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Sustainable shopfitting

In an age where consumers are increasingly environmentally conscious, and there is a much wider understanding of the need to conserve natural resources, a sustainable shop fit-out is becoming a vital part of any retail business plan. In addition to helping the environment, as the realities of climate change become more and more apparent, it gains customer respect and loyalty – something critical to business success.

The most successful are widening focusses far beyond their financial targets and incorporating company-wide practices that assist in achieving global, sustainable development goals.

Sustainability forms part of HMY’s commercial philosophy, and we strive to achieve environmental satisfaction for brands and retailers and their customers. When designing and developing any retail space, there are a number of key things to consider to ensure your shopfitting approach is as “green” as possible.

Firstly, thanks to advances in technology, retailers can go completely paperless – whether through offering digital receipts, as opposed to wasting paper, or incorporating digital signage into the store. HMY has developed a unique digital signage solution which allows the dissemination of promotional or commercial content in real time on store screens, enabling brands to customise content according to location and the promotional context.

Adopting technology and merging the online and offline experience in this way, means updating in-store displays is quicker and more efficient, while offering customers an enhanced and personalised customer experience.

Resourcefulness is vital for running a sustainable business and the choice of materials in retail is becoming increasingly important. Using raw and renewable materials means waste is significantly reduced. Recyclable items made from metals, woods and plastics, for example, can be turned into new products, saving the need for materials that can drain our natural resources down to dangerous levels.

As a testament to their commitment to sustainability, HMY has exclusively designed E-Bulk, the first bulk stainless steel furniture to offer its customers. This is the same price as plastic, whilst being widely recyclable and better for the environment, ultimately helping fight against food waste and overpacking, yet still very aesthetic and customisable.

Another simple way to reduce your business’ carbon footprint, is replacing traditional light bulbs with LED lighting. LEDs are known to be much more efficient as they use less energy and the low heat means there’s considerably less heat loss, which can result in wastage. These come in several models too, allowing for customisability.

Are you thinking about creating a more sustainable retail space? Get in touch today, to find out how we can help.

Biomonde, a response to the bio trend

On several years now, consumer preferences and habits have been drastically changing. Along that line, one of the main trends, and one which is having a serious impact on the French market has been the consumers’ commitment to take care of themselves and eat healthier, as well as being more respectful to the environment and demanding that companies do the same.

As a result, more organic products are consumed every day and the fight against waste is gaining momentum, people chose to cook more often, use seasonal foods and reduce the use of certain types of less sustainable packaging, among many other incentives.

To respond to this trend, Jean–Albert Bureau and Anne–Christine Poisson created the Biomonde network, which began with the opening of a 120 m² organic store in the city of Cachan.

A global concept of the bio store

The organisation faced a complex challenge: they needed to create a store concept consistent with the values of the network, but that allowed the associate retailers to respect their own identity and preferences. That’s when they asked HMY to develop this project, the aim being, creating a global concept of a cosy, friendly and organic store that respects diversity.

HMY, with more than 60 years of expertise in the market, is accustomed to finding 360 solutions tailored for all its customers. In this case, we started the project by launching a research and analysis phase, which allowed us to propose a unique and strong identity. In addition to the need for an identity, there were other requirements such as having a design and furniture to display 3,000 products in the 120 m² of sales area, while making the space convenient for consumers.

A comprehensive approach to a 360° project in record time

The HMY team proposed a global concept that included several solutions such as furniture specifically designed to display fruits and vegetables in a small space, which adapts to seasonal products, makes it possible to hide boxes and show prices on small blackboards. We also worked on specific shelving, a rear counter (to display that day’s products), discreet but colourful signs that segment the different areas, and a carefully designed combination of lighting and use of materials.

Despite being a complex challenge, we were able to do it in just three months thanks to our experience, production capacity and the amazing work done entirely by members of our team. In addition, in line with the focus of the project, we also made it possible for the concept to have a sustainable approach since all the furniture was made in our French factories and installed locally by our own assembly teams.

