was up 7 per cent last fall. Rosso hired Piombini in December last year to "bring back to Diesel what it was in the 80s and 90s", says Piombini.

One big step for Piombini was hiring 37-year-old Belgian designer Glenn Martens, known for his avant-garde denim designs for Paris-based Y/Project in October. Martens is working on a Diesel capsule collection that will drop in March. His first full collection for Diesel will come for Spring/Summer 2022 and it will include new more elevated and expensive designs. While Martens is under orders to focus on products, Piombini is installing a new infrastructure to support them.

The plan melds an increased focus on e-commerce, which has been the one bright spot in 2020 with Diesel's e-commerce sales - which rose 40 per cent year-over-year in the second and third quarters - and a new system of roughly 10 brand hubs around the world. Piombini sees those physical hubs playing the role of community magnets, with local teams offering entertainment and activities. Travelling Diesel studios will create films and other content that will be served up to those local communities. In addition to the obvious fashion cities of Milan, New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo, there's Tel Aviv, Berlin, Bogota and São Paulo.

The pandemic quickly reversed the progress just as Piombini moved back to his hometown of Milan and began a weekly two-hour commute to Breganze. Beyond the necessary cutbacks, Piombini thought he saw deeper problems with how Diesel was trying to communicate with consumers. Advertising has been superseded by technology, social media and a society-wide desire for authenticity. Reaching today's consumers requires entertaining them rather than pitching them, he felt. What followed swiftly became a repositioning of the brand that's intended to recalibrate its carefree sensibility for a culture that is vastly different than the one in which Diesel emerged, when designer denim was a new concept. The aim is to be both local and digital, attuned to the cultural tastes and technology of the third decade of the 2000s as well as the complex world that consumers live in with multiple choices on how to spend their time and money.

"We want to have a physical presence and a cultural presence," says Piombini. "My competitors aren't Levi's or Balenciaga. My competitors are the gym, Netflix. Diesel has to be a part of your life."

The stage for this attempted comeback is not the friendly one Diesel took 40 years ago. "The market is really crowded, and before they had a new different proposition," says Mario Ortelli, managing partner of merger and acquisition and strategic advisory firm Ortelli & Co. "Nowadays, there are many denim brands and the competition is by far higher."

Success, Ortelli says, means becoming one of a handful of top-of-mind brands. "You win or you lose. Now it's more binary, the math."

The new Diesel

When Piombini arrived at Diesel in January, he sat down with about 20 employees individually and asked them to tell him about Diesel. "Every story was different," he says. This led him to feel that the brand's mission was unclear, even internally. He hired the Los Angeles-based branding and entertainment firm The Sunshine Company to work on a new playbook, which he calls Project Sunshine.

The work included interviewing 10,000 consumers in the US, Europe, China, Japan and elsewhere, asking questions such as how they viewed Diesel, and who they saw as its rivals. The group derived, over six weeks, four archetypical customers that Piombini is calling the Gang of Four. These archetypes run the gambit from trend-hungry teens to middle-aged men and women who long ago established their personal style and seek designs with longevity. The groups are only for internal use at Diesel, intended to make employees aware of the "tribe audience" they are to keep top of mind - those who love high design; experimenters; "settled" who value function over trend; and individualists who value their own style above all.

Every employee at Diesel now has elements of this playbook at their desk, and Piombini expects them to know how their job relates to the Gang of Four and Project Sunshine. Employees are expected to be familiar with slogans and brand concepts, such as "denim is the social fabric of the world", and to act with "brave behaviours" such as "stay curious", "take chances", and "get connected".

"The onboarding of this idea will take time," says Piombini, acknowledging that the shifts require extensive relearning for Diesel employees. "This is a cultural revolution for this company."

The Covid-19 pandemic led Diesel, like many companies, to rapidly implement digital operations that might otherwise have taken years. With eight showrooms shut down around the world, Piombini hired a New York virtual reality startup, Obsess, to build a digital showroom, called Hyperoom, that allows store buyers to move through the brand's Milan showroom much like Google Street View. Users click on arrows to move and can click a button to segue into the order placement system. Diesel is now completing a mobile version that will work on store buyers' phones and iPads.

This is a new approach for Piombini, who has spent his career as a luxury executive working at Balmain, Valentino, Gucci and Bulgari. He says he didn't bring a single former colleague along to Diesel, and he says he has no intention of lifting the denim label into the luxury tier. "It's not in the DNA of the brand," he says.

Still, he brings luxury experience to Diesel, including the special relationship between brand and price, which in luxury has little to do with cost of production.

"When you think a brand is expensive, it's because your perception of the brand is wrong," he says. "When your perception is right, there is no price resistance. Suddenly paying €250 for a pair of jeans, you think you got a good deal."

Piombini's past with corporate-owned brands didn't quite prepare him for working with a passionate founder accustomed to involving himself in every aspect of the brand. "It's my daily challenge," he says with a wry smile on a Zoom call. "When I joined, Renzo was the creative director of the brand - according to him. He didn't have that title on his business card."

Rosso says he sees his role as encouraging and protecting talent, and that bringing Piombini and Martens on frees him up for other endeavours at Only The Brave.

"Today more than ever, I am busy on countless fronts, and the time has come for Diesel to have a full-time figure guiding and directing all the expressions of the brand's lifestyle, from style to interior design to marketing, with modernity and new energy," Rosso said in an email. "It is not difficult for me, emotionally. Diesel is and will always be my creation, Glenn will be free to forge his way, and I will be by his side to ensure the fundamental values and DNA of the brand are protected and enhanced."

Piombini says it was Rosso's idea to bring in a creative director. Rosso has been turning more responsibility at Only The Brave to his children and said last year that he is ready to share more control. With other brands owned by his privately held Only The Brave Group, he is often remarkably hands-off and willing to take risks on personalities. Rosso hired John Galliano to design Maison Margiela in 2014, when much of the fashion industry was shunning the designer following his anti-semitic tirades and a conviction in France for making racist remarks. Rosso has also proved to be loyal, often giving years to designers to find their stride.

Piombini is banking on Rosso's agility - moves like agreeing to develop a new sneaker business in one afternoon. "The big groups are sometimes a little slow in their decision making," he says. "We are very fast. My boss is on the other side of the building."

He can't say how much this new strategic and capital plan will cost Diesel - they haven't quite figured that out yet, he says. But he is proceeding with one eye on a pandemic that is likely to be a scourge on business for another year. Piombini isn't banking on a return to pre-Covid-19 business performance until 2022, which he predicts will perform at 2019 levels. "If the vaccines really work and are distributed around the world, maybe these numbers can be accelerated," he says.

He has found a location in Shanghai for the first Diesel hub, but is finding it difficult to look for the other locations without being able to travel.

"Doing all this from my office is really frustrating," Piombini says. "It's like you have a car and it's started with the key in the ignition, but you cannot go."

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More from this author: Can farm-to-closet work for fashion? Fashion's US election elation on Biden Post-election, Covid relief will be US fashion's top priority

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With a new chief executive-creative director duo at the helm, Diesel is forging ahead with founder Renzo Rosso taking a big step back. CEO Massimo Piombini details the brand's updated strategy.

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DIESEL are a highly innovative brand. This is one of their USP's as they are constantly reinventing themselves and pushing the boundaries on design and innovation. This keeps them relevant and is highly effective.

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BREGANZE, Italy - Italian jeansmaker Diesel has a plan for battling Covid-19 that goes beyond social distancing guidelines and plastic barriers in front of cash registers. Last week it announced a denim treatment, developed in partnership with Swedish technology firm Polygiene, that it says "physically halts 99 percent of any viral activity" within two hours of exposure to viruses, including Covid-19. Jeans featuring the technology are set to be available to purchase in the spring of next year.

As stunty as it may sound, Diesel is betting perks like virus-fighting jeans will separate it from its peers in a wide and competitive denim market as it seeks to reclaim the success of its late-1990s, early-2000s heyday, when Founder Renzo Rosso built it into a global powerhouse brand through irreverent marketing and carefully controlled denim production and innovation.

Diesel's kicked off the rise of "designer denim" in the first decade of the century, when brands specialising in jeans priced over $200 grew in popularity as denim transitioned from a purely casual uniform to a viable alternative to formalwear and office attire. Diesel drew lines of customers for its limited edition "dirty jeans" wash treatment, a low-rise worn-in pair modelled in a campaign by Daisy Lowe.

But designer denim became a commodity almost as quickly as it became a category. Now that every direct-to-consumer brand and independent designer label offers a denim range - and leggings and sweatpants have supplanted jeans as the everyday uniform for many people - Diesel is hoping to remind consumers why it was coveted in the first place.

Diesel has been in a turnaround phase for the better part of a decade, during which Rosso stepped back to focus on his portfolio of brands under the Group, including Maison Margiela and Marni, before rejoining the day-to-day operations in 2017. Diesel returned to top line growth in 2019, generating €900 million ($1 billion at current exchange) in revenue, but still down from its 2016 performance, when revenue was €960 million but the company operated at a loss.

Since Artistic Director Nicola Formichetti left in 2017 after five years at the brand, Diesel has released a string of collaborations with different designers, including Hood By Air's Shayne Oliver and 's Samuel Ross. The leadership has been in flux, too. The brand has hired two chief executives since 2017, the most recent of who arrived right at the start of the pandemic in Italy: former Balmain CEO Massimo Piombini, in his first position outside of luxury.

Piombini, who has held senior roles at , Bulgari and before Balmain, told BoF that he decided to join Diesel because it was one the first global brands that made an impression on him as a young man in Italy, and he feels it has the history and narrative needed to draw in today's customers.

"We should be the frontrunner of the new denim movement," Piombini said. His plan involves breaking down department barriers within the organisation's workforce to operate more effectively as a global company. But the brand will still develop localised approaches for a selection of about 10 key cities around the world.

We should be the frontrunner of the new denim movement.

Piombini wants to narrow the company's focus onto fewer but more impactful denim styles, reduce its physical footprint of stores and invest in sustainability initiatives. The ultimate goal is to position Diesel as a fashion-driven "alternative to luxury," offering a fashion-forward product at a higher quality and slightly higher price point, up two to three "notches," he said.

Piombini and Diesel have a lot of challenges ahead in reclaiming its space in the trend-driven and emotional denim market. In 2019, $21.1 billion premium jeans global market grew 2.6 percent, and it is projected to contract by 18.5 percent in 2020, according to Euromonitor.

In many ways, the idea of being a "denim brand" is obsolete, putting Diesel in competition with the rest of the market between fast, mass-market fashion and luxury. It has long been squeezed by its competitors on both ends of the spectrum.

"[Diesel] fell victim to that shift in jeans from being formalwear and being dressed up to being something that competes with leggings and athleisure," said brand specialist Ana Andjelic.

Diesel's competition today includes many more brands than the handful of denim leaders it battled against in its heyday. Niche brands from Ganni to Eckhaus Latta offer their takes on the category to their devoted customer bases. And global luxury brands have tapped the streetwear trend with more accessibly priced products, which often includes denim.

Now, "everyone has a denim brand," said Andjelic, explaining that the new model is focused on storytelling over a cut or style, citing New York independent label Khaite's popular offering of jeans. "Denim underpins brands, it expresses the brand values," she said.

Diesel has always had a big story to tell, led by Rosso and his passion for denim and love of bold, tongue-in-cheek advertisements, perhaps best exemplified by the "Be Stupid" campaign of 2010.

But as clothing trends and marketing strategies evolved over the last decade, Diesel continued to "coast on a very strong brand equity," said Andjelic. It missed out on the streetwear movement of the 2010s and the logomania that thrived along with it.

"If there were a brand that has the legitimacy to be the front runner of the streetwear brands, it was Diesel," said Piombini. "And Diesel, in that period, lost it."

Levi's, which weathered its own difficult turnaround to reclaim its prior success, battled the rise of athleisure by focusing on the women's market and key silhouettes like the 501s and 505s, effectively tapping into the return of 1990s styles. But Diesel has no equivalent signature styles to point to, though it has plenty in its archives, including the Saddle style and an angled pocket label. Its storytelling also didn't evolve. "Those clothes may fit well, they may be great quality, but they are not relevant," said Andjelic. These barriers will make moving upmarket even harder.

Over the last decade, the brand's message became crowded by sub-lines and collaborations."It is difficult to keep a strong and relevant brand image for the consumer when you extend your offering," said Mario Ortelli, managing partner of Ortelli & . "Competitors do not lie waiting."

The brand has the added challenge of widespread distribution with an equally wide range of customer responses. While the US business struggled over the last decade, culminating in a Chapter 11 reorganisation bankruptcy filing in 2019, Diesel found continued success in denim-obsessed Japan, which represented 25 percent of its business as of 2017.

The coronavirus throws further complications into Diesel's attempts to reposition itself, not only because the global fashion industry is expected to contract as much as 30 percent this year, according to McKinsey but also because consumers stuck at home won't find a compelling appeal in stiff jeans.

And for a denim brand like Diesel to succeed, it can't reflect anxiety, said Ron Herman, the California-based retailer. He met Rosso in the early 1980s and was one of the first people to bring his jeans to the US. "His company has fun - they inspire and they attract people who want to be inspired," said Herman. "There is a tremendous risk of losing a sense of lightness and a desire to have fun ... The denim industry always reflected that it was rebellious. It reflects a certain rebellion against a suit and tie, the establishment."

The bigger the brand, the more difficult it is to reposition it.

Ortelli said Piombini's luxury experience will help execute a turnaround that has been a long time coming and is far from an easy task. "The bigger the brand, the more difficult it is to reposition it," he said.

Piombini sees the same similarities between his past and current employment, particularly when it comes to navigating the relationship with Diesel's prominent founder.

"I went from a completely managerial approach to a very family approach," the executive said, adding that Rosso is giving him the space to work, but he values his living embodiment of the brand's point-of-view.

"You have 43 years of DNA of the company next to you," Piombini said. "Sometimes I have to manage some, you know, craziness. But, again, it's part of the character and it's also this craziness [that] sometimes directs you in the right direction - sometimes not, and you have to manage that. Every time you work with a founder of a company... it's always like that."

Piombini is finally back in the physical office in Breganze, getting to know the Diesel team in person after starting his role just before lockdowns. One of his first priorities has been a research project internally called Sunshine, to evaluate what consumers want today and how to speak to them. The findings point to underscoring Diesel's authority in the category.

"Because, one, we have the know-how, two, we have the legitimacy, three, we have the heritage and four, we have the size," said Piombini. "Diesel is a big company. Before Covid, it was almost a billion-dollar company, and there are not so many billion-dollar companies in the denim industry ... We have the capability to become the cool and trendy player in the industry, but we have to do things in the right way."

He described the turnaround as tackling not a product or communication problem, but a cultural one. "If you take a job at Diesel... denim should be part of your blood and you should understand that you ended up at a company that invented a certain type of denim," he said. "All these things, today, are not happening."

Denim will take on more prominence in the brand moving forward, from the way it is presented in stores to the product offering, in response to a greater emphasis on its other apparel categories over the last decade. Campaigns in the mid-2010s did not always feature jeans.

Ortelli said a strong strategy is to "refocus on the core" of the business and, when that is clearly defined again, "accelerate on a growth path."

Piombini wants to edit down to about five to eight core silhouettes for men's and women's wear, supplemented by one or two additional evergreen styles per season that are only available for a limited time. "I think we should have our silhouettes, our own fits that should be the key pillars of the denim business." He also plans to develop a new sneakers category for the brand. These changes will begin to be visible to customers by the end of 2021.

I think we should have our silhouettes, our own fits that should be the key pillars of the denim business.

Piombini also plans to trim down, renovate and relocate Diesel's 450 store network. "I think we should easily do 50 percent more of the business with half of the stores," he said, adding that he also wants to increase Diesel's control over international territories owned by third parties through joint ventures or franchises to facilitate global strategy. He said the brand will develop localised strategies for about eight to 10 cities, including the major shopping capitals as well as cultural hotspots like Tel Aviv, Bogota and Berlin.

From a marketing perspective, Piombini plans to make sustainability a key message, connecting it to Diesel's history of inclusivity and authenticity, words he said Rosso was using years before they became the go-to jargon. "The company and the brand is investing a lot of money in the sustainability area, not just in what you see in the front end... but also re-discussing all the supply chain," he said. Diesel also plans to release one or two collections each year of "upcycled" products.

Positioning itself as a sustainable brand could be a smart opportunity for Diesel, but will require more effort than its peers who have already been beating that marketing message for years in order to stand out from the pack.

"They will need to work very hard to instil eco-credentials," said Andjelic. "There is a big opportunity for them... If they really put effort in, they can come back through that angle."

Piombini's strategy is also meant to lay the foundation for the appointment of a creative director in the future, a conversation that he said started as soon as he joined Diesel. "One, because of my background, and two because this was a question mark for the management for many, many years," he said. (The last creative director, Formichetti, exited Diesel three years ago.)

But Piombini says the brand isn't ready yet. In the meantime, he plans to limit Diesel's third-party collaborations to about three maximum per year, and extend them into multi-season relationships. "This should be a preparatory venue for a new creative director in a couple of years... when we will be ready to have the face of the brand that it is not just Mr. Rosso."
Editor's Note: Related Articles: Inside Diesel's 'Reboot' How Denim Brands Can Stay Cool How to Make Your Brand Cool This article was updated on 21 July 2020. A previous version of this article said Renzo Rosso returned to Diesel as chief executive in 2017. While he became more involved in the brand at the point, he did not hold the title of CEO.

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BREGANZE, Italy - Italian jeansmaker Diesel has a plan for battling Covid-19 that goes beyond social distancing guidelines and plastic barriers in front of cash registers. Last week it announced a denim treatment, developed in partnership with Swedish technology firm Polygiene, that it says "physically halts 99 percent of any viral activity" within two hours of exposure to viruses, including Covid-19.

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Diesel has over 5,000 points of sale worldwide with over 400 monobrand stores, 37 of those in the US. Between 1978 and 2012, the company has produced more than 2,000 different washes of denim.

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Since its start, Diesel has used “For Successful Living” as a slogan for the brand’s DNA. Through a long and storied history of strong, ironic and playful campaigns, Diesel has become a leader in advertising as well as in fashion. Where the world zigged, Diesel zagged, and in the 35 years since its founding, the brand still embraces the same ethos.

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In 1978 Renzo Rosso started Diesel with the intention of creating the world’s most innovated denim. Amidst a worldwide oil crisis, during which diesel was considered to be an alternative fuel, Renzo liked the idea of his brand to be known as an alternative jeans brand, in contrast to the prevalent casual wear giants that had come before. Renzo intended to reach the entire world since the brand’s very inception, making the word “diesel,” an international term pronounced equally all over the world, the perfect name for his endeavor.

