Green Room’s pop-up projects have enjoyed success through equal measures creativity, delivery and commercial insight, so if you would be interested in taking a space during this time then please give us a call asap as they will be in high demand and we can share the full availability with you and begin to discuss your pop-up requirements and how we can make a real brand splash for you this summer.

According to Gartner’s newly released Multichannel Forecast for the US and the UK report. In fact, providing a seamless, consistent multichannel experience “business as usual” has retailers in the US “struggling” it says.

Gartner explains:

Channels have grown as largely separate entities, and business metrics in retail remain overwhelmingly product and channel-focused. Retailers need to change internal organisational alignments to execute a consistent cross-channel shopping experience.

Part of the problem is that retailers are focusing too much on ROI, and letting that guide investment decisions, instead of looking at what consumers actually want and how all channels are working together.

The company gives two examples of this:

• Despite the fact that it expects retailer revenue from mobile to be less than 2% of total revenues by 2015, Gartner says that: “Retailers should not underestimate the impact this channel will have in pushing sales to other channels”.
• Store revenue, which Gartner expects to drop, doesn’t mean that retailers should invest less in stores. In fact, the research firm suggests just the opposite: “The store will require more investment targeted at cross-channel shopper fulfillment as its importance as the hub of the retailer’s multichannel offer increases”.

In effect, this highlights the notion that just as online marketers shouldn’t look at just the last click, multichannel retailers need to take a holistic view that goes beyond where sales are taking place.

Channels influence other channels, and creating a high-quality, satisfying consumer experience may require significant investment in channels even if their sales aren’t a significant percentage of the revenue mix, or they’re decreasing.

Some retailers, of course, understand this. But others are having a hard time executing. Some, for instance, aren’t just siloed when it comes to business metrics – they still don’t even accept online returns instore.

There’s good news for UK retailers however. Gartner says that they are further along that their cousins across the pond.

Not only are UK retailers pulling in more revenue online (9.3% average compared to 5.3% average in the US) – they often have better fulfillment infrastructures and have managed to generate higher per capita expenditures.

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

No recruitment agencies please!

We have a number of exciting opportunities with major retailers in the UK and beyond. The Digital Account Manager’s role is to support the Head of Digital and Client Services team in achieving their objectives within target sectors with existing and new clients through day-to-day client-facing project management and support on new business and account related tasks. Please send your CV with a covering letter to careers@grr.eu.

No recruitment agencies please!

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As we head (what now feels alarmingly quickly) towards the start of 2012, it’s hard to believe the date is almost upon us.  For so long it has been in the strategic planning, and now it’s just around the corner; so shouldn’t your campaign and brand retail activation plans be well underway by now?

“12% growth during Olympics will be like 2 Christmases in 2012”

Obviously sport in 2012 offers a fantastic platform of opportunity for brands to grow; not only sporting companies but also other brands that are adept in grabbing their share of the market.  There’s the Olympic Games of course, but also the European Championships on top of all the other exciting regular sports fixtures, with experts confirming that sports, fashion and gifts businesses looking to benefit the most from this key year – which is also the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Of course 2012 offers so much more to all retailers, brands and businesses who take up the gauntlet.  It’s easy to be cynical, but the figures are compelling: who wouldn’t want to seize the opportunity of an estimated overall retail spend prediction of £3bn? (Source: Retail Knowledge)That’s a £100 million uplift in London alone.  In real terms the visitor level next summer is equivalent to the population growing 12%-1 million additional visitors between July and September in the UK, mainly in London – and that’s consumer traffic any brand at retail will welcome.  Seb Coe reckons 2012 is going to be like having “two Christmases” for stores. Let’s hope so.

At the very least, a large part of your customer base is going to be energised and in receptive mood, searching for excitement, engagement and experience in the downtime between events, as well as the opportunity to make powerful introductions between your brand and an extensive new audience.