Since it opened, the concept of the store has been very well received and, above all, the first measurable results have already been collected: traffic has increased and consumers are becoming more loyal.

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LPoint: Brand redesign and expansion

LPoint has been in the world of sneakers and streetwear for 30 years. This year they have decided to take a turn in their project and initiate a brand redesign and expansion process that already have visible results.

A brand redesign is not a simple logo change; it is something that goes much further, especially in a retailer that must protect your brand against the cannibalization that may arise from your product. For this reason, brand identity is built on every decision that affects the store design: colours, shapes, materials, etc.

This helps a retailer to maintain and become the brand as a reference in the sneakers world, where everyone consumes all brands, but only the journey of discovery makes you a leader.

A 360 ° project carried out in record time

Thanks to the trust and involvement of the client, at HMY we were able to help them design 6 stores with a 360 ° approach covering all phases of work from design to assembly through 3D rendering, manufacturing, construction and logistics.

For the realization of the fourth store, we had a challenge: to carry it out in just 5 weeks.

The speed in these developments is essential to be able to take advantage of the opening opportunities that arise and thus be able to optimize the process of brand expansion. However, the most important thing is that the client has been very satisfied with the result, highlighting the proximity of the 3D renders to the result, which has even exceeded their expectations.

A new agile store concept

These new LPoint stores have been developed under the concept “Think outside the box” in which we have opted for an urban image, multi-material furniture and very careful lighting design through our Retail Lightning division. Through this combination, we have achieved a spectacular result with which LPoint has been very satisfied.

Another of the big bets in this new store concept has been modular furniture. With this solution, LPoint can modify the furniture appearance and arrangement according to their needs and interests at any time.

This solution gives agility to the stores, allowing you to offer a different image and adapt your space to events and promotions that you may have throughout the year.

Agility and versatility

Agility is one of the fundamental virtues that every store should have, thanks to it we build versatile spaces better adapted to the customer’s needs, offering brands and retailers a simple way to surprise their clients.

The best example is LPoint, the brand with new stores attracting customers and success since the inauguration.

If you want to know more about this and other projects, we invite you to contact us and discover first-hand everything we can offer you

Come and see us at “Fashion & Retail TODAY” day!

On 16 October, we will be expert speakers at the event “TRANSFORMATION: Fashion & Retail TODAY. Five tools to promote your brand’s expansion”. A discussion forum where we will share with professionals and companies in the industry our vision and expertise accumulated throughout our history in the world of fashion and retail.

We will talk about today’s market, current challenges and opportunities, as well as the future of this industry. In addition, we will give some hints for brands to boost their expansion through a programme that you cannot miss:

1 – Development of retail and the fashion industry

2 – How to bring brand promise to store experience

3 – Expansion models and brand loyalty

4 – What is the well standard, and how can it benefit your brand?

5 – Nextperience: last-mile technology

Fashion brands and retailers generally find it easier to connect with their customers and convey their messages and values more effectively. However, for this to be effective, the experience and what we make consumers feel when they visit our stores must be worked on a lot, in order to retain them and gain their brand loyalty.

If you want to find out more, come and see us next Wednesday (16 October) at 9 a.m. in the Alicante Chamber of Commerce Business Incubator in Elche Business Park (Calle Germán Bernácer, 65. Elche).

Are you going to miss it?

HMY will be at Natexpo 2019

One of the most important events for the organic and ecological products market will take place in Paris on 20, 21 and 22 October, Natexpo 2019. The exhibition will enjoy the presence of sector professionals from all corners of the globe.

Natexpo is an international organic products fair with around 15,000 visitors expected this year and over 1,000 exhibitors, including HMY in its role as partner for retail brands in favour of sustainability.

Natexpo is a not-to-be missed bio retail event where you will discover the latest trends in this strong, growing market and the latest organic products from all over the world in the following sectors: food, cosmetics and hygiene, dietetics and food supplements, ingredients and raw materials, products and services for the home and personal use, as well as services, equipment and furniture for shops.