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This distinguishing style chimes with what Demetra Kolakis, Course Leader for the Fashion Visual Merchandising and Branding BA at London College of Fashion, tells me about the brand, when I contact her to get an academic perspective on why Lazy Oaf stands out so much on the British fashion landscape. "The brand is known for its original designs, each fused with a warped sense of humour involving eye-catching colourful and fun aesthetics. As a result, Lazy Oaf is memorably beautiful and individual, setting them apart on the UK independent fashion market," she tells me.

The bold, bright spoils of Shiel's labour certainly attest to that, surrounding us in the store as we settle in and she tells me a bit about Lazy Oaf's beginnings. Fresh out of uni, having studied print-making, she felt unsure about what came next, though she had been making t-shirts for friends on the side. "I thought that maybe I could give the t-shirt thing a go. I was hand-printing t-shirts and selling them on a market stall, and whatever I got from the t-shirts, I'd use to buy more t-shirts, and print them, and then I was probably working two or three jobs at the same time to pay for food and beer!" Shiel remembers.

Things got more serious when she opened a store with some friends, and the Lazy Oaf products were by far the most popular. Soon after, Shiel started taking her designs to streetwear trade shows, and recalls how much they stood out. "Everyone at that time, in the early 2000s, took streetwear so seriously. I wanted to have fun and approach stuff with light-heartedness, and mixing colour or jokes or graphics that really didn't have much representation. There wasn't much womenswear either."

Nowadays, streetwear is full of tongue-in-cheek lols (think of the Supreme burner phone, or, like, the brick), but Lazy Oaf's sense of humour has been a crucial part of the brand from the very beginning. "Lazy Oaf came from the fact that what I liked to draw was really the most unpretentious stuff that I could think of, related to what I was watching on telly, or bad food, the stuff that is sort of, anti-a good lifestyle. That has remained a bit of a constant. I've always had quite a wry sense of humour, a little bit cynical," says Shiel.

Another area that Lazy Oaf were quietly pioneering was social media, for which they're well respected in their community. James Cutmore, the founder and owner of The Ragged Priest - an edgier, but similarly-sized brand whose store is Lazy Oaf's Soho neighbour - tells me that he thinks "they're one of the best at it in our industry." "It's a very clear aesthetic, and they have their own handwriting," Cutmore continues.

O'Sullivan speaks to Lazy Oaf's adeptness with social media, in particular Instagram, her area of expertise. "I'd like to say we were quite early adopters of Instagram, because everything's really visual and we put a lot of investment into the quality content." Their approach to the medium has adapted over time, too, because it's had to. In a landscape where brands like Pretty Little Thing are constantly releasing influencer 'edits' (essentially, collections of their existing designs supposedly selected by a high-profile influencer collaborator to represent their style), Lazy Oaf are more interested in "finding people from all over the world who represent the brand and bring their own personality and values to it. It's part of a bigger community," says O'Sullivan.

Though Lazy Oaf aren't part of the fast fashion ecosystem occupied by brands like PLT and Missguided - "we're not producing thousands, we produce a couple of hundred of each thing," Shiel clarifies defiantly - they can't help but be affected by the market domination of trends, purely as a fashion brand in 2019. Fast fashion, to some degree, places Lazy Oaf in a bit of a double bind. Shiel explains: "Consumers' expectations, whether you're fast fashion or not, is that they want their product and they want it now. But they also complain about fast fashion. If we haven't released anything new in two weeks, we can see our sales start to drop, because people just want newness. And then if they're not getting it delivered the next day or the day after, then it's a problem."

"But then also it's quite interesting at the moment," she continues, "because everyone's like 'I've got to really care about the ethics or my purchases. So I'll ask them if they're ethical, but I'll also complain at the same time if I haven't got it the next day.' So it's up to us to make sure we have enough education on our side, and on our brand, about who we are, what we care about, why we are ethical, and why we're trying our best to be as socially responsible as we can."

This is something Lazy Oaf have stepped up recently. Though in the past, the brand's policies have been less clear, this year they published an 'Oafesto' on their website which lists all of their commitments to social responsibility, animal welfare, environmental impact, and more. In this, they recognised that "our customers would appreciate greater transparency from us," which they are "happy to provide."

The ethics of what they do are important to all three women: O'Sullivan names the brand's first non-profit collection for Mental Health Awareness Week as a highlight of her time there, while Webb is passionate about sustainability. She is one of many Lazy Oaf employees working to make the brand more eco-friendly, from the big (they'll be releasing a fully recycled swim collection in the future) to the little: "Even in terms of our swing tickets and stuff, we're changing them all to be recyclable materials," she says.

To a degree, however, sustainability is already somewhat inherent in each Lazy Oaf item. Though they are sold at a slightly higher price point than clothes on the high street, Shiel says that Lazy Oaf's clothes are "built to last," and is especially pleased to see a culture of reselling Lazy Oaf garments on sites like eBay and Depop prevailing. "We'd like to work with that somehow in the future, and encourage swapping, trading. We might do an Oaf car boot, where people can trade the stuff they've had," she says.

Indeed the amount of people who are able to wear Lazy Oaf garments has grown over the years - they recently expanded their size range to include everything from a UK size six to a UK size 20. Shiel is very conscious that this is only "a good start," explaining that she wants to make it even bigger (this, of course, would also necessarily make the brand more ethical and sustainable), though she faces some challenges.

"We've done research across all the high street stores, and what we've found is that there's no industry standard once you go past a 14," she says, the frustration clear in her voice. "So we're working on perfecting a 16 to a 20, and until we nail that we can't truly go up any further. What we're really keen to do is actually understand what happens, so we can get the fit really great, and people feel great. We're trying to include our community in that process as well, so we're inviting people into our head office and our studio to try stuff on, tell us how they fit, bring their old clothes in, and how they like those and what's good about it."

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Lazy Oaf Are Resisting Fast Fashion with Ethical Streetwear

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This distinguishing style chimes with what Demetra Kolakis, Course Leader for the Fashion Visual Merchandising and Branding BA at London College of Fashion, tells me about the brand, when I contact her to get an academic perspective on why Lazy Oaf stands out so much on the British fashion landscape.

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They are a highly sustainable brand and this is something I aspire to achieve through my business plan. Using a similar report model.

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Here at Lazy Oaf we aim to create happy and responsible product. This means that every part of our creative process - from concept and development, to factory floor and product launch - aims to minimise its negative impact, from the environment right through to the customer. This is a work in progress for us right now and we are on a journey to get better and improve all of the time.

As a company Lazy Oaf is committed to becoming a more sustainable and responsible business wherever possible. We care deeply about the impact we have and want you to know that we are taking steps to improve every day. In an ideal world there would only be positive impacts from business activity, but as we all now know the fashion industry as a whole is responsible for a great deal of harm. The good news is that in this respect there is a great deal that Lazy Oaf gets right and has done intuitively from the start, however there are always new areas for us to improve and change for the better.

OUR PRIORITIES INCLUDE:

Ethics & Supply Chain - The social welfare of everyone involved in producing Lazy Oaf.
Sustainability and Environmental Impact - minimising our impact on the planet.
Animal Friendly - Limiting our harm to animals.
Mental Wellbeing & Giving Back - Supporting staff and causes we care about.
Our Community - Nurturing and working collaboratively with our community.

We understand that you, our customers, would appreciate greater transparency from us and we are more than happy to provide it. Listed below are our current commitments, some we have initiated from day one and some more recently implemented. For a multi-product, growing business, developing such initiatives is a constant and complex process - we are researching and educating ourselves at every opportunity and are reaching out to relevant organisations to aid, advise and support us on this journey.

These partners will help us to measure our impact, define new goals and create strategies to help us meet them. This ongoing work is something we want to spend time getting right rather than making unrealistic promises of perfection. As we get further along with this work we will update this section of the website to let you know how we are doing so please check back.

We aim to limit any harm towards animals as much as possible and support animal welfare wherever we can.

We DO NOT use animal fur, mohair, angora, cashmere, racoon or down feathers in any of our product.

Launched our first fully vegan shoe in 2019 with Dr. Martens.

Offer vegan-friendly food at all Lazy Oaf events.
We care about the social welfare and working environment of every individual involved in bringing our product to life. Working with teams across factories in China, Portugal and Turkey, we support and nurture all staff involved in our supply chain.

We have an Ethical Standards Policy as well as our own basic standards policy in place that all of our garment suppliers have as a foundation to build and improve from and we strive to exceed these basic standards.

Focus on building and nurturing long-term relationships with our suppliers and working proactively and collaboratively to improve standards and support suppliers to achieve these.

Frequently visit our factories, meet with suppliers and have bi-weekly catch-ups via phone and email.

Ensure that statutory minimum wage laws are adhered to in the supply chain.

Ensure that all workers are of the legal working age for their countries and that their working hours do not exceed the legal limit.

SUSTAINABILITY & ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Reducing plastic use, minimising our impact on the planet and creating more sustainable product are a big focus for us and we're starting to take the relevant steps to get better every day.

Send out orders to online customers in compostable outbound packaging made from sugar cane.

Product packaging is recyclable or compostable.

All product swing tickets are recyclable.

Prioritise shipping production by the sea or road rather than by air to reduce environmental impact.

Launching an eco-friendly swimwear line in 2020 that will be produced using majority recycled materials.

Moving our focus towards using more sustainable fabrics, up-cycling fabric trims, minimise wastage and an overall more responsible approach to sourcing fabrics.

Initiated a recycling scheme for our studio waste working with

Studio and stores have water fountains to help reduce the use of plastics.

Any product that is not suitable to be sold or donated will be recycled and will not end up in landfill.

Repurpose samples by selling them in biannual customer samples sales.

Hosting our first free Lazy Oaf Clothes Swapping event for customers in Winter 2019, watch this space.

MENTAL WELLBEING & GIVING BACK
The mental wellbeing of our staff and customers is a big priority for us and we continue to donate our time and profits to causes we're passionate about.

Launched a non-profit collaboration collection and creative workshops with mental health awareness campaign run by charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, who are dedicated to de-stigmatising mental health. Raised £20,000+ in donations, collaborated with inspiring ambassadors from the mental health awareness community and plan to repeat this project again in 2020.

Run free and optional meditation and mindfulness sessions for studio staff on a weekly basis.

Donate all money from studio sample sales to local mental health youth charity
Community is at the heart of Lazy Oaf whether we're giving back to our local community through various projects, building our ever growing network of global creative contributors or encouraging a community spirit for staff in our studio and retail spaces.

Seek out to grow and nurture our own creative community, working and championing international creative talent across a multitude of projects.

Run workshops and collaborations with businesses that invest and give back to local communities.

Host free and friendly events for our community already working across London, Brighton, Barcelona, Tokyo, New York & Sydney.

Actively encourage our team to input ideas and give their feedback on the way we work whether it's through regular, anonymous surveys or all team meetings and meetings.

Lazy Oaf is still a small business and we have faced many highs and challenges along the way. We do all of this with guts, drive, passion, determination, sometimes the right decisions, sometimes dumb mistakes and failing epically but getting back up after every fall has driven us forward and grown our need to succeed, and do better next time. Lazy Oaf has always had a resilience and determination to carry on regardless and we take this very same approach to our commitment to sustainability and social responsibility.

What would you like to see and hear from us in terms of so that we can give you greater transparency?

Send us your questions and ideas to suggestionbox@lazyoaf.com

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The Oafesto on Ethics and Responsibility

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Here at Lazy Oaf we aim to create happy and responsible product. This means that every part of our creative process - from concept and development, to factory floor and product launch - aims to minimise its negative impact, from the environment right through to the customer.

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Most online sellers begin their journey from one sales channel, setting up shop through a website or marketplace.

Multi-channel retailing is the practice of selling merchandise on more than one sales channel.

It's all about moving beyond your website and exploring channels such as marketplaces, social media, and comparison shopping engines.

Consumers Are Shopping in More Locations Than Ever

Shoppers have many sites to choose from, online and offline.

A report by BigCommerce confirms that buyers across several age groups are shopping from multiple sales channels.

According to the survey of American shoppers:

74% shopped at large retailers.

54% shopped at ecommerce marketplaces.

44% shopped at web stores.

36% shopped at category-specific online retailers.

Let's take Amazon Prime Day, for example.

Most people would assume that only Amazon sellers would benefit from the traffic boost, given that the sales event is intended for Prime members.

But according to a study by BazaarVoice, 76% of Prime Day shoppers plan to visit other channels before purchasing from Amazon.

Even Amazon shoppers compare pricing and reviews on various sites. They are looking at:

Walmart (46%)

Consumer electronics websites (45%)

Target (40%)

Home improvement websites (39%)

Brand websites (39%).

Advantages of Multi-Channel Retailing

Multi-channel retailing helps ensure you reach your audience wherever they are on their buyer's journey, as well as their device preferences.

With mobile devices handy, there's no limit to where shoppers can discover and purchase items.

1. Target consumers at different stages of the buyer's journey.

Unless hit by a strong urgency, most shoppers who see your product for the first time are not ready to buy.

In the age of free shipping, 2-day shipping, and ship-to-store options, consumers can afford to wait.

This is why understanding the buyer's journey and adopting a multi-channel strategy can give you an edge over the competition.

On the top of the funnel, consumers might discover your product through social media, perhaps through an influencer they follow on Instagram or an image on Pinterest.

Affiliate marketing and educational content that answers user queries can also drive new visitors to your shop.

Other shoppers might not be searching for a specific product, but they are looking for content to help them solve a problem, such as how to clean a carpet stain or what to wear for a certain occasion.

Great SEO on your site, blog or product descriptions will help shoppers in the consideration stage.

Consumers with an intent to purchase will likely go directly to marketplaces or comparison shopping engines.

In fact, more than half of buyers start their product search on Amazon over Google.

These platforms offer not only traffic but also a trust factor through peer reviews.

2. Leverage the power of marketplaces and search engines.

Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and even Google are all competing for ecommerce market share, and retailers are smack in the middle. A single-channel seller might suffer if one company overpowers the other, but multi-channel sellers tend to have more freedom and flexibility.

These tech giants are all working on creating personalized shopping experiences, helping consumers find the right product at the right time.

From marketplace algorithms to better search results, multi-channel retailing lets you harness this technology, allowing your products to be found.

The trust factor is also another reason to consider marketplaces and comparison shopping engines.

Fake reviews aside, most shoppers go to these sites due to their reputation and the availability of product ratings and peer reviews.

In fact, 65% of consumers surveyed by DigitalCommerce360 said that they felt comfortable purchasing from third-party sellers they never heard of before on marketplaces.

Disadvantages of Multi-Channel Retailing

While the opportunities for multi-channel sellers are plenty, there are also risks and challenges. Sellers too eager to jump on the multi-channel bandwagon could spread themselves too thin.

Brands must first do their research, do a cost-benefit analysis, and establish an infrastructure to support the multi-channel growth.

1. Selling on the wrong channels.

While diversification is key to reaching a larger audience, launching on an irrelevant channel can do more damage than good.

If you're selling computer parts, for instance, Newegg would be a better choice than Jet.

Before selling on these sites, you'll need to make sure you're targeting the right market, otherwise, you would just waste resources and manpower.

Aside from the listing fees, your team will have to deal with varying category trees, rules and policies, and backend platforms that could change from time to time. Not to mention, it takes time to write, publish, optimize and reprice listings for each of these channels.

On top of this, the channel may already be crowded with competitors.

A good way to minimize this risk is to carefully evaluate each marketplace and experiment until you find a niche for your business.

2. An infrastructure required to maintain multi-channel retailing.

Once you start selling on two or more platforms, you might start experiencing growth pains.

There are two ways to fix this: scale your team or use automation tools to support your growth.

Without doing one or the other, you risk creating a backlog of orders, tasks, and refunds that could really hurt your brand and marketplace score.

Types of Sales Channels

Consumers today have become multi-channel shoppers, and retailers today must understand each channel type to determine its value.

Some channels work better for different stages of the buyer's journey.

1. Social media channels.

Social media is a great way for people to discover new products and stores.

Influencers share their experiences every day and sponsored posts could drive traffic, if not sales.

Instagram and Pinterest allow you to tag products for purchase, and this trend only growing.

Even if you are a reseller or distributor of branded merchandise, you'll want to invest in social media to engage and build relationships with your audience.

2. Your website and shopping cart.

A web store is an essential channel for all kinds of retailers, primarily because it lets you customize and personalize the shopping experience.

You can also take advantage of email marketing for lead nurturing and brand advocacy.

3. Comparison shopping engines.

Comparison shopping engines such as Google Shopping, Shopzilla, and PriceGrabber give fast pricing information to shoppers at their disposal.

As a seller, you can bid on traffic as part of your paid advertising strategy.

4. Marketplaces.

Marketplaces are best for buyers in the consideration and decision stages where shoppers have the intent to purchase and tend to already have a brand or product in mind.

There are three kinds of marketplaces: vertical, horizontal, and global ones, each with varying category and assortment levels.

Understanding Multi-Channel Inventory Management

Inventory management is easy if you sell on one or two channels. But when you scale the platforms you sell on, inventory tracking and forecasting become incredibly difficult.

When orders come in from disparate sources, real-time inventory syncing becomes necessary to achieve good fulfillment performance.

Multi-Channel Retailing-inventory-management

Things get further complicated when you add more partners into the mix.

As a multi-channel seller, you've probably explored new suppliers to increase product lines.

Similarly, fulfillment options such as Amazon FBA, drop shipping, and third-party logistics (3PLs) help accelerate growth.

The challenge is how to develop an infrastructure that can support this growth while also maintaining profit.

On the other hand, overstocking and piling up dead inventory will tie up your cash flow, severely limiting your options.

This is where multi-channel inventory software comes in.

These programs are designed to connect with various channels and partners through API or EDI, so you can have real-time stock levels across your channels, warehouses, and fulfillment providers.

Multi-Channel Product Information Management

As you expand to additional channels, the product information you use to market effectively in one channel will likely need to be altered and optimized for another channel.

Tracking this information and copy and pasting it from a Google Doc or Spreadsheet in manual, and can create errors.

Many brands use a Product Information Management system (PIM) as a single source of product information truth across channels.

Many of these systems can also help you to optimize your listings, as well as automate updates.

Whether you are listing to marketplaces like Amazon and eBay, or needing to launching international channels - or all of it, a PIM is how some of the world's largest brand stay organized.

Steal Skullcandy's Game-Changing Move

A 15% increase in checkout conversions in the first 6 months convinced the Skullcandy CIO that the move from Salesforce Cloud Commerce to BigCommerce was more than worth it.

