Via @RetailProphet : Forget about QR codes and touchscreens. This is the future of in-store display.
GlobalShop 2010
Creative Solutions is packing up for a road trip. We will be attending this year’s GlobalShop held in Las Vegas. The first time we attended was in 2006 in Chicago and were blown away by the amount of resources there. We’ve been yearning to go back to see what’s new ever since.
GlobalShop hosts the latest vendors in retail and store design. Everything you need from lighting to signage and mannequins to fixtures. It is a visual merchandisers heaven.
Take a look at some photos of previous shows. We will be micro-blogging while there and will upload tons of photos upon our return. Follow us on Twitter, @iheartcs, for more images and tips from seminars we will be attending.
Alesco Booth
Infinity Booth
Musak Booth
5 Simple Tips for an Impressive Storefront
Operating and managing a retail store each day can lead to overexposure of your merchandise and general visual exhaustion. Unfortunately, by not maintaining an objective perspective on your stores visual presence can lead to promotional liabilities, especially your storefront.
Did you know the average time a customer will contemplate entering a store is 7 seconds? What does your storefront need to do to protect you from losing potential customers? Below are simple (and economical!) tips to create a functional and impressive storefront entrance.
1. Avoid tall fixtures
Using large fixtures or complex displays at your entrance will create visual barriers that reduces sight-lines and create a feeling of unwelcoming ‘separation’. Keep floor fixtures at waist or chest height for better browsing and overall higher visibility.
2. Provide a Decompression Zone
Place your lead fixture (preferably a table) 3’ - 4’ feet inside the store threshold rather than at the immediate entrance. This space will allow customers to prepare themselves for shopping and navigating your store.
An attractive and inviting storefront at Soha Living / Kahala Mall
3. Make a Statement!
Use exciting products to attract customers into your store. Tell a story through lifestyle, color or a mixture of both. Be creative and make an impact.
Victoria Secret’s Pink Store shows off a great example of classification merchandising; highlighting a few styles while using complimentary items to surround them.
ReForm School in Los Angeles shows a great lifestyle presentation. (photo credit targophoto.com via Flickr)
4. Change your Product Weekly
Plan to change your display product weekly. This will help keep the store looking fresh and appealing to frequent customers. Even better, be the customer! Shop your store for signs of stale or ineffective displays, then fix them.
5. Maintenance
IMPORTANT! Be mindful of untidy areas throughout the day, always check for dust or trash that has accumulated. Pickup after customers and remove unncessary clutter from view of the public. If you use an entry rug, straighten and clean it routinely.
Pictures Plus / Ward Warehouse
You have one chance to make a good first impression, make it count. By applying these steps to your storefront and actively working on improving your displays can help turn a passerby into a loyal customer. If you don’t take the time to care, neither will your customers.
Festival Lighting
If you’ve headed down to Ward Warehouse recently you may have noticed a little more festivity. The center contacted Creative Solutions to design a lighting layout for their concourse. This was a great first project with them.
After extensive measuring (the walking tape measure is our new best friend!), we drafted a hang point plan and materials list needed for the project.
Being environmentally conscious, we recommended the use of LED lights. They consume 90% less electricity and the bulb life is estimated to be 50,000-100,000 hours.
This is a great way to update a property, store front or window. During the holidays or special events, the clear bulbs can be replaced with colored ones (i.e.-4th of July add red and white, for Christmas incorporate red or green.)
May you have a Festive Holiday!
booklover:(via libraryland)
Cool way to make a back drop or arrange “book blocks” to make a table.
Source: libraryland
DIY Holiday Wreath
Christmas is surely upon us when the holiday catalogs begin to arrive. Spotted this colorful wreath in the new CB2 catalog and thought it was a great way to have a custom holiday piece for your home or office. It’s also eco-friendly.
Click Here to see how the Ornament Wreath is done. Get crafting! See more photos below for inspiration.
Ornament Wreath
Neckwear Wreath
Wine Cork Wreath
Cookie Cutter Wreath
Recycled Wreath-use old holiday cards and a leaf stencil.
For most of the wreath projects, click HERE for instructions. Happy Holidays from Creative Solutions!
‘Tis the Season
Oh, it’s that time of year again, Christmas. For Creative Solutions, Christmas begins in July. Our crew begins the process of bringing out our clients decor, testing the lights, re-stranding garlands and trees, dusting off ornaments and making sure everything is in working condition.
If we are designing a package, we begin the process in January. Recently we headed to Atlanta for the Christmas Market in search of new ornamentation. It is amazing the amount of decor that is offered. Over three floors of vendors! We are kids in a candy store.
I love walking from showroom to showroom and seeing all of the wonderful pieces.
We aren’t always able to use items that we fall in love with, but at least we can share some of our findings.
We will be posting images of our installation this season so check back. And if you pass someone covered in glitter, remember Santa is coming!