HMY at Natexpo 2019

HMY will have a strong presence at Natexpo 2019, contributing all the knowledge and expertise gained from 60 years in the retail and sustainable development sectors. HMY has a long-term relationship with its customers, from design to installation and always at your service.

Our French experts and local production enable us to maintain close contact with each of our customers and our aim is to meet all their requirements.

Come and visit us at stand I158 and learn more about the solutions we offer.

How a store optimised its space to get a better customer experience

The effectiveness of stores when it comes to displaying their products more and better does not only depend on the size of the store, the design has a great deal of influence in giving them greater visibility and, of course, making them more attractive to the consumer.

A transformation success

Forum Sport needed a change in its stores to provide a better customer experience and make its products more attractive. After the redesign we have achieved a great deal that we can summarise in:

– Greater visibility of categories and products

– Recovery of unprofitable sections

– Space optimisation

– Better shopping experience

– Greater prominence of the Forum Sport brand

We have consequently managed to completely transform the store enabling it to offer a differential experience and make its space more profitable.

Forum sport: a commitment to space optimisation

With the renewal of Forum Sport, we took another step towards reinventing sports fashion retail, solving the problems of this space through a layout design focused on facilitating customer comfort, finding their way around the store and getting the product to win in terms of attractiveness and visibility.

This model is now continuing its expansion after the redesign of the store in Vitoria to reach the La Bretxa market. For this new space, 1,300 square meters have been renovated and laid out over two floors with direct access from the Boulevard.

Strengthening the customer experience

The design devised by Consulting & Design has opted for the creation of themed areas, a new line of visual communication to reinforce the brand, omni-channelling and reinforcing the Forum Sport brand, giving it credibility and making it more consumer friendly.

The customer experience has been greatly developed thanks to the creation of a display space that includes repair and customisation workshops, which will eventually add presentations, talks and workshops.

Greater prominence for brands

The brands have ephemeral spaces enabled for personalisation and for carrying out promotions. This enables the brands that so wish to have a greater presence and prominence in the store.

As a result, Forum Sport not only offers a better experience for the customers in its store, but also for the brands it works with as it can offer more services.

More than 100,000 items

With its design, this space has managed to make the product shine more thanks to the new layout and the creation of themed areas, but also allows users to check more than 100,000 items and the stock in any store in real time.

This has been achieved thanks to installing touch screens that are used to access the omni-channel sales platform and also enable orders and returns to be made online.

If you want to find out more about this and other projects, discuss with us!

EuroShop 2020: where the future of retail is heading

This year EuroShop 2020 awaits us, a new edition of this fair that brings together brands and retailers from all over the world attracted by the trends and innovations that can be seen here.

For yet another year, HMY will be present with a must-visit stand for any professional interested in innovating and optimising their sales spaces.

HMY in EuroShop 2020

This year we have a large stand where you can find different spaces devoted to different sectors, so that, if your business is devoted to fashion, telecom & electronics, food, automobile or health and beauty, we have a specially dedicated space for you with customised solutions for your business.

In addition, we provide all kinds of comforts to cover all your needs while you are with us: meeting room, cloakroom, bar, etc.

Technology and innovation will be present throughout our space through different solutions that you can find in different points of our stand.

What can we expect from the future of retail?

The world of retail continues to evolve each year and we can observe in it increasingly consolidated trends for the future of retail that we can see at EuroShop 2020.

Eco-responsibility

Consumers are no longer satisfied with buying good products at a good price; they want their consumption to be environmentally friendly. 55% of consumers believe that it is possible to consume as they have always done without damaging the environment.

Demand of consumers

Consumers visit hundreds of shops every month and 70% believe that all stores are the same. Differentiating shops is already a must to catch the attention of an audience that is increasingly saturated with messages and products.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence has a great way to go in the world of retail since it can be applied in multiple situations. One of the points being exploited the most is the personalisation in the recommendations to offer customers an individualised service that fits their motivations and interests.

Reduce friction in payment

Whether in the online world or in physical stores, brands and retailers are working hard to reduce friction at the time of payment. Thanks to these types of solutions, entirely different store models are being proposed, such as unmanned stores.