Of course, that wasn't the only number that convinced him.
Read their success story
Executive Summary

Social media, comparison shopping engines, marketplaces, and your website all target different stages of the buyer's journey. By having a presence on all these channels, you'll achieve maximum reach.

Do this effectively, and you'll get shoppers to keep coming back for more.

It, too, is part of the seller's journey - venturing out beyond your first sales channel - and going where the buyers are.

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Multi-Channel Retailing 101: What Is It? (Opportunities + Challenges)

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Most online sellers begin their journey from one sales channel, setting up shop through a website or marketplace. Multi-channel retailing is the practice of selling merchandise on more than one sales channel. It's all about moving beyond your website and exploring channels such as marketplaces, social media, and comparison shopping engines.

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Omnichannel Retail Strategy: How to Meet Today's Shoppers' Needs with an Omnichannel Approach

COVID-19 isn't the first pandemic that spurred ecommerce innovation. When the SARS outbreak hit China, Alibaba was still a company in its very early stages.

They responded by developing a philosophy of " New Retail " - referring to the "seamless integration between online and offline worlds" that enable frictionless shopping experiences.

"Learning how to digitize, adapt and integrate online-offline behaviors to overcome physical world limitations are all lessons embodied by New Retail," wrote Andrew Lipsman for Insider Intelligence.

We've seen similar things happen across the globe over the past year. With some physical stores closed down or operating at reduced capacity, merchants had to make some quick business decisions to meet their customers' needs.

But it goes beyond making physical stores' products available on an online store as well. It's about meeting consumers, many of whom have experienced unprecedented disruption to their daily lives and routines, in new online channels.

Today, consumers are discovering brands in brand new ways and seeking new conveniences to guide their shopping decisions. This article will cover the integration of online and offline sales channels - and all your operations - to deliver a cohesive and comprehensive experience across touchpoints.

What is Omnichannel Retail?

Omnichannel retailing refers to transacting across multiple channels, which may include marketplaces, social channels, in brick-and-mortars and more. Omnichannel has become a popular buzzword, but it's not just another way of saying that you sell on multiple channels. Let's look at the sometimes-subtle differences among omnichannel, multi-channel and single-channel commerce.

1. Omnichannel.

A true omnichannel approach must deliver a consistent brand experience everywhere you sell to meet your customers where they are and build relationships that transcend channels. It should also include an emphasis on optimizing your business through channel diversification and comprehensive integration of your data and systems.

2. Multi-channel.

Like omnichannel, multi-channel commerce refers to selling across multiple channels. However, multi-channel experiences are often disparate, thanks to marketing efforts happening in silos, lacking a defined cross-channel message. Multi-channel philosophies focus on optimizing by touchpoint rather than by journey.

In an article from McKinsey, analysts write, "While companies can be tempted to focus on optimizing individual touchpoints, believing that the whole will automatically be greater than the sum of its parts, such targeted intervention can magnify variations in service and inconsistencies in other interactions."

3. Single channel.

Unlike omnichannel and multi-channel sellers, other retailers choose to sell via a single channel only. Some sellers limit their activities to their own ecommerce storefront, while others rely on the Amazon marketplace, for example.

Shopping Behavior Has Shifted to an Omnichannel Experience

In October 2020, eMarketer increased their outlook for 2020 ecommerce retail sales from 20% growth to 30%.

That acceleration due to COVID-19 "has forced everyone to operate at a much higher level of digital maturity," said Sharon Gee, General Manager, Omnichannel at BigCommerce. "To succeed today, retailers need to put a stake in the ground and define a unified channel strategy from a digital and physical perspective."

But the move from offline to online channels wasn't the only behavior shift.

Consumers favored different products and services than usual, they tried new brands or retailers, and they engaged in the shopping process with new constraints - e.g., finding stores with curbside pickup or delivery options.

"Marketers got to see a new type of behavior in customers and if they were doing their homework, they got to understand something different about them," said Andrew Kandel, head of sales for North America at Waze. "There will be a return to normalcy, but there will be an evolved customer that sees the world differently."

Why is Omnichannel Valuable for Retailers?

In short, the acceleration in consumer behavior change in 2020 has made an omnichannel strategy more important than ever. In research conducted by BigCommerce and Retail Dive in 2020, 46% of retail executives said they planned to increase their investment in omnichannel retailing moving forward, compared to their plans prior to COVID-19.

Why? As Andrew Lipsman wrote in a May 2020 report on Frictionless Commerce: "The timeless truths of retail are that consumers will always want better prices, selection and convenience. With the internet having already driven major progress on the first two customer needs, attention is now turning to convenience."

Ultimately, an omnichannel strategy can help drive increased sales and revenue. An eMarketer report found that streamlined digital experiences, curbside pickup and touchless checkout contributed to increased shopping frequency and incremental sales. Here are some of the factors that make omnichannel so valuable.

1. Meet customers where they are.

Consumers have been engaging in transactional activities for thousands of years. COVID-19 hasn't stopped people from transacting - it's just diverted and dispersed much of that activity across different channels.

Ecommerce became table stakes, social channels leveraged a captive audience to deploy new commerce features, and marketplace traffic surged.

Where customer journeys used to be relatively linear, today they're anything but. People are discovering new brands and products in all kinds of new ways - Facebook and Instagram ads, Google Shopping, Amazon and other marketplaces, product reviews, in-store discovery, word of mouth and more. They may encounter your brand on their desktop computer, a television or a mobile device.

Showing up where your customers are makes the shopping journey more convenient for them. That convenience is more important than ever, in a world changed by COVID-19 - but then again, it always has been. According to a survey conducted by NRF prior to the pandemic, 83% of shoppers indicated that convenience while shopping was more important to them than five years prior.

"Shoppers want the logistics of their lives to be as simple as possible. A strong omnichannel strategy is sensitive to changing consumer behavior and puts the technology and operations in place to meet customers where they are - and where they want you to be," said Sharon Gee, General Manager, Omnichannel at BigCommerce.

2. Stand out in a crowded playing field.

With more retailers vying for online attention, standing out requires a more resonant brand, better shopping experience and great service.

To do that, you'll need to adapt to new consumer needs and behaviors, and recalibrate your understanding of your target consumer. Some of what you've always known about your customers may have changed; use data to understand if you'll need to rethink any of the following:

Product assortment

Sales channels

Advertising channels

Messaging

Doing this well and consistently will give you a better chance of weathering any unforeseen changes.

3. Optimise your business with data and analytics.

With such a sudden and drastic change in consumer behavior, some retailers may need to adjust their sales and marketing channel mix to optimise for the new reality. Understanding your data will help you identify where and how to focus your energy.

A comprehensive, integrated omnichannel strategy empowers you to centralize data from all your sources and channels to determine the best ways to balance inventory, meet customers where they are and provide the best service, wherever they shop.

The Four-Pillar Approach to Omnichannel Commerce

The four pillars of a successful omnichannel strategy include sales channels, marketing and advertising, operations, and fulfillment. All these functions need to work together seamlessly to provide the best possible omnichannel customer experience.

1. Sales channels.

With more sales channels to choose from than ever, you'll have to carefully evaluate your audience: where they spend the most time, and where products in your category are typically sold.

Channels can include (but are not limited to):

Online storefronts/DTC

Ecommerce marketplaces

Social media platforms

Mobile channels

Brick-and-mortar stores - or anywhere you use a POS

B2B/Wholesale sales

"If you are over-invested in any one channel to sell your goods or products, and that channel goes away for any reason, you'll be in a tight spot, and that's what many retailers are experiencing today with the COVID-19 pandemic," said Sharon Gee, General Manager, Omnichannel at BigCommerce.

"But the reassuring strength of an omnichannel sales approach is that it's a risk mitigation strategy at its core. It allows retailers to ask, 'Where are my shoppers and how can I be where they are?' and make changes accordingly."

2. Marketing and advertising.

No matter which sales channels you choose, consumers aren't going to find your products naturally - even the best products and the best websites need an omnichannel marketing strategy to drive traffic and sales.

Surfacing the right message at the right time and in the right place - all tied together by a consistent brand experience - can make a huge difference to your bottom line.

Here are some of the most recommended digital marketing and advertising channels for retailers going forward:

3. Operations.

Operations encompasses everything in your back-office, from product, order, and inventory management to logistics and fulfillment. From an operational perspective, the key to a functioning omnichannel approach is connectivity. Exactly what technologies make up your back-office operations will depend on the scale and sophistication of your business.

Inventory visibility is arguably the biggest barrier to proper omnichannel inventory management. Without it, you can't access data for accurate reporting or promise customers items will be back in stock on all platforms. And when you're expanding to new channels, you must have centralized inventory visibility so you can optimise your supply chain and never miss a beat between sales platforms.

4. Shipping and fulfillment.

When it comes to shipping and fulfillment, retailers have the option of using shipping software or a 3PL (third-party logistics) company.

Shipping software offers specially negotiated rates with various carriers, visibility into shipping statuses, reporting, and the ability to send orders to fulfillment providers. 3PLs also include other logistics processes like inventory management, warehousing and fulfillment.

"Most people see logistics and fulfillment as the technical side of ecommerce, but it's actually another extension of the customer experience," said Matt Crawford, General Manager of Shipping at BigCommerce.

Steps for Building an Omnichannel Strategy

Creating a personalized customer journey across all relevant marketing and sales channels as part of an omnichannel strategy is also referred to as orchestration.

Your specific process for orchestrating your omnichannel strategy will be unique to your business because you'll choose the sales and marketing channels that best align with your goals and objectives. Plus, your operations will vary based on your unique needs. But the general approach can be described in these seven steps.

1. Segment your customers.

You can segment your customer base in a number of different ways - you'll have to determine which will work best for your business. Also known as market segmentation, the goal is to identify different distinct groups within your target market so you can further personalize your offering to them.

Some of the factors by which some merchants segment their customers include:

Income range

Geographic region

Generation (e.g., millennial, Gen X)

Online behavior

Values

Interactions with marketing campaigns

Once you've identified clear customer segments, you can dig deeper into how to position your offer to each one.

2. Determine which channels each customer segment uses.

Let's say you're planning to buy a gold watch. There are countless places you could look, depending on what type of watch you're looking for.

Interested in a previously owned, antique or hard-to-find watch? You might go to eBay.

If your taste is more modern and fashion-forward, maybe you'll browse Instagram for ideas.

Looking for something extremely high-end? You may want to go into a brick-and-mortar jewelry store to see and feel their wares in person.

It's like that with any product and any target market. To reach consumers in the right place at the right time, you have to know how they behave, where they browse, where they buy and what motivates them to purchase.

A mix of qualitative and quantitative data can help you make measured decisions about your most important channels. Talking to customers can provide a multitude of qualitative insights and give you a more acute sense of empathy for them. But tracking key performance indicators will round out the picture forming in your mind.

Use analytics to determine which of your channels are the most profitable, the most efficient and/or the ones which acquire the most new customers. Then, put most of your focus on ensuring the best possible shopping experience on and among those channels.

3. Map the customer journey.

Let's think about that gold watch again, and pretend you're looking for the fashion-forward option. Here's one possible journey from research to purchase:

1. Search "gold watches" on Pinterest

2. Research a few eye-catching brands' Instagram profiles

3. Start seeing retargeting ads for a number of jewellery brands, which you click on, if they catch your eye

4. Sign up for email newsletters from a few brands' websites

5. Search "[brand name] reviews" for some of your top contenders

6. Finally, narrow down your options and make a purchase from the brand's ecommerce site

There are countless ways that particular journey could have been diverted or reordered at any time - but the customer still expects a seamless experience. That's one of the biggest challenges of omnichannel.

As this McKinsey article reinforces, "Since customer journeys aren't simple and linear but a series of handoffs between traditional and digital channels that can vary significantly by customer type, an effective strategy requires an in-depth understanding of what customers truly want."

4. Provide cross-channel customer support.

Today, consumers want to purchase where and how it's most convenient - and the same goes for customer support. If you're going to double down on having a presence on multiple channels, you need to make sure you can provide customer support whether they're on their smartphone or sending you a message through Facebook Messenger.

Providing support your customers can count on may help increase their lifetime value and solidify them as loyal customers.

5. Integrate your technology.

One of the most basic reasons to closely integrate as much of your tech stack as possible is your inventory. As you start selling on multiple channels, you'll want a unified view in real time of every piece of inventory you have available. Similarly, you'll want a single source of truth for product information, such as a PIM or comparable solution, so you don't have to enter product information individually on every channel where you sell.

But the benefits go on. When your marketing and ecommerce efforts are closely tied together, you can aggregate your most important data to better assess performance and identify opportunities. Seamless hand-offs among channels are a huge boon for customer support as well. If your phone agent already knows about the email thread with a particular customer, they can pick right up where the email left off.

A recent McKinsey article identifies customer support as an area with huge potential to increase customer satisfaction, if executed well: "Advanced analytics and new technologies, such as predicting issues before the customer explains the reason for the call, allow first movers to create 'wow moments.'"

6. Take advantage of automation.

Khe Hy teaches about a productivity concept around $10,000-per-hour work. The idea is to identify the work you do that has the highest leverage - what really moves the needle? What benefits compound over time? The more you can focus on those high-leverage activities, the more you'll be able to drive your business forward.

Repeatable processes that require little to no critical judgment are not $10,000-per-hour work - and that's where automation comes in.

But that's not where automation stops. Here are a few more examples of how automation can give you more control over your business:

Use a chatbot to answer routine customer questions and concerns so support representatives can provide more focused attention to more complex issues.

Prioritize a tech stack that supports seamless integrations, so you always have a real-time view of your business and make decisions based on aggregated data.

Set up behavioral triggers to deliver more personalized marketing across the customer journey, so prospective buyers are seeing the right messages at the right times.

7. Make testing a habit.

Testing isn't a one-and-done activity relegated to the last few days prior to launch. Testing should be an ongoing, systematic process in your business - especially if you're undertaking the complexity of an omnichannel journey.

Gathering data at every touch point will be critical to making the decisions that elevate your business. Make sure you have a platform and solutions partners that make it easy to aggregate all your data sources and glean insights.

Wrapping Up

Customers expect seamless omnichannel shopping experiences. So, today, retailers find themselves adapting to new consumer needs and behaviors and recalibrating their understanding of their target consumer.

Omnichannel strategy has to be holistic and comprehensive. It depends on a strong foundation, supported by the four pillars of sales channels, marketing and advertising, operations, and shipping and fulfillment.

"An omnichannel transformation is the only way for a company to address rising complexity, provide an excellent customer experience, and manage operations costs," write analysts at McKinsey.

FAQs for Omnichannel Retail

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Omnichannel Retail Is Leading Commerce (+ 4 Pillars) | BigCommerce

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Omnichannel Retail Strategy: How to Meet Today's Shoppers' Needs with an Omnichannel Approach COVID-19 isn't the first pandemic that spurred ecommerce innovation. When the SARS outbreak hit China, Alibaba was still a company in its very early stages.

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Implications - Brand authenticity continues to be a priority among consumers, and with that, a desire for more inclusive initiatives are on the rise. Showcasing a bolder commitment to inclusivity across various categories, big name brands are adapting their marketing campaigns, packaging and even brand messaging to better reflect people of different genders, backgrounds, and physical ability. These shifts in marketing approaches speak to the growing number of brands working toward not only being more inclusive but also being more transparent and open about it as well.

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big brands shift their marketing to be more inclusive in their messaging

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Big brands shift their marketing to be more inclusive in their messaging

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Implications - Brand authenticity continues to be a priority among consumers, and with that, a desire for more inclusive initiatives are on the rise. Showcasing a bolder commitment to inclusivity across various categories, big name brands are adapting their marketing campaigns, packaging and even brand messaging to better reflect people of different genders, backgrounds, and physical ability.

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What are the benefits of influencer marketing? | Square Media Solutions

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Influencer marketing is one of the fastest growing and lucrative segments in commercial advertising! What benefits can influencer marketing bring to you?

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“A total of 59% of consumers are expecting that more than half of retail space will be devoted to experience rather than product by 2025, while 75% of consumers believe this will happen by 2027. A colossal 81% said they would be willing to pay more for experience.”

- Sahar Nazir, Retail Gazette (2020) [3].

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Overview

Dalston Square is a £160 million, ground-breaking development in Dalston, London E8.

The London Development Agency and the landowners – Hackney Council and Transport for London – chose Barratt Homes as the developer for the Dalston Square scheme.

The scheme provided a new community for this vibrant, cosmopolitan quarter of the capital, including new homes, residents gym, 24hr concierge, buzzing public square, shops a library and the brand new station on the East London line extension.

Dalston Square, an exciting mix of one, two, and three bedroom apartments which represent outstanding value for money considering its location just two miles from The City. The apartments at Dalston Square offer space standards that are now rare in our capital. Most feature balconies, terraces or winter gardens - extending the living space.

Communal, timber roof terraces enjoy far-reaching, panoramic views across London, reaching to The City and Canary Wharf. Once the development is complete, residents will enjoy the luxury of a 24-hour concierge service that will cater for their day-to-day requirements and there is also an onsite residents' gymnasium. The development will also benefit from a proposed car club.

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Overview

Dalston Square is a £160 million, ground-breaking development in Dalston, London E8.

The London Development Agency and the landowners - Hackney Council and Transport for London - chose Barratt Homes as the developer for the Dalston Square scheme.

The scheme provided a new community for this vibrant, cosmopolitan quarter of the capital, including new homes, residents gym, 24hr concierge, buzzing public square, shops a library and the brand new station on the East London line extension.

Dalston Square, an exciting mix of one, two, and three bedroom apartments which represent outstanding value for money considering its location just two miles from The City. The apartments at Dalston Square offer space standards that are now rare in our capital. Most feature balconies, terraces or winter gardens - extending the living space.

Communal, timber roof terraces enjoy far-reaching, panoramic views across London, reaching to The City and Canary Wharf. Once the development is complete, residents will enjoy the luxury of a 24-hour concierge service that will cater for their day-to-day requirements and there is also an onsite residents' gymnasium. The development will also benefit from a proposed car club.

Source: barratthomes.co.uk

News

News, events, milestones and offers from the new development

Disclaimer

Information on this page is for guidance only and remains subject to change. Buildington does not sell or let this property. For more information about this property please register your interest on the original website or get in touch with the Connected Companies.

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Dalston Square is a £160 million, ground-breaking development in Dalston, London E8. The London Development Agency and the landowners - Hackney Council and Transport for London - chose Barratt Homes as the developer for the Dalston Square scheme.