Obviously a shift in population, if only for a few months, is going to have its challenges too.  Additional strain on resources will mean that businesses could be disrupted for around 100 days of 2012, with supply chain, crime and security being of prime concern.  Delivery schedules particularly in Central London will be massively disrupted and response so much slower at key times so brands will need to be mindful of this.  And let us not forget the stress on services – for example, there is a very real threat that mobile and internet communications could slow right down under the weight of additional usage – something to bear in mind when it comes to ensuring all parts of your multichannel campaigns reach your audience at the right time, in a ‘seamless’ approach..

On the flip side, many businesses will need to secure staff or make extensive arrangements to cover high levels of leave, as many people will want to either visit or volunteer at the Games, or just take time out during this unique time to experience the Olympics in the UK.

“Physical retail space is paramount for 2012”

Whichever way you look at it, physical retail space whether it be permanent, or temporary will be of paramount importance for brands in 2012 and we can make sure that what you do have, meets your commercial objectives in terms of awareness, sales, loyalty and product launches.  LOCOG restrictions will mean limited exposure for brands and sponsors during the Games, but space at retail is the real window to your brand, a chance to tell your stories, and have consumers experience your brand first hand.   Brand success in retail will ultimately be driven by the physical connection points with customers, within a multichannel journey before and after the Games. Is your marketing and backroom infrastructure ready to exploit this opportunity, to support the front of house during this time? And are they both on track for super-effective implementation?  Green Room have offices in Birmingham and also in the heart of London’s West End and we are well positioned to get on board very quickly and help you lay the foundations for a profitable and momentous 2012.

“There are streets paved with gold outside London”

Although retail space in Olympic-connected London will be at a premium, the whole country will embrace the fever of all the 2012 events, and opportunities don’t have to be limited to London. While the capital is a priority with 10 venues, there are 27 in total around the country. Whilst so much of our UK retail fascia is sadly empty on our high streets (and with Arcadia’s recent announcements of store closures, it doesn’t look like it’s going to get better anytime soon) – this could actually offer the perfect chance to trial unique retail concepts in pop-up form to expand the reach of your brand and tell deeper stories? Landlords are also very receptive to graphics being placed over empty retail store windows for example which creates an inexpensive large scale billboard in a prime mall or high st location.

With so much opportunity there will inevitably be noise in the marketplace when it comes to 2012; however, Green Room can enable you to outperform the competition, ensuring the cut-through you will need for this unique opportunity next year.  Our strategic and targeted approach will help avoid the potential pitfalls of flooding the market at high cost, at a time when so many campaigns will be live, without getting lost and getting poor recall.

For instance, thinking laterally about your creative – this might be more than just linking sport to your campaign – the emotion is what will drive the fever across the UK.  Creatively it needs to be relevant to the lives of your customers – glory, inspiration, teamwork, endeavour, challenge, and against-all-odds-spirit are all elements to consider – also an excellent time to push national pride, a must for British brands and brands wanting to put their feet onto British soil at this exciting time.

The pop-up, which is located at the entrance to Westfield London’s premium Village shopping area, combines contemporary boutique design with the seamless integration of digital content to present the DS brand in a subtle and engaging manner, entirely appropriate to its designer location.

Green Room has been responsible for the creation and delivery of all aspects of the pop-up, with the integration of digital technologies facilitated by Green Room’s recently appointed digital team. The project acts as a testimonial to the strategic vision of Green Room in uniting its retail design and delivery experts with digital expertise to provide clients with a unified, single point of service. Images of the space and full details will soon be available on our key projects page!

