The app, which launches in the UK this month, means shoppers can use their smartphone to snap a friend’s outfit or interesting pattern and find matching items on eBay.

Green Room’s digital team are looking at using similar technology for retailers to help their customers track down items in store.

Launched in 2010 and now held in 35 locations around the globe every year, Tough Mudder is billed as ‘the toughest event on the planet’.  The 12 mile obstacle course has been designed by British Special Forces to test all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. Among the 28 unbelievable obstacles designed to push participants to the limit are mud and fire pits, ice baths, and fields of live wires.

We have a close relationship with the Prince’s Trust so have jumped at the opportunity to get muddy and raise some cash. We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who’s has supported us so far and urge others to dip into their pockets.

Armed with high pain thresholds and dedication to a truly inspirational cause, the Green Room team hope to reach Tough Mudder’s bitter (and bruised) end and also hit their £2,000 fundraising target. You can sponsor the Green Room team through Virgin Money at:  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/GRMud

reen Room is a long-standing member of the Retail Leadership Group, a corporate social responsibility initiative developed by The Prince’s Trust. The Prince’s Trust gives practical and financial support to 13 to 30-year-olds who face long-term unemployment or social exclusion, and help individuals develop key workplace skills such as confidence and motivation.

Green Room is the UK’s fastest growing retail design and delivery practice with offices in Birmingham and London. We have an exciting opportunity for an ambitious, talented, hard-working account manager to support our ambitious growth plans in the health and beauty sector. The successful candidate would be working on retail interiors, installations and POS projects with our prestigious clients in this sector as well as developing new client opportunities.

Please send your CV with a covering letter to careers@grr.eu.

No recruitment agencies please.

According to a report by Premier Tax Free, visitors to Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, London and Manchester spent 48 per cent more in December 2011 than they did 12 months earlier.

In London, tourists typically spent £428 per sale. Meanwhile, it was found that expenditure by Norwegians increased the most from 2010 to 2011. They shelled out 74 per cent more during the most recent festive season.

Premier Tax Free also revealed that the biggest visitor spending day was Boxing Day, which accounted for five per cent of total tourist spending in the capital. This illustrates the importance of having an effective point of purchase display and so on during busy times.

Commenting on the figures, the firm’s director of sales Duncan Bews remarked: “It is very encouraging to know that tourists are flocking to the UK to spend their money. These figures demonstrate how valuable the tourist industry is, especially over peak shopping periods.”

Knowing how best to appeal to tourists can be tricky and, if you’re unsure about how to adapt your store to achieve this, it may be wise to seek help from the experts. Here at Green Room, we’ve a wealth of experience when it comes to creating the perfect store design and so on.

One firm that is eager to make the most of this celebration of sport is John Lewis. It has increased its commitment to the event by launching official London 2012 shops within all of its full line department stores. It is also dedicating space in its ‘at home’ shops.

The move to adapt its retail interior design shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, the company is an official sponsor of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Buying and brand director at John Lewis Peter Ruis revealed that the retailer is “delighted” to further its support of the Games. He added: “We have seen strong sales of London 2012 merchandise in our existing London 2012 shops and with the ’100 days to go’ milestone just around the corner, excitement towards the Games is definitely building.”

If your firm is keen to make the most of the upcoming games, you might want to consider creating impressive themed displays. Thankfully, it’s now easy to benefit from superb professional shop design in London. Here at Green Room, our expert team is on hand to provide you with any assistance you might need.

According to research conducted by global property advisor CBRE, London attracted more than half (55.6 per cent) of all international retail brands surveyed last year, making it the most targeted market among these businesses. In total, 326 retailers and more than 200 cities were included in the research.

Previously, London had shared the number one spot with Dubai, but a “mini-boom” in 2011 caused by tourist spending and a “relatively robust” local economy bolstered the appeal of the UK’s biggest city.

Commenting on the findings, CBRE’s Peter Gold remarked: “In the face of ongoing economic uncertainty, which looks set to remain a factor throughout 2012, retailers have responded by seeking to de-risk their expansion activities, generally choosing markets like the UK that are regarded as safe havens.”

He went on to suggest that while London is the “first port of call” in the UK for global retail brands, once they have established a presence in the capital, they often seek to extend their reach further afield.

Of course, regardless of where they operate, in order to be successful firms must make use of superb pop up shops, retail interior design and so on. These days, consumers expect nothing but the very best shopping experiences.