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Retail premises to let in Raddon Tower, Dalston Square, Hackney, London, Greater London E8 - Zoopla

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Retail premises to let in Raddon Tower, Dalston Square, Hackney, London, Greater London E8, letting for Non quoting from Lambert Smith Hampton - London W1. See property details on Zoopla or browse all our range of properties in Raddon Tower, Dalston Square, Hackney, London, Greater London E8.

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Things to do in Dalston | Featuring Rio Cinema, Mangal 2, Violet Cakes, Ruby's Dalston, Untitled Bar, Dusty Knuckle and Tina, We Salute You | By locals Sonya Barber, author of 'East London: an opinionated guide', and Conde Nast Traveller's Grainne McBride

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From late-night parties to excellent comprehensive schools, living in Dalston certainly does offer a little bit of everything. Seen as more residential than Shoreditch, and better for nightlife than Islington, Dalston is the go-to neighbourhood for young partygoers and families. It's quite the mix.

A combination of old and new, Dalston features lively settings at Kingsland Road and plenty of tree-lined residential streets just off the main thoroughfare. The north-east London postcode is high in demand and is awash with creativity, boutique shops and the latest restaurants.

Storm in a Teacup

Head to Storm in a Teacup and browse a selection of curated garments. It has promoted sustainable fashion since 2011 and is a big hit with people living in Dalston. Find the latest looks with a selection of high-end, quality clothes, accessories and shoes.

You can also sell you unwanted designer clobber to make space for some new items. All designs at Storm in a Teacup are sourced from fellow fashion collectors and enthusiasts. It's what makes the store a community hotspot in Dalston as well as a great place to find trendy garments.

Find at 366 Kingsland Rd, Dalston, London E8 4DA
Phone no: 020 8127 5471
Email: Shop@storminateacuplondon
Follow @storminateacuplondon

Tin Café

As a local neighbourhood coffee spot, Tin Café ensures that you'll enjoy more than a hot brew. Choose from a selection of homemade pastries, cakes and hearty sandwiches that will satisfy your hunger cravings.

There's also free WIFI and a bike pump for Dalston's many cyclists. So you can stop by and get your bike road-ready while sipping on strong coffee. Tin Café also promotes local talent by featuring their works of art on its walls.

Find at 1 Middleton Rd, Dalston, London E8 4BL
Phone no: 020 7249 9355
Follow @Tin_Cafe

Chick 'n' Sours

A chicken shop with a difference, Chick' n' Sours serves succulent fried chicken and encourages you to wash them down with sour cocktails. Enjoy the Dalston-esque interiors that feature funky bar stools, exposed brickwork and quirky wall art.

And let's not forget the fried chicken and sour cocktails. Choose from chicken with house fry sauce, katsu curry and plain tender options. Then order cocktail specials like Chicken 'n' Club with its gin, raspberry shrub and blackcurrant leaf.

Brilliant Corners

Mix music and food at Brilliant Corners, a well-reviewed Japanese restaurant with an emphasis on music. The restaurant-bar serves dishes inspired by Japan's izakayas, as well as bites like edamame beans and chicken kara-age. Not to mention, there's top-notch sushi.

The music element of Brilliant Corners is what sets it apart from the rest. There's a world-class sound system, which DJs make the most of with impressive sets. And if you fancy listening to live music; you're in luck. Brilliant Corners often hosts live artists, who mostly play relaxing jazz sounds.

Find at 470 Kingsland Rd, Dalston, London E8 4AE
Phone no: 020 7812 9511
Email: info@brilliantcornerslondon.co.uk
Follow @brilliant_cnrs

Prick

If you were looking for proof of Dalston's hipster vibes, then look no further than Prick. Described as "London's first cactus and succulent boutique", Prick sells a range of cacti and is a big hit with those living in Dalston.

Choose your cacti and give your Dalston apartment a shot of green. Most of the cacti are imported from Holland, and there are more than 150 varieties to choose from. Buy cute cacti for your mantlepiece or go for a larger one that looks like it came straight out of the desert.

Find at 492 Kingsland Rd, Dalston, London E8 4AE
Phone no: 07465 416143
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The Shelter

Nightlife is a big deal in Dalston. So it won't come as a surprise to learn that there are many places to shake your leg. The Shelter is a revamped bar and club with a focus on playing great music for those in attendance.

Strong industrial vibes are going on at The Shelter, with exposed pipes and dim red lighting. Despite being spread over two floors, it's a small, intimate club. But the sounds are anything but quiet: it's known for having some of the best DJs around.

Find at 267 Kingsland Rd, Whitmore Estate, London E2 8AS
Phone no: 020 3774 6351
Follow@ShelterClubLondon

Dalston Eastern Curve Garden

The open space of Dalston Eastern Curve Garden lets you embrace tranquillity and is a little oasis in the midst of the hustle and bustle. The garden is located on an old railway line and features colourful flowers and plants that offer an alternative to the neighbourhood's built-up surroundings.

The Borough of Hackney is the third most densely populated area in the capital, so the presence of Dalston Eastern Curve Garden is most welcome. Go for a scenic stroll or sit and admire local nature as you get away from the noise of London.

Find at 13 Dalston Ln, Dalston, London E8 3DF
Follow @EasternCurve

The Arcola Theatre

Shoreditch, Hoxton and Dalston are all known as creative neighbourhoods. Representing the artist vibes in Dalston is the Arcola Theatre, one of London's leading off-West End stages. There's a mixture of new works, as well as classic productions to see here.

Indulge in world drama with programmes like Grimeborn, which shows bold new versions of classic operas. While the Playwrought programme champions new writing and voices by commissioning 12 fresh and exciting scripts.

Find at 24 Ashwin St, Dalston, London E8 3DL
Phone no: 020 7503 1646
Follow @arcolatheatre

The Rio

If you're living in Dalston and looking for a local cinema, head to The Rio. Set in a Grade II listed building, this picturehouse is an independent Art Deco cinema with bags of charm. It's located on Kingsland High Street and shows a range of flicks, from blockbuster movies to art-house favourites.

The Rio has existed in Dalston for more than 100 years, which makes it a staple of the local community. Initially called Kingsland Palace of Animated Pictures, the cinema has gone through many iterations over the years before settling on the name The Rio in 1976.

Find at 107 Kingsland High St, Dalston, London E8 2PB
Phone no: 020 7241 9410
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London Fields Lido

Sticking with the Art Deco vibes, London Fields Lido is a popular outdoor heated pool in the Borough of Hackney. For a city where it mostly rains, historic lidos are particularly popular in the capital. Of the many options, London Fields Lido is perhaps the best.

It features a 50m Olympic size swimming pool and is open all-year-round - even in sub-zero degrees temperature. Head here in the warmer months, however, and you can expect a bustling place full of sun-seekers. And those looking to refresh with a dip in this historic swimming pool.

Find at London Fields West Side, Hackney, London E8 3EU
Phone no: 020 7254 9038
Follow@better_uk

Living in Dalston

If you're a partygoer, Dalston has you covered. If you're looking to lay down roots, the north-east area has you covered for that too. Want to embrace your Bohemian side? Dalston is the place to be. Living in Dalston offers an eclectic mix that caters to most tastes. And that makes it one of London's prime neighbourhoods.

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Living in Dalston: A Neighbourhood for Every Taste | Essential Living

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From late-night parties to excellent comprehensive schools, living in Dalston certainly does offer a little bit of everything. Seen as more residential than Shoreditch, and better for nightlife than Islington, Dalston is the go-to neighbourhood for young partygoers and families. It's quite the mix.

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The Rise Of The Tote Bag

“The tote is a more widespread version of the poster; it’s not just stuck on one wall”

The tote bag has many benefits including broad customisation from the graphics down to the shape, colour and design. Mobility making it the ideal bag for on the go and sustainable alternatives popping up in the market everyday.

It is the above reasons that helped me chose a tote bag for my in store exclusive.

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In the art and design worlds, few items are more ubiquitous than the humble tote. While digital marketing has brought rapid change, the tote bag offers a reminder that even the most subtle of signifiers can still hold sway in an increasingly saturated, highly visual industry.

When did you notice your first tote bag? Was it colourful or muted, sturdy or soft? Did you spot the logo on the side, or the person holding it? In the art and design worlds, few items are more ubiquitous than the humble tote. Galleries, publishers, architecture and design studios and magazines have each staked their claim on the simple cloth bag, with fierce competition driving ever more ambitious and outlandish variations. While digital marketing has brought rapid change to communications in the cultural sector, the tote has remained an enduring physical presence. Dangling casually on one arm, it offers a reminder that even the most subtle of signifiers can still hold sway in an increasingly saturated, highly visual industry.

"I first came across tote bags at the Venice Biennale, and I remember just being shocked by the sight of grown adults racing to get them before they run out. It wasn't the books they wanted, it was the bags," Oliver Wainwright, design and architecture critic at the Guardian exclaims over the phone. "You see people dashing around the Giardini trying to grab them, and it seems to have only become more and more insane over the years. The bags themselves began as a simple printed cotton affair, and now you see more textiles being used, braided straps, pockets... the PR companies are desperately trying to be more noticed than the others."

Clearly, not all totes are born equal. From the flimsy to the over-designed, they have become a phenomenon in their own right. Just last week, the New York Times ran an article with the headline "What to Do With All Those Tote Bags"; adding, "It's O.K., we all have a problem with them." Previously the preserve of the middle class eco-conscious shopper, the tote bag has entered new territory. A crucial weapon in the marketing arsenal of art and design institutions all over the world, their appeal lies not only in their visual allure but in their simple practicality. Easily foldable and compact, they encourage regular use. "It's not quite a branded pen, but it's really useful for shopping and carrying something around in," Kirsty Carter and Emma Thomas, co-founders of London-based design agency A Practice For Everyday Life (APFEL), point out.

There is also the mobility of the tote bag, peeking out from under strangers' arms on public transport, in the street and at the shops. "It's like a poster that can move around," they reflect. "In a way, the tote is a more widespread version of the poster; it's not just stuck on one wall that relies on someone walking past it." Moreover, the tote successfully navigates the line between straight-up advertising and subtler product placement, and remains just innocuous enough as to avoid brashness. "It's a funny one, they're almost seen as an acceptable thing to be branded. Someone wouldn't buy a t-shirt from a gallery, but they would use the tote bag," graphic designer Theo Inglis muses.

Tom Joyes of London-based graphic design consultancy Kellenberger White tells me that, increasingly, the tote bag is a standard part of the marketing pack when working with arts institutions. However, budgets on these projects are often tight, which can lead to corners being cut on the quality and materials of the bag. How much can clients afford to compromise on their tote? "You can really go down different routes with how you want to make them, and be creative. We've used this company called Baggu, which are a bit like a reusable version of the plastic shopping bags you would get from the newsagent. They're made from a PVC material and they fold up very small, and we've tried screen printing on top of these," Joyes explains.

"People think it's quite easy to design a tote, but it's not," Carter and Thomas of APFEL say. "It took us quite a long time to figure out the best way of doing it, in terms of production. Most of our clients want a few hundred rather than a few thousand bags, as it's a giveaway for a one-off launch. We found the best way of doing it is to get an off-the-shelf bag and then ask a local screen printer to print on it." They also point out the long lead times if you want to do something more unique than an off-the-shelf bag, which can lead to the tote setting a precedent for the project in its entirety. "They can take up to eight weeks if you want to make them all from scratch. You start developing a whole project identity, and the first thing you are working on is the tote bag."

When designing a tote bag that needs to be noticed, what are some of the elements that make it stand out? "I do think a very distinctive colour makes it a bit out of the norm. I also think there is a practical element to the colour too, and generally you want to steer clear of canvas and white as you just use it twice and then it's dirty. Although, only a few clients can afford to pay for a custom dye," Carter and Thomas say. "You don't want it to be over-designed, with buckles and bells and whistles. You don't want it to be an actual bag. We get into big debates on the length of the handle or on the gusset," they laugh.

"Personally when I am looking at tote bags, I like something that's a bit more than just a logo for an institution, because then it becomes a superior thing; like, I'm affiliated with this, I'm part of this club. I like it when it's a bit more fun and playful." Joyes of Kellenberger White argues. Institutions must also strike a balance between brand recognition and logo visibility, all while ensuring that people actually want to wear the thing. "Ironically, I think the ones with the least obvious banding and sponsorship that you're probably going to hold onto," Wainwright of the Guardian remarks.

It might seem surprising that the timeless tote bag, surely the antithesis of modern-day digital marketing, has in fact gained ground in recent years. If anything, it would seem that the online realm has actually amplified their reach. "On social media you'll see someone walking around with an object attached to them, and you notice it." And when a tote bag successfully delivers its message, it has the power to resonate far beyond the original ambitions of the institution in question. "You see them everywhere, from events many years ago; they're such a successful marketing strategy," Wainwright confirms.

Which iconic bags, then, have stood the test of time? "One of the first tote bags that we saw was for Ridinghouse, and within the art world you still see it everywhere. It had red handles, and it was one of the first I'd seen that I really noticed. It was heavy canvas and very practical, and so people walk around advertising it," Carter and Thomas say. "The ICA currently have some great bags made by Bless, kind of double-sized bags that fold in the middle; they have four straps, and when you wear them they're a bit like a backpack," Joyes offers. "It's interesting to rethink how tote bags work. I also love that you can buy that one; it's more accessible."

Undoubtedly, the exclusivity of the tote is one of the driving forces behind their desirability. Frequently given away at invitation-only events, whether that is an art fair, club night, book launch or exhibition opening, the majority of tote bags are never intended for sale. "It becomes a souvenir, a way of identifying that you're part of a club," Joyes says. Carter and Thomas agree: "It's definitely brand association: I'm cool because I'm wearing this obscure tote given to the VIPs." But why does the creative industry specifically find itself so head-over-heels for a simple bag, with no signs of the tote's widespread influence waning? "I think because it's such a materially driven and image conscious sector, anyone working in design is going to be the kind of person obsessed with being seen with the most rare and exotic tote bag," Wainwright suggests.

The eco appeal of the reusable bag also cannot be overlooked. In 2019, awareness around plastic waste is greater than ever before, and the introduction of a new five pence charge for plastic bags has influenced behaviour. "Tote bags have become even more ubiquitous in the last five years as we've all become more socially conscious. We always have one on us in case we pick up something from the shops," Wainwright says. It would seem that the tote bag has come full-circle, from grocery store staple to design item and back again. Popular with graphic design geeks and retirees alike, the tote adapts easily to different registers, from art fair to allotment. "It's funny, I hand on totes to my mum sometimes, and then imagine her walking around a provincial town advertising the Hepworth Wakefield," Carter laughs.

With its clever mix of branding and usability, the tote is here to stay. If anything, many in the art and design world now face the fresh challenge of storing all their bags, acquired over the years of launches, openings and private views. The struggle is real. With so many out in the world already, designers will need to be increasingly savvy if they are to strike a winning note with their tote. As ever, simplicity is key in the race to the top. Next time you see a tote slung over a stranger's arm, take a moment to appraise its quality and design. For an item so seemingly innocuous, the tote bag can hold a vast influence far beyond its humble origins.

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Totes Awesome? The Rise and Rise of the Art and Design Tote Bag - ELEPHANT

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In the art and design worlds, few items are more ubiquitous than the humble tote. While digital marketing has brought rapid change, the tote bag offers a reminder that even the most subtle of signifiers can still hold sway in an increasingly saturated, highly visual industry.

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As a woodworker, you are sure to have come across the term "sustainable wood." You may or may not be aware of what this term means. If you are not sure, then you need to read this post carefully. Here, we discuss the different aspects of sustainable wood. If you follow these guidelines, you can be a responsible woodworker.

Sustainable lumbering is a practice wherein we harvest trees responsibly. This process involves planting seedlings faster than the trees are cut down. Cutting trees for timber always harms the environment. Sustainable lumbering reverses the adverse effect by producing some of the most sustainable woods.

The FSC and Sustainable Wood

Several organizations across the world dedicate their efforts to creating a system for maintaining and monitoring sustainable wood. The most prominent is the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a non-profit organization. It helps to promote managing the world's forests responsibly. They have evolved a robust certification system, which is internationally recognized. This has become accepted as a way to ensure the use of sustainable woods. As a responsible woodworker, you need only to use wood that has the FSC logo.

Most Sustainable Woods

It is estimated that less than 20% of the wood sold in the United States is sustainable and FSC-certified. With this shocking fact in mind, here is a list of some of the most sustainable woods you can get:

Bamboo doesn't come FSC-certified (and technically a grass, not a wood) it is a naturally sustainable resource that grows like a weed and propagates through rhizomes. Bamboo propagates on its own and is one of the fastest-growing plants in the world. There are about 1,500 species of bamboo, and it has a wide variety of applications and in many cases can replace traditional wood products.

Despite its self-sustaining capabilities, some species like the African mountain gorillas and the giant pandas are under threat. The reason is excessive bamboo harvesting. Visit the website of the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan for more information on the sustainability of bamboo.

White ash grows in North America and plays a prominent role in making various furniture and sports equipment. This wood is strong, hard, and heavy and serves well in making tool handles, railroad ties, canoe paddles, and boats. White ash is particularly well-known for being the material for making baseball bats.

Here's one type of wood that you need to take care of while buying. Most oak in the market comes from Britain and other parts of Europe and the US and is FSC-certified. But you need to be wary of stock that comes from certain European countries that engage in illegal logging resulting in decimating ancient forests. This light-colored, durable hardwood plays a prominent role in flooring and making cabinets and furniture.

We get this wood from Africa, Asia, and South America. The attractive reddish-hue of finished mahogany makes it a much sought-after wood. However, you need to exercise caution while procuring it, as at least five species are on the endangered list. This particularly applies to Brazilian and African mahogany. You can play it safe by opting for Jatoba, and Adiroba, which are FSC-approved varieties of mahogany

Maple is another wood found abundantly in North America. It enjoys wide popularity, especially sugar maple or hard maple and sycamore maple. We make bowling pins and billiard cue shafts from this wood. There are some very decorative variants of maple-like quilt maple, burnt wood, birdseye maple, and flame maple.

This wood is also considered as a "tonewood," meaning that it conducts sound waves and resonates with them very well. It makes maple an essential wood for manufacturing musical instruments.

When you use teak, you are treading on dangerous ground. It is prevalent for making furniture, due to its strength, and natural resistance to insects, moisture and rot. The issue here is that you will find it challenging to locate teak produced legally and responsibly. If you use teak, ensure that it has an FSC certification. If you find difficulty procuring such teak, then you can get some reasonably good substitutes. Some examples are FSC Favinha, Tatajuba, and Guariuba woods.