Brand connection

Brands and retailers are increasingly seeking to share moments with their audience, offer them experiences through which they remember them and have a greater recall and greater satisfaction after going to the store.

Don’t get left behind

If you don’t want to get left behind and miss any of the trends that will mark the future of retail, visit us at EuroShop 2020 from 16 to 20 February in Hall 13 and stand A47

Contact us to receive more information.

Retail store signage tips

Retail store signage tips

Graphic signage is a beneficial element in stores that plays a significant role in providing information to the public, from motivating them to enter our store to convincing them to buy a particular product or visit a section of our store.

 

In this article, we will collect some tips to enhance these elements in our store and optimise them properly.

 

 

Use short messages

If we want to catch the public’s attention, we must use short and appealing messages that anyone can read without stopping. Sometimes we may be tempted to give a lot of information, but if we do, we run the risk of not catching the public’s attention.

 

Make it readable and visible.

Even though it is evident, the typeface we use must be easily readable, also at a distance. Sometimes corporate typography is not the best for this type of signage, so it is necessary to use a typeface that works well in these formats.

 

To make our signage visible, we must also use the right combination of colours that provide contrast but are also attractive to the consumer.

 

Test

It is important to test different types of messages and measure their effectiveness. In this respect, digital signage combined with Business Intelligence solutions can be very interesting to find out what kind of messages or colour combinations work best with our audience.

 

Surprise

All stores use graphic signage to either attract visitors or encourage them to purchase in the store. For this reason, it is important to try to “get out” of our schemes and think of options that allow us to surprise our customers. This implies rethinking messages, colours or even formats within graphic signage.

 

In this regard, humour is usually an excellent resource we can use to catch our users’ attention.

 

Don’t forget to help the customer

Graphic signage in-store is very useful to increase our sales, but we must not forget its usefulness in assisting visitors to find their way around our space. Good signage will help us get a better shopping experience and build customer loyalty.

 

Less is more

Signage catches the public’s attention and sends them a certain message, but if we overuse it, we can end up confusing them. Therefore, we mustn’t saturate our space with messages and focus on communicating what we consider most important.

 

 Evolution: digital signage and banners

 

Signage is fully implemented in stores, but digital signage and banners still have a long way to go in retail.

 

Digital signage offers excellent advantages such as personalising messages so that they change depending on the time of day or the circumstances in the store.

 

These types of solutions allow customers to interact with the store and have more and better product information, improving their shopping experience.

 

At HMY, we are experts in implementing technological solutions in commercial establishments. Also, our global reach and presence in more than 90 countries allow us to offer services anywhere in the world. Contact us to learn more about our solutions.

What is visual merchandising?

Selling is not a matter that exclusively depends on need and price. The shopping experience and how the products are displayed greatly influence whether the consumer decides to buy a product.

What is visual merchandising?

Visual merchandising is a retail sales strategy that takes advantage of the physical elements of the store to reinforce the presence of products and increase sales. Some examples of visual merchandising in stores are found in mannequins, shop windows, gondolas, etc.

It is therefore an area closely linked to window dressing, which aims to attract visitors and boost sales.

Importance of visual merchandising

Visual merchandising is an element of great importance within any store since it serves not only to attract new customers, but also as inspiration. In the end, consumers not only purchase out of necessity, but because they are drawn to products. Visual merchandising thus helps us to make our products more appealing and, of course, increase our sales.

However, we must bear in mind that good visual merchandising is not everything. It certainly contributes greatly to our store’s appearance, but we must also consider other elements such as the environment, lighting and spaces in our store. A good combination of these elements are those that will help us achieve a memorable shopping experience for our customers.

Tips to improve your visual merchandising

Colour

Although the colour may be marked by our style and brand book, we must bear in mind that colours play an essential role when it comes to catching the public’s attention and getting them to look at the products in our store.

Creating contrast between colours is essential, so that we can highlight some elements of our visual merchandising.