Adidas went in to this competition with one hugely significant advantage over their American opponent – they were official sponsors. However, according to the Jam digital agency, this advantage has yet to pay dividends for the Germans.

In fact, research carried out by BrandWatch (commissioned by Jam) on web buzz between the 1st of December and the 7th February clearly illustrates that Nike has been dominating online conversations about the Olympics.

The actual results of this ‘Socialympics’ report showed Adidas receiving around 0.4% of all conversations around the London Games associated with its brand, whilst Nike dominated the Olympics brand buzz with a whopping 7.7%.

However, much of this can be attributed to Nike’s ‘#makeitcount’ campaign, which has been a resounding social media success. This clever campaign has resonated with British sports fans by associating Nike with the training for the Olympics whilst all the while adhering to the Olympics’ official marketing rules.

Now that Nike are ready to bedazzle sports fans with their innovative store design and newly-opened pop up shops near the stadium, it looks like Adidas will surely have to settle for silver!

One of the most important developments over the last decade has been that of Wi-Fi. Freely accessible Wi-Fi makes it possible for people to interact online whilst they are away from their homes or offices. Of course, consumers now spend more time than ever shopping and browsing for products online, therefore retailers must use Wi-Fi to their advantage.

One way in which retailers can do this is by offering Wi-Fi in their stores so that potential customers can make use of multi-channel retailing. In essence, multichannel retailing involves selling products to the public via more than one distribution channel i.e. Internet and mobile technology as well as retail display units.

In-store Wi-Fi enables consumers to use the many functions on their smartphones so that they can make more informed choices about their potential purchases. In simple terms, Wi-Fi enabled multi-channel retailing is the technological equivalent of having individually tailored retail display stands available for each and every customer.

Certainly, effective multi-channel retail strategies can give retailers more opportunities to get their products in front of customers who they might otherwise not be able to reach with a single channel. Consequently, this provides retailers with more ways to increase revenues and profitability and that, ultimately, is what retail (and retail design) is all about.

It’s also interesting to note that whilst print is still popular, the method for actually ordering products is moving with the times. According to the same figures, a majority of consumers ordered their products online after using the catalogue to browse, showing a pleasing amalgamation between the two technologies. The findings show that catalogues are starting to move from their original mail-order purpose to being catalysts for online sales, adapting to changing times yet still being valuable marketing tools in their own right.

Print clearly isn’t dead, and it shows that investment in print catalogues is still worthwhile in terms of marketing and driving sales. The best thing about this method of operating is that retailers of all kinds could use catalogues to their advantage—by utilising effective point of purchase displays or retail display stands to tempt customers to pick up a catalogue and continuing strong retail design into the catalogue itself you can help ensure a successful transition, and in doing so you can bring the humble catalogue into a new age to reach its full potential.

Unfortunately, this is where a lot of retailers fail. Darren Ward from Glue Reply believe that multichannel operations are becoming increasingly fragmented, resulting in a poor user experience and a failure to live up to high customer standards, and argues that retailers should employ a “Proximity Commerce” approach to multichannel. Retailers should offer full communication to give customers complete control over where and how they choose to shop, incorporating the entire sales channel and paying particular attention to social media. It’s important to focus on providing a personal service whilst removing unnecessary boundaries, ultimately helping to drive sales and boost customer loyalty for continued multichannel success.

There are a lot of areas that need to be addressed, but the customer should be at the heart of everything. It’s important to put them firmly back in the picture rather than focusing on sales alone—failing to meet customer expectations will have the opposite effect and can never lead to successful long-term consumer relationships, so by keeping multichannel operations seamless and improving personalisation retailers have a fantastic opportunity to meet and exceed customer expectations.

However, time and again research shows that people like to feel the affinity with brands that comes from physically entering their stores, picking products up and taking them home. This helps them to build a sense of connection with and loyalty to certain providers.

So, if you’re trying to make the most of your business, you might feel as though you’re in a bit of a quandary. But the good news is, by coming to firms like us here at Green Room, you can benefit from the best of both worlds. It’s perfectly possible to operate online while also making use of pop up shops that raise your high street profile and get consumers talking.

One firm that is taking advantage of this approach is women’s tailoring etailer Matilda & Quinn. The company has rented a 1,200 square-foot premises at Brent Cross shopping centre and this is the first in a series of such stores it will operate on a short-term basis in London.