This wood also grows predominantly in North America, and it has multiple uses. Black cherry has a subtle, reddish-brown tint, and you will find few homes in America without something or the other made of cherry wood. Black cherry serves as a viable substitute for mahogany, and we also call it "poor man's mahogany." This wood resembles beech and Honduras mahogany. You can use it for making musical instruments, furniture, and other household wooden items.

Pinewood enjoys great popularity due to its wide availability. It is highly sustainable because it grows so fast, much faster than hardwoods like oak or mahogany. We use yellow pine to construct boats, while the tighter-grained white pine plays a prominent role in making furniture and building materials.

This wood comes from North America as well as Europe. The Douglas fir that you get imported from Europe is the variety that is most likely to be sustainable. The timber that comes from the rainforests of the US and Canada are often products of unethical logging. You can get FSC-certified Douglas fir to ensure that you use sustainable wood. We use this wood for building and construction due to the large dimensions available and its considerable strength.

Least Sustainable Woods (Avoid Buying These)

Ebony is a tonewood that is only abundant in the forests of Cameroon. You can find different varieties in India and Sri Lanka as well. It is much sought-after for making guitars and other musical instruments, but if you use this wood, you would have to check the legality of using it.

Burmese teak is another wood whose sale is banned in most countries. Those in the woodworking industry covet this wood for its good looks, durability, and natural resistance to insect attack and moisture. If someone is selling you Burmese teak, you are likely being ripped off with imitation wood or it may be illegally procured.

Merbau is not a sustainable wood. Estimates indicate that it will be extinct within the next 35 years. It is a versatile wood for building material, hence still prevalent throughout the world wherever available. However, you would do well to avoid using it to be environmentally responsible.

This wood is suitable for manufacturing percussion instruments as well as guitars. Because of its unusual dark color and hardness (rather like walnut), wenge finds popularity in hardwood flooring. Although still on the endangered list, you can get it legally. However, you would best avoid it in favor of viable substitutes for the time being.

Brazilian mahogany is an endangered species of wood along with five types of African mahogany. Although there are no substitutes, FSC mahogany, Jatoba and andiroba are varieties with similar properties to Brazilian mahogany.

Maintaining Sustainability Through Reclaimed Wood

Instead of struggling with procuring sustainable wood, an excellent means taking the impact of deforestation is to use reclaimed wood. You can get a lot of cheap but good lumber from salvage yards. This wood comes from torn down and renovated buildings. There are multiple benefits here - you get wood at a cheaper rate, save the landfills from filling up, and you are helping to reduce deforestation.

Conclusion

If you are already aware of the importance of using sustainable woods and are already doing it, great! If not, now is the best time to start. Although it might sound cliqued, the fact is that we only have one planet. We have been steadily plundering the world's natural resources over the years. During the last 100 years or so, it has reached dangerous proportions. We need to put a stop to this trail of destruction.

By using sustainable wood, you will be able to contribute your bit to preserve the environment. Once you start using lumber that comes from traceable timber, you will find it easier than you probably thought possible.

It is a matter of making an extra effort and knowing what steps to take. We have provided a list of the most sustainable woods here along with those which you should avoid. You can't go wrong. We hope that you will be able to continue to be a responsible citizen of the world and use sustainable wood for all your woodworking projects.

Featured Image by Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington

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Most Sustainable Woods (And Which Types Of Wood To AVOID)

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As a woodworker, you are sure to have come across the term "sustainable wood." You may or may not be aware of what this term means. If you are not sure, then you need to read this post carefully. Here, we discuss the different aspects of sustainable wood.

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PROBLEM SOLVING

"Decathlon, the world’s largest sporting goods retailer addressed real estate constraints in physical stores in Asia, increasing the customer’s product visibility in-store by integrating Scandit’s barcode scanning solution with their customer app. A self-checkout app, it provides customers access to all Decathlon products, making shopping convenient with fast and accurate barcode scanning – increasing in-app purchases to 30 percent of digital sales in Singapore and 90 percent in India."

THE PROBLEM

Space constraints still limited the number of products that the company could stock in physical stores, resulting in shrinkage from lack of stock.

THE SOLUTION

"Decathlon’s ‘phygital’ strategy involved placing digital at the core of their physical stores. The company noticed high volume browsing traffic originating through smartphones, but fewer purchases. They decided to make shopping on smartphones easier, and created the Decathlon app, a self-checkout customer app, which offered customers an omnichannel experience that combined online and offline interactions. The app would ensure that customers had access to all Decathlon products whether they were browsing in store or online, and eliminate queues with faster checkouts."

ROADBLOCKS
The app used an open source barcode scanning software, which created accuracy issues, as barcodes could not be properly scanned in glare or low light conditions, at angles and distances, or if they were poorly printed. The open source scanning software also required extensive coordination with front-end and back-end developers at Decathlon on product details such as price, inventory and more, an activity that the company was not keen to pursue. Also, information from QR codes, and legal requirements in countries like India where prices must be displayed on products were embedded in 2D barcodes, which could not be scanned by the open source solution.

THE FINAL SOLUTION AND MY INSPIRATION

Customers enjoy shopping convenience by downloading the Decathlon app, signing up as members, scanning and paying for products using their smartphones. The cashless and self-service app, coupled with fast and accurate scanning means that customers enjoy hassle-free shopping and no longer need to queue at the checkout.

This Decathlon case study has directly influenced my INP. It is a great tool to solve the problem of retail estate prices, meaning that instead of paying excess fees for larger plot of land you can sell all the product you want to in a smaller space maximising crucial space in your storefront by keeping stock behind. Customer convenience in increased as it only takes a few clicks to make a purchase and que times will be shorter. This woks well with the COVID pandemic too as face to face interaction will be minimised and screens can be sanitised regularly. This helps me to tackle the current problem of limited stock in their only store.

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Decathlon, the world's largest sporting goods retailer addressed real estate constraints in physical stores in Asia, increasing the customer's product visibility in-store by integrating Scandit's barcode scanning solution with their customer app. A self-checkout app, it provides customers access to all Decathlon products, making shopping convenient with fast and accurate barcode scanning - increasing in-app purchases to around 30 and 90 percent, in Singapore and India respectively.

Challenge

Digitize customer experiences with an app

Decathlon has over 1,647 stores across 1000 cities in 57 countries, and more than 5000 products across 80 sport categories. The company's stores in Asia are predominantly centrally located in shopping malls where real estate costs are prohibitively high - making it a challenge to stock and sell their growing range of products in existing large stores, and smaller format ones, both in Singapore and India.

Keen to improve the customer's shopping experience and increase product visibility instore, Decathlon deployed an RFID checkout solution. But escalating real estate costs, made dedicating floor space to RFID checkouts an expensive option. Space constraints still limited the number of products that the company could stock in physical stores, resulting in shrinkage from lack of stock.

Decathlon's 'phygital' strategy involved placing digital at the core of their physical stores. The company noticed high volume browsing traffic originating through smartphones, but fewer purchases. They decided to make shopping on smartphones easier, and created the Decathlon app, a self-checkout customer app, which offered customers an omnichannel experience that combined online and offline interactions. The app would ensure that customers had access to all Decathlon products whether they were browsing in store or online, and eliminate queues with faster checkouts. Decathlon also wanted to increase orders through digital channels (the app and website) to over 25 percent, and address shrinkage from stock unavailability owing to real estate constraints.

Create frictionless omnichannel experiences with smartphone scanning

The app used an open source barcode scanning software, which created accuracy issues, as barcodes could not be properly scanned in glare or low light conditions, at angles and distances, or if they were poorly printed. The open source scanning software also required extensive coordination with front-end and back-end developers at Decathlon on product details such as price, inventory and more, an activity that the company was not keen to pursue. Also, information from QR codes, and legal requirements in countries like India where prices must be displayed on products were embedded in 2D barcodes, which could not be scanned by the open source solution.

Solution

Convenience and quality: the best-fit for a 'phygital' smartphone scanning app

Decathlon tested multiple barcode scanning solutions, but opted to integrate Scandit's barcode scanning SDK into their app. Scandit's solution offered fast and accurate barcode scanning, which was a reliable option for their customers. Also referred to as the 'phygital' app internally, the Scandit-powered self-checkout Decathlon app is available for Android and iOS devices, and is used in 12 stores across Singapore and 70 stores in India.

Customers enjoy shopping convenience by downloading the Decathlon app, signing up as members, scanning and paying for products using their smartphones. The cashless and self-service app, coupled with fast and accurate scanning means that customers enjoy hassle-free shopping and no longer need to queue at the checkout.

Says Gael Robin, Global Solutions Manager at Decathlon's Singapore base, "As Decathlon grows, we want to continue offering customers the convenience and quality they expect from us. Shopping on their smartphones should be a consistent and convenient experience, irrespective of the environment they scan the barcode, or the mobile device they use. While we expected a 99.9 percent scanning accuracy, Scandit delivered 100 percent accuracy, a feature that encourages more customers to use our scanning-based smartphone app."

Scandit's barcode scanning solution delivered Decathlon:

Accuracy: 100 percent accurate scans even when scanning problematic barcodes such as on torn or worn labels, and in low light or at difficult angles.

Convenience: In the past, with the RFID solution, customers who forgot to scan products with QR codes on signage had to go back and scan them. Scandit's barcode scanning solution does away with this, as information from the QR code is captured when product barcodes are scanned.

Ease of integration: Integrating Scandit's barcode scanning solution with the Decathlon app was easy and done internally without the need to coordinate with several different developers.

Results

In app purchases account for approximately 30 percent of digital sales in Singapore and 90 percent in India

Increase in basket size with Scandit's smartphone scanning solution

Customer satisfaction scores rank higher than in the past, at 4.8 on a purchase scale of 1 to 5

Superfast, superior scanning performance increases app adoption

Decathlon has been using Scandit's scanning solution in its app for over two years now. Customer adoption and engagement with the 'phygital' app continues to grow. The convenience it offers shoppers has seen more than 100,000 users download the app on Android and iOS devices.

The company has also increased their profit margins owing to in-app purchases, exceeding the target of a 25 percent increase in revenue through digital channels, and increasing the overall basket size by 20 percent on average. In Singapore, around 30 percent of purchases are made through the Scandit-powered app, whilst in India, it's 40 percent, with some stores accounting for 90 percent of app purchases - depending on the day, such as weekends when more customers tend to shop with families.

The pandemic also helped increase usage of the smartphone app, as customers stayed away from stores, preferring to shop using digital channels. It has proven to help the business address shrinkage from stock unavailability owing to real estate constraints; and will, in the long run, offer significant savings on real estate investments.

Aware of the challenge in changing customer mindsets, Decathlon is promoting their Scandit-enabled smartphone app as an omnichannel solution with a 'phygital cart' - encouraging customers to embrace self-checkout to avoid queuing at PoS terminals. For products that are not available in stores, customers can scan the barcodes, pay for them and receive free delivery within two hours at a location of their choice.

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Decathlon, the world's largest sporting goods retailer addressed real estate constraints in physical stores in Asia, increasing the customer's product visibility in-store by integrating Scandit's barcode scanning solution with their customer app. A self-checkout app, it provides customers access to all Decathlon products, making shopping convenient with fast and accurate barcode scanning - increasing in-app purchases to around 30 and 90 percent, in Singapore and India respectively.

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LONDON, United Kingdom - Monki's newest drop is made from old clothes.

The H&M-owned brand's capsule collection of grey sweatsuits is the latest recycling experiment by a global fashion brand. So far, so 2020. But the Swedish fast-fashion giant has bigger ambitions for this particular project.

For the last four years, the H&M foundation has been working with the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) to develop a machine that can take old stretch jeans, jumpers and sweatpants and, using heat, water and biodegradable "green" chemicals, turn them back into materials that can be processed and re-spun into new clothes. Monki, a youth-focused brand that sits alongside labels like COS and Arket in H&M group's portfolio, will be the first H&M brand to test-drive the new technology.

The ability to recycle old clothes back into new, high quality materials on an industrial scale is a top priority for the circular fashion movement, whose proponents envision an apparel industry designed to minimise waste and pollution. They have a long way to go: the Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates nearly 40 million tons of textile waste is sent to landfills or incinerated each year.

Much of that material would be impossible to upcycle into new clothes today. Long-standing mechanical recycling techniques - which shred materials like wool, cotton or cashmere to recapture original fibres - often do so at the expense of quality. Blended fabrics, which combine natural fibres like cotton or wool with synthetics like polyester, are particularly tricky to repurpose. And where the knowhow to turn old clothes into new material does exist, it has so far largely been confined to the lab or the odd pilot project.

But a flurry of high-profile new projects could move the needle in a material way.
Toward a Tipping Point
Over the coming months, one of Monki's biggest suppliers is installing HKRITA's machine. By early next year, it will have the capacity to transform around 1.5 tons of old textile waste daily into raw materials, replicating the technology at industrial scale for the first time.

The goal is to prove by the end of 2021 that the machine is commercially viable, paving the way to increase capacity.

"We have built a system ... that gets us into the large scale now we can make a difference category," said Edwin Keh, chief executive of the Institute.

To be sure, at current volumes, the machine will barely register in Monki's overall product selection. Its first drop will be just a few hundred items sold online. But the 14-year-old brand, which markets primarily to young women, sees supporting initiatives like this as an important part of maintaining its relevance.

"The whole 'Greta wave' is our girl," said sustainability director Jenny Fagerlin, referring to Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. "We want to be a frontrunner."

Elsewhere, Kering, PVH and Target have formed a consortium with innovation hub Fashion for Good, Laudes Foundation and manufacturer Birla Cellulose to road test five chemical recycling technologies. And earlier this year, Ralph Lauren took a minority stake in material science startup Natural Fiber Welding, which is working to improve the quality of recycled cotton. The US luxury fashion brand said the investment is intended to "help create and scale a new industry standard for natural fibre recycling."

We want to be a frontrunner.

Sweden-based Renewcell is already producing 4,500 tons a year of trademarked Circulose pulp, which is recycled from discarded textiles made from cotton and other natural fibres. It's a raw material that can be re-spun into virgin-quality viscose or lyocell. So far, Renewcell has partnered with brands including Levi's, H&M and Bestseller and it's part of Fashion for Good's new project.

It's building a second 60,000 ton plant in Sweden scheduled to start production in 2022 and is expecting to expand its overall capacity to 360,000 tons by the end of the decade. Earlier this month, the company announced plans to list on the public market in Sweden.

The real transition from lab experiment to industrial scale is only just beginning. Renewcell's volume represents an infinitesimal fraction of global textile production and it's currently among the most mature products on the market.

The swift acceleration in efforts to bring textile-to-textile recycling technologies to market reflects evolving cultural and consumer trends, as well as the growing maturity of the innovations. Where historically brands have had to pay a premium for materials that didn't perform as well or feel as good as virgin fibres, there's growing confidence in the potential of the current crop of innovations.

HKRITA maintains the technology Monki is experimenting with can produce material that consumers would never know was recycled, at the same cost as mainstream fibres.

"Next year, we want to refine it; if we can get this to be cheaper than virgin, then it's a really cool, compelling case," said Keh.

The whole Covid thing has just made the circularity space hit overdrive.

The coronavirus crisis has also ratcheted up the fashion industry's already-growing interest in sustainability. Conversations around green economic recovery plans have increased scrutiny on the sector's climate impact, while efforts to improve fashion's environmental performance have been among only a handful of topics that continued to resonate with consumers through the pandemic.

"The whole Covid thing has just made the circularity space hit overdrive," said Cyndi Rhoades, founder of Worn Again, which has plans to build a demonstration plant for its blended textile recycling technology in the UK in the next few years. "It feels like we were working in a vacuum for so many years and you could only hear the sound of tumbleweed, and now it's reached fever pitch and we're working towards solutions."
A Closed Loop System
There's no guarantee any of the current crop of recycling projects will perform well enough to win further investment.

"We've been part of a couple of initiatives that have tried and died," said Fagerlin. "It's just sci-fi and it never really hits the market."

Even if the technology succeeds in producing raw materials that can produce cheap, high-quality recycled fabric, working it into a complex global supply chain is a separate challenge that some experts predict will take decades.

Assuming its current series of test projects is successful, Fashion for Good estimates it will take between five and seven years to scale to fully operating plants. For that to happen, brands need to make commitments to the new materials that would incentivise manufacturers and investors to get on board.

"The capital gap is enormous," said Kathleen Rademan, innovation platform director at Fashion for Good. A January report the organisation put together with Boston Consulting Group pointed to $20 to $30 billion in annual investment required over the next 10 years to develop and scale solutions like recycling technology that can help solve the industry's environmental challenges.

And beyond the recycling technology itself, a whole new infrastructure is required to support a system that no longer treats old clothes as waste, but as feedstock. Many of the technologies currently under development can only handle specific types of material, which means more sophisticated sorting and supply chains need to be established.

"The world is still in the [research and development] phase of circularity as a system," said Rhoades.

Nonetheless, these technologies have the potential to be game-changing. The new "green machine" Monki is using for this month's capsule collection can process blended cotton and polyester, solving for one of the major infrastructure challenges. And it's a modular system that can plug into existing manufacturing relatively swiftly. If all goes well this year, it's a technology that will have the support of the H&M group to scale further.

"This supplier is one of the biggest in the supply chain; for them, there is no business case if it couldn't be scaled up and replace all polyester in the future," said Fagerlin. "I really hope in the next year we can build a roadmap that clearly says when."
Related Articles: Can Recycling Fix Fashion's Landfill Problem? Luxury Brands Burn Unsold Goods. What Should They Do Instead? Fashion's Growth-Focused Business Model is Not Sustainable. What's the Solution?

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Chasing The Holy Grail of Circular Fashion

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LONDON, United Kingdom - Monki's newest drop is made from old clothes. The H&M-owned brand's capsule collection of grey sweatsuits is the latest recycling experiment by a global fashion brand. So far, so 2020. But the Swedish fast-fashion giant has bigger ambitions for this particular project.

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When I saw the video I could almost smell the scent of the store. It created nostalgia and reminded me of back home. Very on brand to their target audience The use of sound made me watch more of the video and reminded me of being by the beach in California or Australia. Each store follows the same principles, layout, architecture, furnishings etc making it feel like a cosy and familiar space in store. You could go to any Hollister and more or less know you will get.

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By taking advantage of having a physical atmosphere in which to entice and engage shoppers in their retail space Brick and Mortar stores have a competitive edge and some pros to shopping online. The VM team should delight the senses through smell, touch, taste, sight and sound. Stimulants should be cohesive with the brand image and tone of voice as to not create a disjointed incoherent experience for the consumer.