Storytelling

To tell a story, you don’t need a long text, not even words sometimes. The visual elements of our store can reinforce the need for our products or highlight why they should be purchased in a way that conveys or reminds the public of a story.

Avoid saturation

We tend to want to show and highlight everything, but that is simply impossible. If we want to catch the public’s attention, we must show as many products as possible, but always avoiding saturation and playing with empty spaces to give greater relevance to the products.

Give your spaces a theme

Take the opportunity to give a theme to the spaces in your store through visual merchandising. Giving a theme to our spaces helps our storytelling to work more effectively and also offers a more consistent image for the customer.

How to improve your store’s visual merchandising

If you need professional help, at HMY we have more than 60 years of experience in retail and we can help optimise your store’s processes and performance. Contact us to find out more.

Building customer loyalty in retail

Gaining and maintaining loyal customers is essential in the ever-changing world of retail. Consumer needs and demands are constantly changing, and in order to gain the trust of customers, retailers need to provide an exceptional experience, meeting and exceeding their expectations. Doing this provides a higher chance of customers purchasing again in future and considering customer retention can be five times cheaper than acquiring new ones, it’s something that’s hugely important to retailers. So, what are the best ways for retailers to develop strong relationships and build customer loyalty?

An omnichannel experience

Experts once predicted that the future of retail was online, but we’re increasingly seeing online retailers open physical stores. Despite the staggering increase of e-commerce, brick and mortar stores still have the edge in the world of retail. This can be put down to factors such as being able to see and feel merchandise, and the engagement with technology and staff when purchasing a product. Therefore, the most successful retailers are revitalising their in-store environment, to create an omnichannel shopping experience, ensuring they meet every need of the customer – which ultimately, leads to customer loyalty.

As digital capabilities develop, there’s an opportunity for retailers to blend offline and online strategies to deliver the ultimate shopping experience. For example, HMY’s digital store solution offers its customers real-time information on its full catalogue, available stock, current prices, personalised offers and promotions, as well as recommended products, encouraging cross-selling.

The solution allows HMY customers, both brands and retailers, to develop a robust omnichannel strategy, adopting the capabilities and characteristics of every channel to transform sales spaces into authentic digital stores.

Meet individual needs through personalisation

An important part of omnichannel marketing is personalisation – the buzzword on all brands and retailers’ lips. In order to keep up with, and complement the customised on-line experience, retail brands must use data capture to provide personalisation, better interactions and a more streamlined offline shopping process. Smart technology is helping to deliver this.

Whilst the growth of personalisation has been facilitated by advances in technology, a big driver has been the collection and use of data. Retailers can harness data collected in-store to better understand customers’ preferences and tailor offerings accordingly. This is key in helping shoppers feel like the set up of physical stores is designed with their specific needs in mind.

HMY’s Digital Store solution offers customers real-time information on a retailer’s full catalogue, including available stock, current prices, and importantly, personalised offers and promotions, as well as recommended products tailored to the particular individual, encouraging cross-selling.

Engaging with artificial intelligence

The traditional display signage concept has recently evolved into more interactive versions using holographic and augmented reality (AR) technology. This is another way retailers can truly excel at maintaining and developing strong customer relationships – through artificial intelligence (AI).

In order to differentiate themselves from competitors, retailers should look at the ever-evolving consumer purchasing journey and how technology is disrupting the traditional business model to bring real-time, personalised experiences to either facilitate the process or creatively engage with the consumer. Amongst mobile apps, smart shelves and new POS systems, retailers are learning more about their customers to entice sales and enhance individual experiences with AI.

HMY has started to implement this technology via its Digital Mannequin, a solution that shows a brand’s garments and accessories on a digital model, so that the consumer can see the product moving.

This can segment the campaign by gender and age, tailoring the experience to each customer. Also,

all garments worn by the model, has an associated QR code connected to website, resulting in digital sales.

Putting the right solutions in place, exceeding customer expectations and ensuring they feel valued is achievable at any scale. If you’d like to find out how we can help build customer loyalty to your brand, get in touch.