-possess an extensive knowledge of materials & manufacturing processes including metal work, plastics, joinery & finishes
-be confident providing budget costs & quotations from visuals & technical drawings
-have the ability to communicate effectively with our internal teams & a variety of suppliers to provide project winning support
-be articulate & possess an intelligent approach to production and manufacturing  techniques & processes
-be able to think creatively whilst also focussing on detail
-be responsive & experienced in working in a dynamic & extremely fast paced business
-take the initiative, thrive on challenges & possess a relentless desire to achieve nothing but outstanding results
-be energetic, enthusiastic and looking to take the next step in their career

Please send your CV and a covering letter explaining why you feel you would be suitable for the role and giving an indication of your salary expectations to: darren.record@grr.eu.

No recruitment agencies please!

The research indicates that m-commerce platforms will soon become a standard channel for shopping, and with consumers becoming ever-more reliant on mobile devices it’s essential that retailers of all kinds follow suit. This growth is thought to be a direct result of consumer demand for mobile transactions of money, and as is so often key in the retail world, you need to give customers what they want. It’s important that brands are able to take advantage of this new opportunity if they’re going to be able to compete in the retail market of the future, and that’s why it’s vital to put plans in place now.

That’s why you need to get in touch. We understand the need for effective digital campaigns because the demand for developing viable and usable apps in the digital marketplace is only ever increasing. These days retailers are expected to offer so much more than the norm, and striking retail design and effective point of sale display units will no longer be enough to compete – you can’t rely on point of purchase design alone but instead need to be able to develop m-commerce solutions that will take you forwards in the digital world, so get ready for the revolution and get in touch to see how we can help.

This year’s  announcement of the POPAI Awards 2011 winners took place on Tuesday 25th October at the Hilton Park Lane Hotel in London.

The evening was hosted by journalist and presenter, Bill Turnbull, who also presented the awards in 20 categories.

Our Sony Playstation Move POP project scooped a gold award, fighting off some stiff competition from brands such as Phones4U, Nokia and Waterstones.

PlayStation Move is an innovative wireless controller that replicates a player’s physical actions on screen with incredible accuracy, providing a completely immersive gaming experience. Green Room has been instrumental in helping retailers and gamers experience the new controller and gaming experience in stores and concessions across EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa). We were awarded the contract to design, engineer and rollout a series of sampling furniture and demonstration units following a competitive tender process.

We were also delighted that our Mercedes Benz 12-month window VM program took a bronze award. Mercedes-Benz Brentford is a three-storey site with an extensive 50-metre window on its uppermost level looking out onto the M4. This is one of the busiest sections of motorway in the country, acting as the main road artery between London and Heathrow. It’s estimated over 60,000 vehicles pass the site daily, providing Mercedes-Benz with a tremendous opportunity to capture attention and reflect both seasonal and key cultural events as well as promoting the Mercedes-Benz brand and heritage.

Green Room was appointed to design, develop and install a range of striking three-dimensional visuals that would broaden the appeal of the dealership, capture interest and drawn in customers.

To see the results of the awards and the other award winners, follow the link below:

http://www.popai.co.uk/awards/gallery/2011/default.aspx

These days an effective retail display simply won’t cut it – shops have to appeal to customers in the digital arena as well as in the physical one, meaning investment in mobile-optimised sites should be at the top of the agenda. Far too few retailers are ready for the mobile age but it’s essential they address this issue before they go anywhere else, because once the basics have been mastered brands will be able to move on into the development of apps and specific campaigns to help catapult them into the digital marketplace.

It’s also a good idea to look into the prospect of geolocation. The recent launch of Apple’s iOS 5 offers around 200 new features with many offering geolocation opportunities, and with Foursquare having reached 10,000,000 global users it only adds to the potential of such technology. It’s still relatively early days but there’s the potential for geolocation to be integrated into longer-term strategies, and with customers expecting more than ever it’s essential to be ready for it.

Ultimately you need to focus on meeting customers’ needs in the digital arena, and that means you’re going to need some help. That’s where we come in. While we specialise in point of purchase design and retail display stands we can also help you attack the digital space with the development of effective digital campaigns, so get in touch today and you’ll soon be able to embrace new retail opportunities to capitalise on the ever-changing market.