“The key is to build multi-sensory experiences in retail that trigger an emotional response before the conscious, cognitive and rational parts of the brain kicks in,”

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"I have racked my brain to think of a retailer that has managed to orchestrate all of the senses. ... [+]
Getty

While brick-and-mortar retailers wring their hands about the sad state of affairs in physical retail, they may be overlooking the most powerful competitive weapon at their disposal and one that e-commerce retailers cannot replicate: their ability to engage shoppers' human dimension through their five senses.

Shedding light on the power of multi-sensory engagement in retail are assistant professor Miralem Helmefalk and Bertil Hultén, Ph.D. at Linneaus University in Sweden. In an article published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumers Services, they write, "For retailers, a visually dominant store atmosphere should be designed more in the direction of a multi-sensory atmosphere in offering shoppers more appealing experiences of the retail setting."

They cite research that demonstrates "a positive effect of multi-sensory congruent cues on shoppers' emotions, through valence and purchase behavior, through time spent in the store and purchase."

In plain English, shoppers engaged through all five senses in the store spend more time there and are more likely to make purchases.

Brick-and-mortar retailers need to do more

With the rapid encroachment of digital e-commerce, brick-and-mortar retailers desperately need more effective tools to compete in the physical world. The bad news in physical retail is undeniable. For example, 7,567 national retail stores have closed so far this year with the final tally expected to reach 12,000 by year end.

And even more alarming, UBS predicts that with each percentage point market share rise in online retail, some 8,000-8,500 stores will need to close. As it stands, e-commerce holds a 16% market share and it is expected to rise to 25% by 2026. UBS expects upwards of 75,000 stores will be forced out of business by then. While estimates of Amazon's share of e-commerce retail vary, closer to 40% than 50%, it still is wielding the biggest hammer to physical retail's coffin.

In the face of these dire assessments about the fate of physical retail, brick-and-mortar retailers have a powerful advantage that no digital upstart can compete with, even Amazon with same-day or next-day delivery. It is their power to engage in the real world by activating all five senses.

E-commerce retailers can't do what brick-and-mortar retailers can

Unfortunately too few retailers are effectively using the power of multi-sensory experiences at retail, believes Darren Coleman, founder of Wavelength Marketing and author of Building Brand Experiences: A Practical Guide to Retaining Brand Relevance. "Retailers would benefit from building brand experiences with all our senses in mind," he shared with me.

With a Ph.D. in branding and as a guest lecturer in corporate brand management at the University of Warwick, Coleman comes bearing plenty of footnotes to back up his opinions.

"I have racked my brain to think of a retailer that has managed to orchestrate all of the senses in a truly unique and personalized way. Not one retail brand has cracked it. So the good news is there's an opportunity there. But I don't know of anyone that has found the right cocktail," he says.

Rather than hitting on all five-sensory cylinders, retailers have tended to focus on one, like the visual, or two, adding scent or music, while ignoring the potential of telling a cohesive brand story with all five senses.

"Senior executives become a bit like a kid in a candy store when they realize its potential. Then they dive head first into using sound or scent without considering how they're relevant to their brand," he says. "The result is disjointed and inconsistent experiences that customers struggle to connect with."

Retailers need to take a step back, get above the fray, and assess what their brand ultimately means and how they can communicate that consistently across all five senses. Such messaging can cement the brand in customers' memories because brands operate in the emotional space.

"The key is to build multi-sensory experiences in retail that trigger an emotional response before the conscious, cognitive and rational parts of the brain kicks in," Coleman says, as he takes me on a tour of retail brands that are taking a multi-sensory approach.

Visual

The visual sense is by far the one that retailers activate most frequently in terms of design, color, style and lighting. But it may still be used ineffectively if the visual cues and clues in the store are not tuned to the ones that will engage the customers most effectively.

Coleman points to Versace that uses bright and bold colors to maximum effect "to convey their ostentatious, confident and extroverted personality," as compared to Armani, which embraces "a more refined, understated and timeless approach."

The visual cues and clues of jewelers Hearts on Fire and Tiffany and Company stores right across the way in the King of Prussia Mall couldn't be more contrasting. Hearts on Fire is dark and mysterious with spotlights aimed at wall-mounted display cases that enhance the diamond's sparkle and fire.

Shopper walks past a Hearts On Fire Co. jewelry store at the King of Prussia Mall in King of ... [+]
© 2017 Bloomberg Finance LP

Tiffany uses standard table height glass cases with bright lighting throughout. But then, when paying thousands of dollars for a diamond ring, maybe it is better to have all the lights on, so customers don't feel like they are being conned.

One of the more important visual cues that too many retailers ignore is when too many products are on display. Too much product detracts, rather than enhances the shoppers' experience and creates a cacophony of visual noise which only adds to the paradox of choice.

Retailers would be better served by judicious editing to give shoppers something to really look at and enjoy. In addition, products that are displayed too closely together tend to be overlooked unless the customer is engaged to touch the product too.

"The consistency of visual execution is key and this can be seen in brands from product design, visual merchandising through to the overall store experience," Coleman advises.

Touch

The tactile experience of shopping-to touch, feel and try on-is a tremendous draw for customers. About 50% of consumers are turned off to online shopping because they can't do that. And it certainly contributes to the large number of returns e-commerce retailers face.

Further the more people touch products while shopping the more likely they are to buy and spend more money when doing it. The psychology behind it is called the "endowment effect," whereby people value things more that they own and touching a product in the store tends to make them feel that sense of ownership.

Not only that, but touching something can activate other senses in the shopping experience. The touch and feel of an iconic Coca Cola bottle brings the taste of Coke to mind. Similarly, the body-shaped bottle of Jean Paul Gaultier perfume invites touch as it consistently fits the personality of this sensual, highly-sexualized brand. Once in hand, a spritz of the cologne on the wrist seals the deal by activating the sense of smell.

Smell

"Smell is the only sense that has a direct line to your brain's limbic system," Coleman shares. "That's important because the limbic system deals with long-term memory and emotion. Brands rely on memories associated with an emotion we feel and this is why scent is so significant when you build brand experiences."

Starbucks is a case in point. Back in 2007 Howard Schultz realized one of the reasons Starbucks' sales were slipping was caused by the loss of the powerful coffee aroma in the stores due to a shift toward sealed packaged coffee and automated espresso machines.

"I believe we overlooked the cause and the effect of flavor lock in our stores. But at what cost? The loss of aroma - perhaps the most powerful non-verbal signal we had in our stores; the loss of our people scooping fresh coffee from the bins and grinding it fresh in front of the customer, and once again stripping the store of tradition and our heritage," Schultz wrote.

And shortly Starbucks will be further activating scent as it welcomes fall with the evocative pumpkin spice scent wafting through the stores.

"The use of fragrance allows retailers to create a branded experience which intuitively tells their brand story," explains Logan Andres, director of products and marketing at ScentAir, a company that provides scent marketing services to retailers such as Under Armour, Ashley Furniture and Piaget.

"If you want customers to become endeared to your store, you have to give them something they can connect with to remember. Scent gives customers this connection," Andres says.

Sound

The right music in-store also influences memory, emotion and movement. "One study identified how 'pulse and tonality' of music activates wide networks in the brain, including the limbic system tied to memory and emotion," Coleman says.

He points to Wrangler jeans activating positive feelings associated with its country-music roots by teaming up with Universal Music Group Nashville to feature music videos in store.

Another brand strategically activating sound is Burberry. Its Burberry Acoustic service allows up-and-coming bands to share their music online or in Burberry stores. "This supports Burberry's positioning which is increasingly aimed at the well-heeled members of the Millennial generation," he shares.

For retailers to use sonic branding effectively they need to think beyond random sound tracks chosen by the store manager in the morning and create a symphony of sound that captures the heart and soul of the brand.

The power of analog connection in a digital world

In summing up the opportunities in activating all five senses in the retail experience, Coleman advises that retailers need a firm fix on what their brand experience and message is in order to have a solid base for building multi-sensory experiences. He further cautions not to go "multi-sensory mad," but to pilot, test and iterate first, then use learnings to implement multi-sensory experiences at scale.

And finally, he stresses the need to think holistically. "The true magic happens when you build brand experiences that orchestrate multi-sensory cues that appeal to a number of senses. The results will be compelling retail experiences which deliver differential value that will be hard for your competitors to emulate, and most especially the digital ones" he concludes.

As people increasingly engage in the world digitally, they are hungry for what Canvas Worldwide's Paul Woolmington calls analog connection.

"Digital doesn't address our emotional needs. Digital meets our more rational needs-it's faster and easier and lets us keep more control-but as human beings we need our emotional beings satisfied, and obviously that need isn't being met by our digital experiences. Therefore, in order to balance that, we're seeking the analog more than ever," Woolmington states and I couldn't agree more.

... Read More

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Retailers Need To Engage Shoppers' Five Senses To Save Physical Retail

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While brick-and-mortar retailers wring their hands about the sad state of affairs in physical retail, they may be overlooking the most powerful competitive weapon at their disposal and one that e-commerce retailers cannot replicate: their ability to engage shoppers' human dimension through their five senses.

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Optimise your floor space.

Retail floor space, is one of the largest costs a retailer

has. Effective visual merchandising is all about

optimising the cost per square foot to deliver higher

profits.

Use all of the data at your disposal to specify where key

sellers, trends and marketing collateral should be placed.

You should also base your guidelines on how much

merchandise you can fit in to your store without

negatively affecting movement and customer experience.

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My initial window sketches, I did not change much of my initial design as I liked the look and feel of it. I used online software to polish the overall look and add realism.

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"Implementing eco packaging in your brand’s operations is no longer an option - it’s a necessity."

51 % of supply chain professionals expect the circular economy to expand in popularity in the next two years, as a result of the pandemic

30% of consumers are willing to pay a premium for products that deliver on sustainability claims

WHAT MAKES PACKAGIG SUSTAINABLE

Ingredients: Using raw 100% recycled or raw materials

Production process: By minimising the production process, supply chain and carbon footprint

Reusability: Creating a circular economy around the packaging, extending its lifecycle and usability.

Through this article it is clear that sustainable packaging brings large benefits such as decreased packaging costs, enhanced user experience and more value flor money for the customer.

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McDonald's announced its packaging will be 100% renewable and recycled by 2025 .

Millennials are pushing brands to be more socially and environmentally responsible.

British marketplaces are being built around eliminating single-use plastics.

It's clear that the term 'eco-friendly packaging' is clearly more than a buzzword.

In fact, implementing eco packaging in your brand's operations is no longer an option - it's a necessity.
Click here to explore Packhelp's range of certified eco-friendly packaging
Need more proof that sustainable packaging is now the norm?

A recent study found that:

37% of U.S. consumers prioritize sustainability when making buying decisions.

51 % of supply chain professionals expect the circular economy to expand in popularity in the next two years, as a result of the pandemic

30% of consumers are willing to pay a premium for products that deliver on sustainability claims

Many of us were brought up with the phrase 'reduce, reuse, recycle' in our vocabulary. Today, it's essential to your business that you reflect these same values. Not only to help the environment, but also increase brand loyalty amongst eco-conscious consumers.

In this article, you'll see:

What is packaging sustainability and sustainable design?

Examples of eco-friendly packaging solutions

Material technology's influence on sustainable packaging solutions

Material science and packaging engineering developing at an incredible speed. As a result, more eco friendly packaging options are on the market that can take care of a wide range of products.

More brands are switching to eco-friendly packaging - cosmetics marketing, ethical fashion and apparel, even cannabis branding works closely with packaging sustainability.

There have also been many breakthroughs in plant-based packaging and biodegradable plastic packaging. This also means that it's getting easier for your brand to reduce its carbon footprint.

Plus, with the public more and more aware of the waste caused by bad packaging, wasteful brands are being named and shamed.

Check out Packhelp's online store here!

So let's dive into the world of eco-friendly packaging, and see it's benefits for your brand. But before we go too deep, what does packaging sustainability actually mean?

What is sustainable packaging?

Simply put, it is packaging that, over time, reduces its environmental footprint.

This can happen in a number of ways:

Ingredients: Using raw 100% recycled or raw materials

Production process: By minimising the production process, supply chain and carbon footprint

Reusability: Creating a circular economy around the packaging, extending its lifecycle and usability.

It's simple to say that eco packaging is entirely about the environment. It also should take into consideration economic and social factors.

For example, may seem like a viable option. plant-based packaging But quite often that means clearing endangered rainforests to grow crops .

E co packaging needs to consider the economic factor. It needs to be priced competitively over traditional oil-based/single-use packaging options.

So yes, the definitions can get a bit messy at times!

Labelling something 'eco-friendly' doesn't mean that it's sustainable. Similarly, labelling something as sustainable doesn't mean that it's ethical.

But here's what's most important if your brand is considering a change:
Do you own research.
Definitions aren't always black and white. It pays to ask your packaging manufacturer a number of questions .

The Sustainable Packaging Coalition is a great resource. Here, you can see the certifications of certain brands and products. It's also a great way to further your knowledge of recyclable packaging in general.

Want to know about what Packhelp's doing to further packaging sustainability? Click here to learn more

There are also other bodies, like the Forest Stewardship Council. They ensure that any wood-based products (like cardboard) from sustainably-sourced forests.

Eco-friendly packaging, coupled with sustainable package design, is a potent combination. These characteristics can be a great way to set your brand above your competitors.

What is sustainable design in packaging?
Sustainable design is designing product packaging with the main purpose of doing as little harm to the environment as possible.
This can be achieved by using recycled material. You can also do this by designing your packaging with another purpose in mind.

For example, this shopping bag from H&M that transforms into a clothes hanger.

Not only are these bags made from less material than H&M's traditional plastic bag, but the paper is 80% recycled.

Need a paper bag for your brand made from 80% recycled cardboard? Start designing your own expandable kraft mailers now!

H&M knows its audience is people between 18 and 35. They know that these people care about the environment.

H&M know their customers appreciate brands with eco-friendly and reusable packaging solutions.

Therefore, sustainable design with reusability in mind increases brand loyalty amongst their audience.

Here's another example.

We've recently analyzed the supply chain of IKEA, and how the global leader started to invest in biodegradable types of packaging made from mycelium fungus. The change has been a pioneering example of leaving styrofoam behind - the common resource used to secure products in cardboard packaging.
Our Packaging engineer Artur Oboleński shared his thoughts on the cutting-edge technology. Read it here. While it might seem like that, sustainablity in packaging isn't just about materials.
Simply using less material, regardless of what that material is, can work wonders, too.

Value engineering is the process of redesigning packaging from the ground up with the aim of saving money - and believe it or not, most money can be saved by using less packaging. That was the case of Raylo - a London-based start-up which optimized its packaging by using less materials.
The results?
Raylo achieved an 11% decrease in packaging costs, as well as a 25% reduction in weight.
See how Raylo lowered their packaging costs
Packhelp's team of packaging engineers scrutinise over your current packaging options and ensure that your solution is designed to use the least amount of material as possible.

Read below to see some examples of eco-friendly packaging design.

Environmentally friendly packaging examples

The switch to eco-friendly packaging requires some research. You need to see how it can best complement your packaging design.

Look at the examples below to see several examples of brands that have done exactly that.

Slopes and town is a Dutch brand. They sell belts, socks and other accessories. Both their product and packaging bases itself on environmentally friendly materials .

"The box design (size, shape, material) drives reusability and brings out other elements of the Slopes & Town brand to the consumer",

says founder, Irina.

Featured product: Two-piece kraft product box that fits Royal Mail standard sizing.

Interested in custom packaging that meets Royal Mail's large letter and small package sizes?Click here to see the range of Royal Mail Packaging!

Sheyn is a Vienna-based jewellery studio that focuses on simple yet elegant design. The brand's founders were eager to explore the possibility of 3D printing, and that's how they arrived at their incredible range of jewellery. By using the innovative technology, their production is fully sustainable too.

Sheyn have used a kraft mailer box made of 80% recycled material. This takes their unique design onto their packaging. In turn, their customer has a memorable unboxing experience based around eco-friendly packaging.

Tip: Some of Packhelp's products can be instantly quoted. Even for wholesale quantities of packaging, you will immediately see the pricing of Eco Mailer Boxes, and other types of packaging. See the price for the quantity of Mailer Boxes you need here.

This UK-based brand incorporated sustainability in every aspect of its sportswear business - down to the last thread in their clothing.

Each garment is shipped in a branded mailing bag. Unlike most bags used by a vast majority of e-commerce brands, Origin X Performance's packaging is fully sustainable. These bags are made from natural, biodegradable ingredients, and are just as durable as recyclable plastics and plastic alternatives.
Featured product: Bio Poly Mailers
Monday's Child is a British company, selling young girl's clothing for special occasions .

The packaging that Monday's Child uses tackles sustainability from the other side. The box doubles as a doll's house for its young users.
Featured product: Full-colour mailer box
By adding extra value to the packaging, a customer gets more value for money. Reusing the box also extends the life of the packaging.

Biotika is a Polish manufacturer of soy candles and scented waxes. The brand stems from the love of nature and goes above and beyond to leave a smaller footprint as possible.

Plain textured cardboard boxes with a minimalist design. Simplicity lets the products do the talking. Neutral and organic colours add to the brand's image, plus the recycled cardboard packaging itself !
Featured product: Eco shipping boxes
READ MORE: Biotika, now a growing D2C brand, has recently collaborated with Packhelp on a project of packaging portfolio optimization. Take a look at the story here.

UAU Project is an art installation showing off the delicacies and beauty of 3D printed art.

Why packaging sustainability is important

There's no need to go into detail about why sustainability in packaging is important. If you're reading this article, you know it's crucial.

If you still need convincing, take a look at these tweet directed at Amazon's packaging:

But the push toward packaging sustainability isn't just from the end consumer.

Large corporations like Unilever Australia have recently put pressure on the Australian government. Unilever has demanded the government do more in the plastic pollution battle.
That's because it is.
And if corporations of this size can put the heat on governments, it means:

Consumers want to associate with brands that are environmentally focused

Large corporations are spearheading the initiative to help their public image

Smaller and medium brands will be forced to implement sustainability in their packaging

Eco-friendly packaging materials

As a company, Snact is all about the reduction of waste. For starters, the product that they sell is made from banana peel - the perfectly edible part of the food that's nearly always thrown out.

Throw your wrapper into the garden and watch it decompose.

It worth noting, that single-use packaging isn't the bad guy here. Single-use packaging that's oil-based and ends up in landfill is the culprit.

Single-use plastics like algae-based Agar , from red algae. This is a occurring substance that's available in . This packaging to pasta, cereals and other dry foods.

