Imagine a business with no consistency in each of the elements that make up its sales space. What feeling would that space evoke for its customers?
Probably not a very good one. It would create a sensation of clutter and chaos for them, which is something we doubt any brand would want to be associated with.
Now, let’s consider the opposite scenario. Now imagine a store in which each object has its own meaning and exists in perfect harmony with the rest of the items in the store in addition to maintaining the aesthetic line of the products.
Much better, right?
Now let’s apply this idea to the food industry. In the retail industry, as we have seen in other articles, using all of the elements that make up a store, the goal is to create a sensation of closeness and a return to tradition for the customer.
How?
By taking care of and dedicating time to customers in a space that is adapted for them and by paying close attention to the way that a product is presented on the store’s furniture to achieve an intimate atmosphere. Let’s take a look at some of the solutions that we have developed for different brands worldwide.
Vivanda
Vivanda is a chain of premium supermarkets located in Peru. It specializes mainly in food, health and beauty products. As for its size, each Vivanda supermarket has an area of about 2,000 square meters and it is one of the most biggest brands of supermarkets in Peru.
For this project, what HMY and Vivanta developed was a way to create shopping experiences for their customers. Translated to the store, this meant going one step further and not limiting ourselves to the superficial with a simple facelift, but instead developing a new concept for the supermarket in which the customer’s visit is enjoyable.
Now, you might wonder: How?
By adapting each sales section or area to the type of product that can be purchased there, that is to say, creating the best of environments for the displayed products, without forgetting the experience itself, in other words, making everything done inside the supermarket as simple and easy for customers as possible.
For example, the aisle space was improved by dedicating more space to each section of the supermarket. A noticeable change was made to the signage in all of the sections, including the refrigerated areas where the merchandise needs to be kept at a specific temperature, such as in the wine section. The shelves were built to a lower height than usual in order to make it easier for customers to reach the products.
But, what better than for you to see the project with your own eyes?:
As you can see, research and previous knowledge of Peruvian market characteristics, coupled with the challenges faced by Vivanda and the chain’s needs, were fundamental in the subsequent adaptation, design and implementation of each of the products that were developed for this food retail space.
Continente
Continente, a group of supermarkets owned by the company SONAE, is currently one of the main hypermarket chains doing all of its business in Portugal. In this case, the challenge for HMY was to transform the traditional concept of a hypermarket into a template for the store of the future in the retail industry.
But of course, what do we mean by traditional stores?
The traditional concept of a supermarket is well known. In a nutshell, it is the place where customers can acquire products which are arranged in an organized fashion in a brightly lit (and sometimes, cold) space.
What is the difference between this idea and the store of the future?
Well, here is the difference: a store of the future is custom-made and based on the experience that shoppers will have within it. It basically consists in creating pleasant spaces which are better organized and optimized than traditional supermarkets, with the mainstream element for the whole project being customer experience. Not only this, but in this store of the future, technology has been perfectly integrated with the goal of connecting with users in a much more effective way, so that communication with them becomes much more direct.
In this way, it gives the client the opportunity to interact and participate in activities in the supermarket that will make them look at shopping with a different perspective than before.
With this, we can make customers feel at ease in bookstores, sitting down and enjoying the books, they can ask questions, or, for example, take a stroll through the toy factory in which children can play, read and enjoy a relaxed environment. We can also create resting areas where they can have a coffee. Basically, a space adapted so that families are able to enjoy a different experience.
Do you want to see what it was like? Then watch this video.
The Process is the Heart of the Matter
At HMY we know that each client’s needs are different. This is why we believe in the personalization of each project thereby achieving the development of original and unique concepts and products in the retail industry.
Building from this idea, we have developed a working method that allows us to reach every client’s proposed objective and complete each project in the most effective way possible. For each case, as a general rule, we divide the project development process into the following phases:
- Research and Conceptualization: we analyze the environment and conceptualize the space from a customer’s perspective. Our goal is to give you a well-defined point of differentiation and a clear competitive advantage, while improving all of the performance metrics.
- Design and Engineering: We design your space and services, we define your furniture and products according to innovative concepts in retail, which previously agreed upon, that we will create for you.
- Global Purchases: We manage the supply chain and the acquisition of goods to provide valuable engineering solutions that are profitable and available on a timely basis.
- Global Project Management: We manage all phases and operations of your project through our global and local multidisciplinary teams, which work under the supervision of our international expert project managers.
- Global Work Management: We implement turnkey projects for you, managing and coordinating the administrative, architectural, electromechanical and construction tasks.
Now all you need to do is get to work and start thinking about how to improve your business focusing your needs without overlooking the experience your customers will have in your supermarket.