The figures are certainly impressive – there’s expected to be an overall spending boost of around £750m, with retailers set to rake in an extra £265m over the seven-week period. It’s an exciting time for the British economy and could prove invaluable for the success (and profits) of many businesses, yet half of all retailers are said to be unprepared. Even of those retailers that have begun to assess the potential impact of the event, 44% admit to being behind in their plans. If you fall into either of these categories then now’s the time to take action, because with just a few months to go until it all kicks off it’s essential that you’re prepared.

How you do that could depend heavily on the type of business you run and the opportunities you want to create. For some retailers it could be a simple refurbishment project, others might want to develop a brand new concept whilst some might consider pop up shops to make the most of additional trade – any option could be ideal, but you’re going to need help to bring your plans to fruition. That’s why you need to get in touch. With our service covering everything from point of purchase design and retail display units to high-end concepts for the future, we can help make sure you’re prepared for the Games and everything it could bring.

It’s essential that retailers keep up with shoppers’ demands in this ever-changing climate, and it’s vital that they give them a point of difference to shopping online – they need to give customers a reason so shop in-store, so while the online experience still needs to be good, it needs to be even better when they come to the high street. They need to offer an exceptional level of customer service and should embrace new technology in order to achieve that – things like self-service checkouts and payments by smart phone should be readily employed.

Effective retail design is crucial, as is an emphasis on point of sale display units, all the while giving customers something they can’t get with a computer screen. It’s a lot to live up but it’s essential you can outperform the rest if you want to embrace the changing retail age, and if you need a bit of help with point of purchase design or to devise a whole new concept then get in touch and see how we can help.

But, the report doesn’t stop there – it also touches on the social shopping habits of those the frequently engage in social media, finding that active social networkers often head to sites like eBay, Amazon or brand websites when researching products (87%) and just before purchasing (83%), while 59% of respondents shared their experiences on social networking sites immediately after their purchase. Many will also engage in online activities whilst in the process of shopping – 62% conduct online price comparisons whilst in-store and 41% of people will wait up to ten minutes for advice from social networking sites before making their decision.

This increase in social shopping means that high street retailers need to embrace the new and continuing changes. They need to be even more aware of price points they use and also need to be committed to giving a flawless customer service experience, because if they don’t then the online world will soon know about it. Everything from retail design to point of purchase display needs to be carefully considered, and if you need help with anything from retail display units to digital campaigns make sure to get in touch to see how we can help.

We certainly achieved this with 6 manufactured waterfall podiums that consistently poor running water over new season footwear styles, into a rock pool tray.

Not only was the client extremely satisfied but also the many visitors who couldn’t resist taking several photos of the exquisite window display!

They are extremely dedicated about serving the public’s interest and it is this passion that allows RICS to offer impartial advice on a number of key issues for many businesses, societies and governments.

RICS are dedicated to creating sustainable environments to protect the earth and they regularly provide guidance surrounding measuring sustainability. RICS has also undertaken many sustainability initiatives to protect the planet and reduce carbon emissions.

It is this commitment to the environment that has allowed us to recently make an investment to become the lead design supporter of The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors’ Ska:Retail sustainability initiative.

As a leading provider of retail designs and point of purchase displays, we have been extremely interested in creating retail installations which are extremely ethical and environmentally friendly.

We will therefore be working together with RICS to develop a tool which aims to become a global standard for the measurement of the environmental impact of retail installations. This initiative follows on from the success of the Ska:Officetool which was developed by RICS with Skansen.

We are looking forward to working with RICS on the Retail SKA rating project 2011. We are expecting lots of progress with the initiative over the next few weeks, as the Steering Committee will be formed (including 3 Green Roomers), the material technology workshop will be planned (Green Room Retail have been invited to advise) and we hope to have one fully trained SKA rating assessor by mid-July. This is a great project which will have real tangible benefits for Green Room Retail, our clients and the planet.