Plant-based packaging solutions

Consumer behaviour & packaging sustainabilty

8 tips to move to eco-friendly packaging

If you're a brand that's considering a switch to eco packaging, here are a few tips to make sure you get the most from the process.

1- Don't change everything at once

Whether you're selling 1 product or several thousand, it's best not to commit totally to packaging sustainability before you've tested the concept. You can do that by sampling packaging options.

2 - Order product samples

As just mentioned, it's risky to commit to a new packaging solution before testing it. Consider ordering a sample pack to inspect the quality of the packaging for yourself. Once you're convinced that this is a practical option, then order in bigger quantities.

3 - Consider a redesign

Implementing new packaging can be a double-edged sword if done at the same time as launching a new redesign of the brand.

A new logo, a new colour pallet and design assets can truly be complemented by sustainable product packaging.

4 - Adjust your pricing

Price is obviously a factor that needs to be considered. You may be surprised to know that packaging made from 80% recycled material can be had for as little as €0.26 per piece.

Once you've settled on an eco-friendly packaging option, it's important to calculate if you can absorb the cost of packaging or whether you need to increase prices accordingly.

5 - Order small volumes

Part of testing how your brand (and customer) takes to your new packaging, is to do so in small volumes. Order as little as 30 pieces and judge the reaction of your team and customers. When everything is assured, scale up your order size!

6 - FIFO

FIFO stands for 'First in, first out' and it's a method you might like to apply to your packaging. Before using your new packaging design, make sure that you've used up all your old packaging first.

7 - Consider eco-ing your product

Once your customers have taken well to your new packaging solution, consider bringing the concept of sustainability to your product itself. An eco-friendly product in an environmentally friendly box is a double-edged marketing sword!

8 - Flaunt your eco packaging

A brand that aligns itself for the good of the environment is something that the world wants to hear about. It's a moral that can make your brand stand out and be seen over your competition.

Work your sustainability into your marketing campaigns and make sure that people know that you're out there to help the environment.

Sustainable packaging companies

As a young packaging company, Packhelp knows only sustainability and working alongside the environment.

We have a responsibility to care for the environment and help our customers do the same.

Being a fresh and disruptive brand to the stagnant and old-fashioned packaging industry, we've learnt many things.

None more important than this:

Most small to medium brands want to sell their product in packaging that doesn't damage the environment.

That's why every single cardboard product in our range is made from a minimum of 80% recycled cardboard. This means that when you order custom packaging from us, you're getting a material that was a book, cereal box or a bank statement in another life.

If you're looking to get started with sustainably-made packaging, check out so we can help create your Packhelp's range of customised packaging options , or unique packaging idea.
Start designing now!
Conclusion

In this article, you saw the current state of environmentally friendly packaging and how your small brand can start using it. You can now see how a brand can use sustainable packaging to build a better relationship with eco-minded customers.

With a global shift toward fighting climate change, the way we approach packaging is set to grow and change. Rather than being an alternative option, eco-friendly packaging is only going to become more important.

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Sustainable Packaging In 2021 And Beyond [Examples & Ideas] | Packhelp

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Sustainable packaging is no longer an elegant option for small to medium brands. With large corporations leading the eco-friendly packaging movement, it's a matter of keeping up or getting left behind. Discover the latest developments in sustainable packaging design and how to use it for your brand. Read now.

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If there's one thing that has held influencer marketing back from fulfilling its true potential, it's been the struggle to prove influence. It all seemed so easy; back when this industry started out - a customer's 'digital journey' would prove cause and effect, with sales being attributed to influencers through the link clicks they generated.

To some small extent, that works. Online sales, app downloads, email sign-ups; essentially, anywhere the customer clicks a link can be measured. But, what about all of those unattributable sales, where the link isn't clicked? Where the link isn't available? Where the product is just remembered and purchased in store? A crazy thought, I know. And what if the goal of the campaign isn't direct sales? What if the goal is brand recall? A change in consumer perceptions? Store footfall? The list goes on and on.

If we go down the road of measuring influence purely through the definitively attributable, influencer marketing becomes simply affiliate marketing - and, each of us know (and have many anecdotes to prove) that the value of influencer marketing doesn't stop at link clicks.

The alternative form of measurement has generally been quite weak, though; and the industry hasn't exactly crowned itself in glory by pushing out metrics like 'audience achieved' as a form of influence measurement. Nor have the social networks really helped by giving us engagement rates based on the cheap vanity metrics of likes and comments.

While many brands have been happy to lap these weak measures up, many more have been searching for something a little more concrete; and, at Influencer, so have we.

The problem with most engagement metrics (particularly the visible ones) is that they're easy to manipulate. Likes can be purchased, comments can be corralled. And, more than that, they don't actually represent too much. The speed at which most users fly through social channels, hammering the like button, suggests that most content delivers very little impact, even if the viewer does pause long enough to double-tap the screen on the way past.

And what about those channels where standard engagements don't play such a key part? YouTube, Twitter, even TikTok. The obsession in this industry with engagement volume means that a lot of genuinely impactful content goes unrecognised - and it leaves content creators having to plead endlessly with their audience to leave some form of recognition: "like or comment below!"

The alternative, of course, is to measure the value of engagements, not volume - and this is exactly what we've done at Influencer with our in-house impact score.

Fundamentally, it's quite simple. By looking back over years of campaign data, we've been able to ascertain the relative value of different engagement metrics across different social networks - and, by applying a weighting to these metrics, we can show the value of engagements and balance out the volume. To give a quick example, you may have guessed that we consider a like on Instagram to be a relatively low value engagement, so we give it a weighting of 1. A save, on the other hand, is a lot rarer and demonstrates a far greater level of engagement with a piece of content, so we give that a weighting of 15.

By applying these weightings across every engagement available, we can ascertain the true value of an audience's engagement with a piece of content - and so define the impact that content had.

Our impact score doesn't show much on its own; but, if we divide it by the number of views a piece of content has had, it gives us a percentage that we can use to make relative comparisons of content, across social channels, social networks, and across campaigns.

This approach to measuring influence has fundamentally changed the way we analyse our clients' campaigns and has stamped out the overweighting of certain content types (e.g. Instagram feed posts) over other types which don't generate volume of engagement, but do generate value.

A great example of this is video content on Instagram, which is notorious for generating low volumes of likes. On a recent travel campaign (pre-Covid, of course), the application of our impact score demonstrated that the eight seemingly lowest performing pieces of content (on a volume basis) were actually all in the top 20 on an impact basis.

Our work on impact doesn't stop here, though; we're constantly tweaking our impact rate and plugging in more campaign data to give an ever more accurate understanding of the influence that our campaigns, their content, and their content creators have delivered. And, with new(ish) social networks appearing (hello TikTok) and older social networks adding new features (hello Instagram Guides), our impact rate is evolving to ensure that we accurately reflect the influence these channels and content forms can deliver.

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Measuring the impact of influencer marketing

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If there's one thing that has held influencer marketing back from fulfilling its true potential, it's been the struggle to prove influence. It all seemed so easy; back when this industry started out - a customer's 'digital journey' would prove cause and effect, with sales being attributed to influencers through the link clicks they generated.

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Missguided case study - An article on how Missguided brought themselves into the physical retail landscape with their second brick and mortar store.

Its impactful “on air” retail store experience concept is high-energy and fashion-forward, intended to immerse its young customer base fully into the brand.

"Social interactions are at the heart of this concept."
In this case experiential retail has proved highly successful. This non traditional take on a retail store has inspired me to subvert traditional shopping conventions in my project.

Glossier Case Study
Week long pop up studio in Soho

"With the aim of engaging the local community and creating a buzz, having recently started selling to the UK, it inspired hundreds of user-generated content items across social media and Glossier’s own Instagram account, which saw one of the most liked images in its history, a real coup for fashion brand retailing."

"Despite being an online player, Glossier sees offline brand activities as a key part of engaging its customer base in the form of pop-up retail stores and community dinners."

This is useful research as it demonstrates how online retailers can successfully utilise physical events to drive sales across platforms and create a buzz, using word of mouth marketing to  entice new customers. I hope to mimic this success with a permanent flagship store.

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The retail experience is being reimagined. From new opportunities for product personalisation to multi-sensory shopping environments to interactive brand experiences, the way we buy is being turned on its head. Welcome to the world of immersive branding.

Missguided

Originally a pure-play e-tailer, fashion brand Missguided opened a big new store in the Kent Bluewater shopping centre last June after making a physical retail debut the previous year with its London flagship Westfield outlet.

Its impactful "on air" retail store experience concept is high-energy and fashion-forward, intended to immerse its young customer base fully into the brand.

Social interactions are at the heart of this concept. Girls are encouraged to be in constant conversation with one another and the brand, bringing social media into a live, physical retail experience.

Window and barrier-free, the completely open store-front is designed to have "stop you in your tracks appeal". Floor-to-ceiling digital screens play customer-generated content, curated under the hashtag #babesofmissguided.

Designed by Dalziel & Pow, the concept is inspired by a TV studio. Disrupting the layout of a conventional retail store, it features flexible, studio lifestyle sets which encourage exploration and social-media sharing, pushing the boundaries of fashion brand retailing.

STORY

Described as "New York's coolest concept store", STORY is ripping up the rule book. It entirely reinvents itself every three to eight weeks, offering community-focused retail experiences.

Combining retail and media into one concept space, it tells stories through merchandise and events then sells spaces to sponsors or advertisers, much in the same way as a magazine.

In September, the store ran Beauty STORY in partnership with Coty, which featured mass-market brands, such as Covergirl, Clairol, Rimmel and Sally Hansen, alongside prestige brands, including ByRedo and Diptyque, all under one roof.

Disrupting the way beauty retail is traditionally experienced, it organised product by "how people live", rather than price point, demographic or category, explains STORY's founder Rachel Shechtman.

Coty products were not for sale, but they could be acquired for social currency. Customers were able to use the Array 3D photo experience if they wanted to acquire a Covergirl product or tweet at the Vengo social vending machine for a Rimmel matte lip gloss. However, all other products from Diptyque and Dr Colbert to Heyday facials were for sale.

The activity generated more than 100 million social impressions, with 84 per cent of all customers engaging with at least one of the five Coty interactive brand experiences in store.

Nike Unlaced

Nike's new "shop-in-shop" retail concept Unlaced is set to overhaul the male-orientated sneakers market, with a focus on serving women through choice, innovation and new, localised product curation.

The retail experience concept, unveiled at an event in Paris last month, will feature "unprecedented access to styling and customisation services, like she's never had before", says a spokeswoman for the brand. This will include exclusive limited editions, customisation bars and unisex sizing on models, which previously were aimed at men.

The new retail concept will feature local product curations by influential creatives and stylists from New York, Paris, London and Shanghai. This follows successful curator-led retail partnerships, such as the Kim and Nordstrom boutique collaboration.

The brand is aiming to create bespoke identities with each new shop-in-shop concept, which will be reflected both on and offline. "Nike Unlaced is a big opportunity to serve our female consumer better," adds the spokeswoman.

Launching on Nike.com at the end of this month, the new interactive brand experience will be rolled out to physical retail destinations globally this summer.

Forty Five Ten

Dallas-based boutique Forty Five Ten is the "new hot iteration of the department store, offering curated luxury products in an artful setting ", says Lucie Greene, worldwide director of innovation at JWT.

Kristen Cole, president and chief creative officer of Forty Five Ten and sister-store Tenoversix, says retail is no longer just about the function of offering clothes. "It's about providing an immersive, sensory engagement: cool, friendly, smart staff; good music; nice smells; compelling merchandising; significant art; a spot for coffee, drinks, café and, of course, a strong presentation of great design," she explains.

The company operates a number of stores across the United States, with each location tailored to its specific market. It plans to open Forty Five Ten in New York's Hudson Yards in 2019, which will be "very directional, very forward, from Snarkitecture's design of the space, to the edit of brands and pieces", says Ms Cole. "We want to offer a boutique retail experience and concepts, slightly different in each city, not monotony," she adds.

Glossier

Cult beauty brand Glossier launched a week-long pop-up Studio in central London during November, which saw thousands of people coming through its doors daily.

Taking over an 18 th-century home in Marylebone, it created a "totally instagrammable shop" selling its full range of skincare, make-up and body products.

With the aim of engaging the local community and creating a buzz, having recently started selling to the UK, it inspired hundreds of user-generated content items across social media and Glossier's own Instagram account, which saw one of the most liked images in its history, a real coup for fashion brand retailing.

Despite being an online player, Glossier sees offline brand activities as a key part of engaging its customer base in the form of pop-up retail stores and community dinners.

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Five brands pioneering the immersive retail experience

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The retail experience is being reimagined. From new opportunities for product personalisation to multi-sensory shopping environments to interactive brand experiences, the way we buy is being turned on its head. Welcome to the world of immersive branding.

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This is my first version of my digital window design. I added red led lights to mimic the lighting in store. However I felt like this made the design too crowded and distracted from the already intricate stained glass. I also felt as though it detracted from the sea theme and the product being merchandised and it didn’t look realistic. In my next version I removed the red and it looked more realistic as well as being able to clearly see the jeans.

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This is one version I created of my denim tote bag made out of denim offcuts from the creation of the jeans in store. Each bag will be unique and a percentage of profits will go to sea protection charities. I like the overall aesthetic of the bag however I felt as though the branding was a little too simple and you if you saw it you wouldn’t know what brand it was from. I also received peer feedback and my final design was “clean and effective”

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This is my first mock up of my Planogram, I had aimed to create panels made of coloured acrylic to separate my alcoves in the wall which would hold product. However I felt like my mock up wasn’t very clear or realistic and I wanted to add movement and texture in store, so I decided to add a wave design on the panels, create 3D alcoves and project the pattern on the jeans behind it.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly shaped the way retailers will operate over the coming years. By becoming aware of emerging trends/shifting consumer behaviour I can ensure that my business plan will remain current and commercial in the new landscape. I can also allow for COVID measures such as social distancing, PPE and rules regarding people management in my plans.

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The purpose of this research is to gain inspiration for innovative ways to entice customers in to my store to ultimately increase brand awareness and grow TRP's market.

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Inclusivity-

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45 Ragged Priest Interior Design ideas in 2021 | design, ragged priest, interior

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Apr 24, 2021 - Explore Elles B's board "Ragged Priest Interior Design" on Pinterest. See more ideas about design, ragged priest, interior.

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Four of the leading design consultants specialising in retail consider how creative concepts will develop in the future

Retail has had three phases, according to Katelijn Quartier, who heads the Retail Design Laboratory at Hasselt University in Belgium. 'In Retail 1.0, the manufacturer was in charge and no designer was needed. Retail 2.0 was a phase where the retailer was in charge but hired an architect or interior architect to design the store following the brand's or retailer's ideas,' she wrote in Retail Design, Theoretical Perspectives (Routledge). We have entered 'Retail 3.0, a time when the customer is more and more in charge... This asks for much more from a designer than to translate a retailer's identity into a store design and goes beyond mere functionality and efficiency - even more so now that a commodification of products, brands and retail is occurring'.

The Gensler Research Institute says that this now means that 'retail is no longer about products; it's about the relationship between a brand and its audience,' insisting that 'to thrive, bricks-and-mortar stores should be programmed with the same level of targeting and personalisation offered online'. In many cases this will mean using artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to convert customer data into personalised experiences. At the same time, though, 'retailers should create more human interactions between automated processes and customers - artfully combining human and digital engagement.'

'Retailers are realising that the biggest impact that digital can have on their business is in store,' says the accountancy giant Deloitte. 'Some of the most innovative and compelling stores make digital a core part of the physical experience.' Meanwhile, 'online retailers are turning to stores to help them grow their businesses and help service their customers. But these are very different stores, ones that look to replicate the online experience in the offline world.'

With this in mind, FX asked four leading retail design consultants to comment on how the role of the retail designer is likely to change in the next decade: whether, for example, designers will work even more closely with members of other disciplines; what is likely to change in terms of the customer or buying experience, and what new skills designers will need.
Activate your service
A contemporary retail store 'is no longer just a space with product rails and shelves', says Karen Byford, MD of Brinkworth

The domination of online and social media platforms has affected the interior designer's role in delivering retail environments. With retail heavyweights calling on the government to introduce a tax on online sales to combat the death of the high street, we were forced to ask, what is missing or holding the consumer back?

It is not simply that people are moving from one form of retail to another. At the end of 2018, the media was full of reports of spending down on previous years, from both online or physical stores. ASOS, which has a purely online presence, reported low-profit warnings in December 2018, while Primark, a recent client of Brinkworth, has consumers continuing to venture out to the physical stores to pick up a trolley-full of bargains that fit with its 'amazing fashion, amazing prices' tagline. There is no online store fallback position and therefore no alternative but to travel.

So, what is the face of future retail, and what does the existing audience now demand of it? At Brinkworth we have been designing retail spaces for 28 years, and in recent years we are definitely seeing a transience, following a state of flux. In particular, the age of roll-outs as we knew them seems to be over. Instead, retailers who engage with us ask what can we add to make the retail experience or customer journey a better one so that people will return again and again.

Adam Brinkworth, the founder and CEO of Brinkworth, has spent the past three years studying this exact question, becoming the first person to gain a doctorate in retail design. His thesis thoroughly examines recent changes and explores future trends, including the emergence of retail in what we call an activation retail environment, where a space simultaneously facilitates retail, hospitality, brand and product education and events.

When in 2018 we won a pitch to design 'the store of the future' for the fashion retailer Browns, it had already found a site in East London, Browns East. Browns had also recently been bought by Farfetch, whose online platform for highend boutiques delivers purchases within 90 minutes, something it wanted to replicate within a store experience.

The site Browns had signed up to had an events lease, not retail. Rather than see this as a constraint, Browns chose to use it to its advantage by developing a new retail typology. Browns wanted the flexibility to launch and reinvent on a weekly basis with the integration of all the latest digital technology. The space and its flexible sculptural furniture successfully combine these with an element of surprise for the consumer, they can buy apparel, art and coffee from a wholly 'Instagrammable', agile space.

This, then, is an activation retail environment in which the consumer becomes an integral participant in the activation, linking not only with the brand but also to the consumer community that is the key to its locality and cultural demographics. From this authentic seed, the consumer is linked to the wider global community through the online presence.