Of course, to make the most of such opportunities, it’s vital to ensure the spaces look superb and this is where expert assistance comes in handy. Here at Green Room, our team of specialists are adept at achieving perfect point of purchase design, retail display units and so on.

If you’re organisation is yet to make the most of these innovative retail units, now could be the perfect time to investigate your options.

Delivery continues to be the weakest link as far as customers are concerned, and at the recent Metapack Delivery Conference it seems that the industry agrees. There was general consensus that delivery is the area requiring the most improvement as retailers currently don’t have the delivery and fulfilment systems to back up the standards of their websites, and with customer expectations continuing to rise it’s important that those expectations are met.

Retailers need to provide a satisfactory outcome at every step of the way, particularly in the last mile—research has indicated that 75% of consumers would consider shopping with a retailer again if they had a good delivery experience, but the industry has got a long way to go before they reach the necessary standards. 50% of customers are concerned by the delivery options given by some retailers and would consider not shopping with them again if their expectations weren’t met, so it just shows the need for addressing this most important of areas.

It all comes down to having the right fulfilment solutions in place, and while there are challenging times ahead it’s also set to be a period of huge excitement. Multi-channel shopping offers more opportunities for retailers than ever before, and if you strike the right balance between effective retail design, point of purchase design and retail display stands whilst offering a flawless online shopping experience you can meet customer expectations with ease.

47% of retailers that took part in the survey labelled security as the biggest challenge they’re likely to face, and when you consider what they’re up against it isn’t all that surprising. Online fraud, hacking and security threats are continually on the rise, so it’s no wonder that so many retailers are concerned about the safety of their online endeavours.

The concern over cloud was at the bottom of the list at 7%, indicating that it really doesn’t affect retailers in any way, but in fact it could prove to be the perfect solution—the right cloud-based technologies could be used to resolve security concerns whilst addressing wider retailer issues, so it’s important to give the cloud arena some serious thought.

It’s unfortunate that we have to be so concerned with security these days, and the same applies offline as well as on. It’s important that retailers have the resources to protect their business as much as possible, with online security being just as important as the protection of the store and any retail displays, point of purchase displays or point of sale display units present, but if you’ve got the right plans in place you can have the peace of mind you need that everything is under control.

Implementing effective social media strategies can be one of the best things you do for your company, because these days a huge amount of traffic will come from these very sites. Consumers of all kinds are avid users of social media, and it’s surprising the difference it can make—for StylistPick, 40% of their traffic comes from social media and Reiss has indicated that Tumblr works well for their visitor numbers, and Topman head of ecommerce Gracia Amico likes to put an even more personal spin on things by giving customers editorial content related to their lifestyle, thereby making the customer journey more human.

There are plenty of sites out there that could transform your social media strategy, but the new kid on the block, Pinterest, looks set to outstrip them all. It’s quickly become the most talked-about social media platform with My-Wardrobe.com marketing manager Rob Moss calling it “the biggest traffic driver outside paid-for and natural search”, and would be well worth considering for any retailer that has their finger on the pulse. Social media as whole should never be underestimated for the sheer potential that it can offer retailers—customers expect more than ever before and it isn’t simply enough to offer a flawless retail display and point of purchase design, so always make time for your social media strategy and watch your conversion rates soar.

The irony is that the retail sector could easily boost the economy if trading conditions were right. It could drive growth and job creation to have a measurable impact across the UK, but because of their concerns many retailers are holding onto their cash rather than investing it. It’s an even bigger issue when you consider the preferable trading conditions abroad—overseas markets are becoming increasingly attractive to investors, and this has led the BRC to submit recommendations to the Chancellor ahead of the upcoming Budget announcement. These recommendations are focusing on improving the competitiveness of the UK market to encourage retailers to invest here rather than abroad, aiming to place the UK firmly back on the map to increase investment and boost economic growth.

Time will tell if those recommendations are adhered to, but that doesn’t mean you can’t put your own plans in place in the meantime. If you have the right strategy you could effectively make your mark in the area, and if you’re looking for advice you’ve come to the right place. We can help you with anything from pop up shops and retail display stands to point of purchase design and effective marketing techniques, helping you to come out of the recession unscathed.

Here at Green Room, we believe the specialist has done an excellent job of identifying some of the major challenges facing shops these days, including her observation that the high street is being squeezed by supermarkets and online activity.

Also, she recognised the need to evolve and invest social capital in communities and mentioned the importance of local authorities, as well as the impact of red tape and landlords.