Green Room was awarded the brief from Timberland to develop a windows scheme with visual merchandising in-store as part of the ‘Make Waves’ retail concept at its Regent Street flagship store.

Timberland’s brief was to create ‘visual wow’ by exploiting its flagship store’s premium position and window assets.

Green Room took on board numerous nautical cues in developing the concept and the design incorporating hi-tech sailing materials, ropes, buoys and life rings. A single wave-shaped length of sculpted fiberglass, suspended by rigging ropes, provided a platform for displaying individual products.

Bold, over-sized window graphics continued the shipping theme with a nautical map-inspired design, compass points and bold product photography suspended at varying depths to help give a greater impression of depth. Sightlines through to the store itself were maintained while a confident call to action – ‘wouldn’t you rather be in here than standing there?’ – completed the window display.

Inside, the theme was continued across a suite of POS items. Freestanding light boxes shrouded in the same hi-tech rubber material found on the soles of Timberland’s sailing footwear and teak deck platforms showcase shoes, while merchandise tables were wrapped with graphics to continue the theme introduced by the windows.

Delivery Excellence

In developing the concept, we were able to take cues not only from the brand’s overall look and feel and the world of sailing, but also the materials used in the construction of its products to create a visually arresting and fun design. But as with everything we do at Green Room, the design is only part of the story and much of our success in this project lies with the diligent skills of our project management team who have sourced a palate of materials that defy the expectations of the timeline and budget.

‘Make Waves’ saw Green Room design, deliver and install two window schemes and in-store POS promoting Timberland’s performance sailing collection.

We also expanded on the concepts, delivering retail design excellence not only to Regent Street but also flagship stores in Paris, Milan and Munich.

Commercial Results

The design made use of modular core components that allowed for cost effective updates and reconfigurations over time. Also, the project was so successful that Green Room has now been asked to develop visual merchandising concepts in support of Timberland’s next global design campaign, ‘Keep Moving’.

Green Room’s next brief is to develop and deliver the in-store customer journey concepts to promote Timberland’s new anti-fatigue footwear technology at the Regent Street store as well as flagship locations across Europe.The designs will incorporate materials used in the construction of the performance footwear, props including zip wires and natural materials, and visual references to energetic countryside outdoor pursuits.

“We were delighted with Green Room’s first project for Timberland, in particular their tenacity, creativity and overall enthusiasm for the brief. The team exceeded our expectations both in terms of the quality of the design, specification and delivery but also in terms of how they have been able to stretch our budget and go beyond the brief to include in-store point of sale furniture. It was therefore an easy decision to award them the brief for the translation of our global campaign into our flagship retail sites.”

Sean McCorry, head of retail design and communications for Timberland

Many stores are ultimately replicating Apple’s image by incorporating their logo and signs into their point of sale displays and the retail design of many stores also look extremely similar to genuine Apple stores. However, it is unknown whether Apple applied for their store’s retail design and layout to be protected by law by the Chinese government, as Chinese law ultimately forbids stores to replicate another company’s appearance.

The Apple company is an extremely established name which is synonymous with innovative technology across the globe, and it appears that many stores are taking advantage of the brands established name by copying their retail design in order to appeal to a wider customer base. Therefore, many stores in China may be exploiting the Apple company in order to receive a larger profit margin and create a stronger identity which customers will associate with the Apple brand.

Whilst copying is the biggest form of flattery, we here at Green Room Retail are pretty sure that Apple will be keen on eliminating the problem before it damages their brand’s reputation. We believe that retail design should be created ethically, which is why we can provide companies with the most innovative retail designs and point of sale displays which will leave other companies in the shade.

QR codes are seemingly on the rise, and while they are not currently available on every mobile phone, it appears that they are a growing application which is set to rise over the years.

QR codes, which were originally designed to track parts in vehicle manufacturing, are now used on a grander scale as they are now used for commercial tracking, product marketing and in-store product labelling.