The future of retail design cannot be prescribed, but it is clear that a contemporary retail store is no longer just a space with product rails and shelves. It is a living and evolving space that breathes vitality and activity into its stores' community, and communicates beyond its walls.
Fusion drive
The shift from transactional to relational retailing in the high street is making designers and stores rethink the way they use space, says Simon Kincaid,partner at Conran and Partners

Retail is being reshaped and redefined; as buying habits change, the role of shops and malls as places where goods are stocked, put on show, sold and taken away looks increasingly shaky. The cost of doing business on what's left of the high street, coupled with a dwindling inclination among shoppers simply to shop, means that canny retailers are looking for ways to use precious space wisely and differently. Conran and Partners' designs for Marks & Spencer's M&S Home stores is an example of one trend: miniaturisation. This is not just the placing of convenience stores such a Little Waitrose or Tesco Metro in local or even 'hyperlocal' locations, but also designing retail spaces to be more efficient and to reflect the effects of online browsing and the home-delivery habit.

Miniaturisation is about reducing the amount of actual stock in-store because fewer people are likely to take goods away with them. You can save space or be more creative with it by not having so much stock on the shelf, especially with goods that people are going to have delivered anyway. We're pushing that idea with clients, helping them to make their stores work harder at inspiring customers rather than just stacking them high.

With fewer goods, though not necessarily narrower choice, on offer, 'exchange' as defined by Adam Smith, is giving way to experiences, engagement and entertainment, freeing retailers to shift the emphasis from turnover to footfall and linger time. You're still in the game, but you're doing it in a smarter way.

Retailers now think less in terms of markets and more about customer tribes and individuals, and retail itself is getting less generic and more focused with design. In hospitality design we cater for, say, Mr and Mrs Apple, and retailers are doing much more of that too, thinking specifically about the person or at least the narrower group. Focused design is a display of confidence. In the Nineties, retailing was about white boxes; now it's about having a strong identity and turning up the volume on the immersive, lifestyle environment. So, if you go into a wellbeing store, you'll see natural materials and planting, and it won't be a token effort, it'll be like you're in a greenhouse.

The shift from transactional to relational retailing allows designers not only to think out of the box but also to open other boxes and mash up the contents to create fusion retail, a crossover with other forms of selling from restaurants to real estate. The marketing suite for a block of flats is a shop with a two-bedroom product, after all, and you're still designing to aspirations.

A case in point is the KEF showrooms in Hong Kong designed by Conran. KEF is a speaker manufacturer with a specialist audio product. So it's quite a difficult thing to retail because you're buying the audio quality as well as the physical aspect of it. The design had to be about getting people into the right frame of mind to engage. Some brands would go very techy and fast-paced, but our design was about taking people away from day-to-day 'noise' and focusing on a luxury product, with a welcoming, inclusive, comfortable, lounge-style environment and surroundings that include a collection of historic vinyl records and pieces of art. It's like a members' club, with a library and lounge space, and much more like going into a hospitality environment than into a store.
Prepare to engage
Doug Barber, founder of London-based multidisciplinary agency Barber Design, foresees a transformation of retail spaces that will call for new skills

A retail revolution - or re-volution, as I like to call it - is happening in front of our eyes. Retail designers will need to become more aware of other disciplines and collaborate with a variety of other specialists to deliver engaging environments. I say environments rather than retail because who exactly knows what the retail future will bring? I see a mix of experiential designers, lighting designers, events specialists and 3D specialists collaborating to bring exciting shopping solutions together.

We know that the internet revolution is taking sales away from the tills of the traditional retailers. Convenience is key and the brands that are disappearing from our high streets probably deserve it. Lack, both of vision and investment, has also led to a lot of fat cats destroying what were the staple offers on our high streets. Dinosaurs die out and nimble new retail beasts rise to the surface.

However, we have been working with several online brands who now want to expand into physical spaces. Their requirements are far different from traditional retailers' perception of shops. They see the physical spaces as environments in which to express their brand personality, engage with a customer and - wait for it - not get worried about selling from.

Their typical aim is to enable customers to engage and then go online to shop. I talk with many retailers who still see their online and offline businesses as separate cost centres. Both need to support each other to drive one P&L for a retail business. But showrooming will become ever more relevant as more customers browse, touch and feel... and then buy online. One of our client's sales went up over 25 per cent online in each area we opened shops; retail exposure drove incremental online sales.

As the re-volution takes hold, the visitor experience will become paramount, with customers taking away a 'brand memory' and becoming advocates of a brand. Invest in your retail experience and customers will invest in you. Even better if they can 'do good' or help save the planet with every purchase.

Well-designed products that enhance quality of life will become more important. Throwaway items are becoming less desirable. Quality and sustainability will become paramount as part of a long-term shift away from consumerism to more minimal and eco-friendly living. Service offers will become related to lifestyle-enhancing shopping. In the near future consumers will ask 'what can this brand do for me, my environment and the wider planet?' Design has a huge role to play in this global mind shift. We must design products that enhance people's lives and save the planet at the same time.

Technology has driven changing working habits. People can connect from almost anywhere but while this can increase productivity and efficiency, it can also create isolation. Something similar has also been lost with consumerism. Yet, we all crave a 'real' connection with people and nature. Retail destinations that fulfill these simple human desires will attract and engage shoppers.

Shopping centres will grow to become earthly destinations that offer a wider experience than just physical shops. Engagement centres might be a better term for these future retail spaces. We need to create more places in which to meet and engage with one another, have fun and try out new products and experiences.

Besides the obvious 3D requirements, designers will need to fully understand people's needs. Designers will have to keep updated with the changing customer habits across all lifestyles to ensure that retail experiences are matched with customer demands. Understanding the psychology of shopping will become essential to allow customers to fit in shopping requirements around their other lifestyle choices. Designers must crack the total mindset of customers' lifestyles before they put their digital-touch-pen to digital paper and create mindful future shopping experiences.
Explore Possibilities
Maaike van Rooden, senior retail brand consultant at leading Dutch consultant SVT Branding & Design Group, explains how a 'skeleton and skin' design enables real world retailers to keep refreshing the customer experience

Retail is a part of everyone's lives. As retail designers, it is our job to make shopping as engaging, convenient and meaningful as possible. At SVT we believe retail is therefore not so much about shops and shopping centres, but more about the one-to-one relationships between companies and real people. Retail design is not only about how it looks and works, but also about intangible interactions and experiences.

Ecommerce and globalisation are changing consumer behaviour, putting tremendous pressure on traditional retailers. But if retail has to reinvent itself, designers are the ones to drive innovation. The growing demand for ease of purchase means that customers expect to come to a decision faster. Retail design can help with efficient and clear layout and communication, enabling consumers to recognise the service concept quickly and find what they are looking for during their omnichannel journey.

Physical retail can learn from ecommerce, where heat maps, A/B tests and continuous improvement are the standard. Ecommerce thrives on our desire for convenience, and so uses technology and client data to evaluate the results of innovations. Physical stores too, can be optimised continuously towards customer-centric experiences and design. As well as store layout and product range, the choice of store location becomes important, based on factors such as local traffic.

Amazon 4-star, a new physical store where all products are rated four stars and above on Amazon.com, is a great example of smart retail. The assortment of goods in these stores is purely based on client data gained from Amazon. com: what customers are looking for, what is trending, and client reviews and ratings. Collections are clearly segmented, for example, 'books to read once in a lifetime' and customer reviews are positioned at shelf level to aid decision-making. The benefits of online shopping, but with instant fulfillment: you don't have to wait for delivery.

People's busy lives keep them in an always-on mode, hungry for external impulses and entertainment to keep themselves occupied. We believe that here lies a big opportunity - or actually more of a task - for retailers.

Retail must create great experiences: to attract, surprise and engage customers every time. To do so, retail concepts must be flexible so that retailers can change and renew store elements and create different dynamics. We call this the 'skeleton and skin' principle: in our view a contemporary retail store should contain a rather basic, flexible system (the skeleton), enriched with inspirational elements (the skin) that can be easily changed.

In our whitepaper, Towards Explorative Spaces, Alexander Grit, Maaike de Jong and I introduced a new sort of retail space: these have multidimensional retail functions and are meeting points for kindred spirits, leading to unexpected and memorable encounters. Blurring the boundaries of retail is a current, well-known concept, but this is just the beginning.

The Royal Dutch Touring Club (ANWB) is one of the largest brands in the Netherlands supporting all modes of travel. It wanted to expand by attracting younger consumers. While its stores are on the periphery of cities or in smaller towns, we developed a new, multidimensional store concept in the centre of Utrecht, close to the boutiques, bars and cafes popular among the target group.

In addition to ANWB's regular store offering - its clothing, and mobility and travel services - we designed the ANWB Café and new services such as themed workshops and in-store digital experiences. The workshops have been fully booked since the store opening, and the cafe is popular for meeting, working and relaxing.

In addition to convenience and experience, brand personality and authenticity is key to standing out in the competitive retail market. Brand stories should be true and unique, and it is essential that they will resonate with your target group. Needs and desires may differ with each sort of purchase and type of retailer, and underlying standards and values vary from generation to generation. The honesty of brands, sustainability and being part of society is particularly important to Millennials and Gen Z. They identify themselves with brands that comply with these values - often local and craft companies.

Retail has become complex. The retail formula is the cumulative effect of all customer touchpoints; more and more, designers must be able to unravel this complexity, analyse functions and design each element individually, yet consistently and coherently, to create a strong, recognisable brand. So at SVT we work in multidisciplinary teams and in close cooperation with our client to perfectly understand their brand, business and processes. Retail designers need to understand their field of expertise in depth, and at the same time be able to communicate with other disciplines. They need the ability to act as a sparring partner for the retailer and to explain why certain design decisions will lead to success, ROI and customer happiness. Not an easy task, but in my and my colleagues' opinions, the best job there is. Every day we strive to improve how people shop and spend their time.

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A paradigm shift for the future of retail design

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Four of the leading design consultants specialising in retail consider how creative concepts will develop in the future Retail has had three phases, according to Katelijn Quartier, who heads the Retail Design Laboratory at Hasselt University in Belgium. 'In Retail 1.0, the manufacturer was in charge and no designer was needed.

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We've all been there. Entered a store and had the smiley assistant head over and ask if there is anything we need within seconds. The ultimate end goal of any store of course, is to get a customer to part with their cash. Whether that be the smiley assistant, enticing music or a welcoming scent, stores have tried several things to make us part with our hard earned money. So why it is important to get interior design right in the retail world?
Firstly, it is important to draw the customer's attention and make them notice. The power of retail window design is something that shouldn't be underestimated. A striking piece of visual merchandising can capture shoppers' attention, and encourage them to cross the threshold of a store. Think of the thousands of shoppers who will pass by your window. This is a chance to grab them, almost the start of telling a story which you will then continue inside the store.

Effective retail design also honours the legacy of the space and unites a store's location or architectural aspects with the brand. For example, Apple's Covent Garden store in London resides in a historic building even though the brand is associated with innovation and forward thinking. By restoring the building and using retail design to create a very modern aesthetic within it, Apple paid tribute to the local area while creating a very clearly Apple experience.
Obviously it's important to keep the customer in the store for as long as possible, to increase the chances of them making a purchase. Modern consumers are extremely busy and have a tendency to shop in a hurry. It is the job of retail interior design to slow down this journey and increase dwell time in the store. One technique to do this is by placing a large, eye-catching display at the entrance. Customers tend to decide instantly if they like what they see when they first enter a store, so having something that stands out at the entrance is likely to encourage them to explore further.

We live in a very modern, digital world, with boundaries continually getting pushed and changed. With an increasing number of shoppers turning to e-commerce to purchase products, brands need to make their retail spaces enticing and interactive. Retail interior design allows brands the opportunity to be bold with their spaces and attract customers in an entirely new way. Through innovative designs and bold signage, stores have the potential to create an immersive environment that ensures the brand sticks in the mind and greatly increase the chances of a customer returning.

Décor is another important consideration. Every effort should be made to match the design and decor to the product to be sold. Most customers will be expecting certain decor for the product they are shopping for. A men's sportswear shop for example would ideally have images of famous sports people wearing their products, which will then in turn prompt a young lad to insist if his parents buy him a certain pair of football boots he will turn into Lionel Messi.

Interior design plays a very important role in the appeal of any retail store or brand. It has the ability to draw you in and keep you there. So keep your eyes and ears open for the latest trends and customer needs, and you will be right on (and in) the money.

For more information check out our Interior Design Hub

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why it is important to get retail interior design right

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Why it is important to get retail interior design right

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We've all been there. Entered a store and had the smiley assistant head over and ask if there is anything we need within seconds. The ultimate end goal of any store of course, is to get a customer to part with their cash.

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To make it as easy as possible for you to get the gear you want, we offer a range of instant finance options. If you spend £200 or more online, you can choose to pay over 48, 36, 24 or 12 months. The majority of decisions are given instantly, so you could get your new gear sooner than you thought!

To help you understand how our finance options work, the examples below are based on a total order value of £200:

Applying for finance couldn't be easier - if your order totals £200 or more, simply proceed through the checkout as normal, then select Pay by Klarna Finance on the payment page, then click the orange PLACE ORDER USING FINANCE button. This will start your application with Klarna Retail Finance, our finance partner, and completing this form should take approximately 10 minutes.

You should get an instant answer on whether your application has been successful, though in some rare cases Klarna may need to look at the application in more detail.

Please note: This is only available on orders placed via the website consisting of a single delivery, and is not available in store or via phone currently. Warranties can not be purchased on finance. If you wish to purchase warranties, please choose another payment method or contact us after placing your order and we'll be happy to help you.

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subzero 200w 8" pa system with digital media player & stands

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SubZero 200W 8" PA System with Digital Media Player & Stands at Gear4music

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SubZero 200W 8" PA System with Digital Media Player & Stands - The Subzero 8" active and passive speaker bundle is a simple and easy to use package that delivers 200w of peak power. The active speaker features a media player with bluetooth, SD card and USB functions, as well as 2 channels inputs and an extension speaker output for the passive speaker.

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A large bean bag sofa to create a dwell zone, increasing time spent in store. Enhances the youthful/quirky environment inside the store.

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Special Price £126.99 Regular Price £253.99

Whether used for a movie night or guests staying for the evening, our Indoor/Outdoor Sofa Bed Bean Bag is a handy and versatile piece of furniture.

The Indoor/Outdoor Sofa Bed Bean Bag is ideal for those who regularly have guests or just want space to spread out. Placed against a wall with some cushions it can be a comfy sofa with enough room for up to three people. Ideal for movie nights and gatherings!

For when your guests want to stay the night, the Sofa Bed will be on hand to help. Without needing anything else, except maybe a blanket, your guests can have somewhere comfortable to spend the night.

Our Indoor/Outdoor bean bags are made from a soft, shower-proof and UV Resistant woven polyester material - meaning the sun and rain won't damage them! Although perfectly suited for use outside, the Indoor/Outdoor bean bags are very comfortable and look great in any room.

These bean bags are not fully waterproof (fully sealing a bean bag makes it like a balloon!), so we do not recommend leaving these bean bags uncovered when it's raining. Water can still get to the filling, meaning it'll need to dry out before being used again.

Complies with British Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988 (amended 1989, 1993 & 2010)

* Easy self assembly required

One of our largest bean bags, the Sofa Bed is an absolute must have. Placed against a wall with some cushions, our Sofa Bed Bean Bags will look right at home in any lounge!

One of our largest bean bags, the Sofa Bed is an absolute must have. Placed against a wall with some cushions, our Sofa Bed Bean Bags will look right at home in any lounge!

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Special Price £126.99 Regular Price £253.99 Whether used for a movie night or guests staying for the evening, our Indoor/Outdoor Sofa Bed Bean Bag is a handy and versatile piece of furniture. The Indoor/Outdoor Sofa Bed Bean Bag is ideal for those who regularly have guests or just want space to spread out.

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Contact Us

We Bring Your Ideas to Life
Blackfriars Staging is an established company that provides bespoke stages and settings for live events, conferences and exhibitions. We offer a complete range of services including stage hire, steel decking, carpentry, metalwork, scene painting, prop making, project management, transport and on-site construction.

No project is too big or complex for us. From conferences for NATO summits to live event stages, or a band setting for live music events like The Brit Awards, we have the skills and experience to make your event a complete success. Contact us today if you would like to stage a live event, exhibition or conference and are looking for superior set construction in the UK.

Live Events

Blackfriars Staging has unparalleled experience in the area of live events including awards ceremonies, television and performance staging. Some of the major events we have successfully delivered include The National Television Awards, Various band looks at The Brit Awards, Sky at the Tate, The Real Variety Show, The Wimbledon Gala and many more.
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Conferences

If you are arranging a conference, we can fulfil a range of needs by supplying sets from our extensive stock of staging and flattage. Alternatively we can produce bespoke sets tailored to your specifications. Our credits include major conferences for The G8 Summit, The NATO Summit, Nokia, AkzoNobel, Puma, BMW, Google and a number of other major organisations.
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We also have significant experience building exhibition stands both nationally and internationally. We can assist you in designing original concepts through to the design stage, all the way up to the finished product. Notable credits include Samsung, Hertz, Net-a-Porter, Stelara, Tesco, Google as well as hundreds of smaller brands and companies.
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Our new CNC machine will cut sheet sizes as large as 3.05m x 2.15m. We cut plywood, laminate, MDF, acrylics and polycarbonate etc. We can use your own vectored drawings or create a program according to your needs. Order with us online or source directly at our workshop.
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For further details about our stage hire, custom set builds and set constriction in the UK , get in touch with us at Blackfriars Staging.
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Experience

Blackfriars Staging has been in operation for more than 40 years, delivering first class projects at home and abroad. You can be sure that whatever your needs are, we have the tools and knowledge to build you a stunning stage that will exceed your expectations.

Complete Service

We can work with all varieties of client. You could have detailed CAD drawings with clear requirements as to what you need us to do. Alternatively, you may just have visual ideas and need assistance from us to turn these into effective designs. In either case, we have the designers, project managers and construction teams to bring your ideas to life.

Environmentally Aware

Working sustainably is at the heart of our business. We comply with all environmental legislation and protect the environment by minimising waste and disposing of it at the right channels. We monitor our environmental performance and regularly look at ways to improve our processes.

Our Location and Coverage

We have recently moved our workshops from London SE1 to new larger premises in London SE7. This will enable us to manufacture and store even more stock, stages and custom set builds. We've worked in a number of locations around the world including, Europe, Asia and the USA, so we have no limitations on where we can work. If you need set construction in the UK or internationally, contact us today at Blackfriars Staging.

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Set Construction In UK | Blackfriars Staging

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Contact Us We Bring Your Ideas to Life Blackfriars Staging is an established company that provides bespoke stages and settings for live events, conferences and exhibitions. We offer a complete range of services including stage hire, steel decking, carpentry, metalwork, scene painting, prop making, project management, transport and on-site construction.