Meanwhile, Portas suggested that large retailers could support and mentor local, independent businesses, which would be another positive step.

However, we believe it’s also vital for retailers to consider what they can do to make their shops work better and to justify their presence. Of course, as part of this, it’s vital for stores to make use of the very best retail design available.

By having the most effective and attractive point of purchase design, retail display units and so on, shops can attract more people through their doors and ensure they have a positive experience while inside.

Also, it’s key for firms to focus on offering the best possible products, great value, convenience and an all-round better experience, making sure that consumers have reason to enter their retail spaces.

Furthermore, it’s vital for shop owners to embrace multi-channel opportunities, exploiting the web to optimum effect and using it to drive custom both via cyberspace and in their stores.

Figures across different categories are of course fluctuating as larger market influences have their impact—transport, distribution and commodity costs have led to food inflation, for example, whilst it’s expected that the furniture and floor covering category could receive a welcome boost thanks to the increase in mortgage approvals in January. But, the fact that shop price inflation has fallen to just 1.2% has led the BRC to petition the Chancellor in light of the upcoming Budget—they argue that this small figure makes the planned 5.6% rise in business rates even less justifiable, and they’re calling for this hike in trading costs to be reduced to a more realistic and fair figure.

It’s a lot to get your head around, and if you want to know how this could impact your own retail business just get in touch with the experts—us. We keep our fingers on the pulse and can help with everything from retail design to fine tuning, marketing techniques, point of purchase displays and retail display units, and of course are able to offer any advice you could need to help ensure you move forwards as effectively as possible.

It’s a fantastic figure, particularly when you compare it to the economists’ forecasts—they expected to witness a monthly fall of 0.4%, so it’s great to see their predictions falling flat. In fact, retail sales figures rose at their fastest rate since April 2011, giving an annual rise of 2% and a fantastic boost to the struggling retail sector. It’s the second month in a row that sales rose unexpectedly, with December seeing a surprise lift of 0.6%, and it’s thought that hefty discounts (both pre-Christmas and in the January sales) have accounted for such a positive outcome.

This offers some much-needed hope to a sector blighted by administration announcements and falling profits, and it just goes to show that shoppers are always willing to spend if the price is right. Budgets are strapped and that means bargain hunting is at the top of the list, and if your store can appeal to consumer mentality you could find your sales follow in the footsteps of reported figures—make sure to offer great products at great prices, and never underestimate the importance of retail display. Effective point of purchase design can be a great way to tempt shoppers to part with their hard-earned cash so always use retail display units to your advantage, and if you do it right you could soon be reporting exceptional sales figures too.

Of course, if you are to make a go of such ventures, there are many issues for you to bear in mind. For example, you’ll have to get your retail design right and ensure you appeal to local consumers.

Meanwhile, writing in The Retail Bulletin, partner at Field Fisher Waterhouse Dr Mark Abell noted that there are many attractions associated with starting ventures in this part of the world. He suggested that for some years, the Middle East has been the “first port of call” for UK-based retailers looking to spread their wings.

According to the expert, historically this was because of the desire of Dubai’s ruling Maktoum family to create a modern regional hub that attracts investors and tourists. Meanwhile, similar ambitions among the Kuwaiti government also played a role.

Over the last few years, the “oil-fuelled ambitions” of Abu Dhabi and the “World Cup charged energy” of Qatar have also become evident. Because of factors like this, the region “offers great opportunities for foreign retailers”, Dr Abell suggested.

As well as considering issues such as point of purchase design, retail display stands and so on, there are many other matters for firms to consider when they’re setting up brands in the Middle East. For example, there are restrictions on direct investment in all of the Gulf countries, the expert pointed out.

Getting the lowdown on such financial and legal complications is key if you want to expand to this part of the world.

Just got your head around waiting in line and remembering whether you ordered a grande flavoured latte, a tall caramel macchiato or a venti mocha light frappuccino?

Scrap that. Starbucks wants to get back to basics.

“Have you noticed how everything seems a little impersonal nowadays?”, its website asks wistfully. “We’ve all become user names, reference numbers and IP addresses.

“From now on, we won’t refer to you as a ‘latte’ or a ‘mocha’, but instead as your folks intended: by your name,” the coffee chain claims.

From now, as well as taking orders from customers, baristas will also ask what they are called so this can be scribbled on cups and called out when coffees are ready for collection.