According to Digital Buzz, the QR code has risen by 4589% from early 2010 to early 2011. Also, 56% of QR codes are now incorporated on product packaging. The iPhone is seemingly helping to encourage the use of QR codes as 68% of QR codes are scanned through an iPhone. QR codes can be used on a variety of smartphones, including Google’s mobile Android and BlackBerry devices, plus so many more.

Apparently, 11 out of 50 Fortune companies are now including QR codes into their marketing strategies and most scans are often done in Japan and the United States is a close second – QR codes are most commonly used in New York. Britain is currently ranked as the seventh-largest consumer of QR codes.

The rise of QR codes means they are quickly becoming a valuable marketing product which is set to grow throughout the years as they become more popular.

Here at Green Room Retail we are a leading provider of point of purchase design and believe we are at the forefront of the latest technologies in the marketing industry, as it is our mission to stay one step ahead of the retail market to provide our clients with the best retail design service. If the trends are to be believed, QR codes are sure to become a large part of future retail strategies.

The brief will see us complete an upgrade of the stadium’s existing retail store and merchandise kiosks, create two new premium Club Wembley boutique stores, and refresh the retail way-finding signage.”

Green Room was awarded the brief after a three-way competitive pitch.

Wembley is the latest in a long line of world-famous visitor attractions and iconic sporting brands – including The London Eye, Royal Shakespeare Company, Warwick Castle, Cadbury World, Nike, Umbro and Manchester City Football Club – to choose Green Room to design and deliver retail concepts.

At 90,000 seats, Wembley is the largest sports and music venue in the UK and one of the most famous stadiums in the world. The stadium’s role in the nation’s sporting calendar will come to the fore once again next year as host venue for the London 2012 Olympics Games football competition.

The Wembley Store is an important commercial opportunity and revenue stream for event and tour visitors. Green Room’s first task is to refresh the store, improving the external and internal signage and enhancing the store layout and POS to maximize the effectiveness of the space available. Green Room’s concept will see the store rebranded ‘The England Store’, with iconic England football team imagery and branding utilised to convey the drama and emotion of the stadium’s rich heritage and remind visitors that they are in the ‘home of football’. The store itself will be reconfigured to accommodate themed merchandise zones and improve the flow of volume traffic during peak periods.

Additionally, Green Room has been tasked with designing and delivering two premium boutique stores within the 14,000 capacity Club Wembley debenture and corporate hospitality complex. Catering exclusively to these premium visitors for the first time, the boutiques will retail Wembley and England memorabilia. The boutiques will open in early 2012.

Green Room has also been tasked with refreshing the 33 merchandise and souvenir kiosks located throughout the stadium, providing a consistent aesthetic and enhanced signage. The design being rolled out incorporates interchangeable event logos, allowing the kiosks to be economically customised for specific events, improving their utility.

The final element of the agreement will see Green Room deliver a revised signage and way-finding strategy throughout the stadium, ensuring visitors can easily locate the retail stores and the stadium tour, encouraging additional footfall and maximizing their potential.

Richard Ash, founder and chief executive of Green Room comments: “Green Room has a rich heritage in delivering very profitable retail environments for some of the greatest sports brands and most popular visitor attractions in the world. This fantastic brief will see us converge all of this accumulated experience to allow Wembley to realise its full retail potential.

“This is a thrilling win for us – I now know how Bobby Moore must have felt in 1966!”

Mike Pink, head of retail and tour Wembley Stadium, comments: “Throughout the pitch process, Green Room consistently impressed us with their thought provoking recommendations and commercial savvy. Their experience in working with both global sports brands and sizeable visitor destinations has proved invaluable throughout our discussions, allowing us to develop a strategy that will over the next six months see a full refresh of our existing retail sites and signage and the development of two exciting new boutiques. Combined, the work will combine to make a significant enhancement to the revenue contribution retail provides the business.”