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The 5 trending materials for the Health & Beauty sector
Years of growth are consolidated in major changes that will impact Retail in the coming years.
- The Health&Beauty sector is undergoing a major style makeover.
- Sustainable and natural materials set the standard: these are the keys.
The Health&Beauty sector is probably one of the most fascinating cases in Retail.
It is a highly traditional sector in its conception of sales and consumer relations which, despite maintaining the classical brand-manufacturer and shop-distributor formula, continues to experience stratospheric growth year after year.
The spectacular growth of the beauty industry: from €483,000 million in 2020 to €716,000 million by 2025.
A status quo which, until now, was possible because consumers were segmented in clearly evident niches; and while brands specialised in differentiating their products, distribution was differentiated by price.
However, in recent years the rules of the game and consumers have changed, and this has led brands and distributors to rethink their strategies and positioning.
This change has unleashed an unprecedented renewal of points-of-sale in the sector. Fresh and trendy proposals, greater bearing of experience over product, integration of technologies,…
All based on a new line of materials that are marking a turning point in the design of beauty shops.
This is our selection of the 5 trending materials for the Health&Beauty sector.
1.Stone textures with great character
The trend in 2022 is undoubtedly natural tones and textures in a celebration and return to traditional materials. Traditional in their conception, but highly refined.
In this case, the pore simulation and roughness of the Petra Series adds personality. A material that encompasses two senses for greater realism.
Check out the Petra Series datasheet in our MateriaLab.
2. Smooth ceramics that add elegance
The truth is that this material is not a sector trend; it is a trend for all Retail.
The great variety of finishes of the ceramic range of Porcelanosa Krion Solid Surface (smooth, colour, veining, grain, etc.) allows them to fit in the design of any beauty shop. The fineness of its finish adds a high level of style and its resistance to chemical and physical abrasion make it ideal for beauty displays and counters.
3. Metal takes centre stage with chrome and brushed finishes
Metal is in fashion and has gone from being a structural element of the sector to taking centre stage as a decorative detail. Thus, the new design proposals for the Health&Beauty spaces of leading brands are marking a clear line in which tubular structures are mainly used to add premium details that enhance fittings with bronze, copper, silver and gold tones in chromed and brushed finishes.
Check out the chrome or brushed efinishes in our MateriaLab.
4. Textured woods and melamine to connect with nature
That sustainability dominates Retail is a fact. This is so to the point that nearly all world leaders in the sector have changed their communication strategies to etch a concept in consumers’ minds above all others: natural.
Something clearly demonstrated by the recent research published by Euromonitor International (Euromonitor)
This trend should undoubtedly be reflected in points-of-sale and traditional melamines have had to renew themselves to offer even more realism and honesty to the sight and touch.
Special mention should also be made of the standardisation that is virtually mandatory today of using woods with FSC quality and sustainability certificates.
The answer is the Vintage wood series. Rustic finishes with veining and imperfections reminiscent of recovered hardwoods.
Check out the Vintage Series datasheet in our MateriaLab.
5. Recycled woods with hyper-realistic cement effect
If there is one thing that trends of 2022 show us is that textures are dominating beauty shop designs.
Even smooth finishes are enhanced with subtle details that displace the concept of artificially “perfect” lacquered finishes, acquiring a personality more in line with ceramic, earthy and stone materials.
Bebiendo de unas influencias que mezclan artesanía e industrial a partes iguales, la serie de maderas recicladas Ostuni muestran texturas a medio camino entre el hormigón enlucido y el yeso alisado, dando a los espacios un estilo de taller artístico muy chic. Consulta la ficha de la Serie Ostuni en nuestro MateriaLab.
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Siguiente ¿Are there more trends? Naturally.
Materials are ultimately the basis on which the personality of a brand is built. But the concepts being developed in the sector not only reformulate the aspect of the brands, but also how consumers enjoy them.
That is why the new proposals observed in the sector go a step further and include:
1.- Plant elements as decoration to reinforce the message of sustainability. Something in which brands such as Rituals are already pioneers and whose acceptance is increasing.
2.- Aesthetic design, yes, but also experiential. . Aesthetic design, yes, but also experiential.
3.- Let there be light.. All redesign needs a new lighting study that properly highlights each element, texture, zone and product. Beauty is ultimately one of the sectors that best understands the importance and effect of light on consumers
4.- Technology will have a purpose or will not be.. No more screens installed at the last minute, finding them a place where they originally should not be. A phase resulting from digitalisation that was added as an extra layer over existing designs.
Health&Beauty shop designs in 2022 understand that digital elements are an additional aspect of the consumer in-store experience and anticipate integrating them before they become a patch.
5.- Spaces that communicate, but do not shout.One of the most interesting trends is the reduction in offer signage in favour of a more subtle and evocative style. Why not attract and guide consumers with posters and vinyl, lightboxes or digital signage? The right way to escape the price war and increase brand value.
One could think that all these trends are an exercise in creativity for the future, but nothing could be further from the truth. Most of our openings in recent months include one or more of them and the best example is the Comas flagship, in Figueras. This was the spectacular result:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM9ICIiI8tA
Downloadable: COMAS
5 must-have trends in sports furniture (durable, sustainable and agile)
- Within the fashion industry, sportswear is the sector that undergoes the most changes and trends every year.
- Shop design should facilitate such rapid and frequent transitions.
- Customisation, dynamism, agility, sustainability and exclusivity are the 5 most important points to consider.
Concept store design is probably one of the most exciting, but also one of the riskiest fields of design. And undoubtedly the most critical discipline in Retail.
It is a field that needs to combine in equal parts knowledge about consumers and brands, materials and their working processes, graphic arts and technologies, costs and sustainability, etc.
But above all, it must get it right from start to finish for three tremendously important reasons:
- The investment in time and money involved in implementing a new shop concept is a long-term commitment for brands and retailers. There may be changes, but getting it wrong will involves not only an opportunity cost but also a direct cost to fix it.
- “Playing it safe” is not allowed. The less novel and risky the design of our shop, the less eye-catching it will be. Less attractive means fewer sales. It’s as simple as that.
- To top it all off, the design of a shop must remain current and unperturbed by changing trends. This is the only way it will stand the test of time and fashions and continue to attract customers.
Renew or die: an ever-changing sector
Retail is usually a whirlwind of change, with a rapid succession of seasons and new products that requires transforming shops every few years, or even months.
To the seasonal changes we must add:
- The new season’s trends.
- Fast fashion.
- The sport that is fashionable at the time.
- The calendar of launches or “drops” established by brands such as Nike, Puma, Adidas or New Balance.
- And then there is the fashion for collaborations between brands from different sectors to create exclusive clothing collections, such as the collaborations between Lego and Adidas or Levi’s with Pokemon.
Therefore, adapting to these continuous and fleeting novelties makes the design of sportswear shops one of the most challenging in Retail.
If you are sure you want to radically change the design of your sportswear shops, our Consulting & Design teams are eager to inspire and help you.
5 sports sector furniture trends
1.Sportswear = streetwear
“Streetwear” or urban fashion dominates sales worldwide in practically all age groups. This is no doubt due to comfort, the influence of new musical styles, and the rise of a healthier lifestyle with a focus on sport.
Sportswear is increasingly present in all styles, and we can find trainers combined with suits or dresses, even on the main fashion catwalks or glamorous galas.
Therefore, it is normal to see how sportswear shops impose recreations or elements of the cities themselves in their designs: neon lights, cement and metal textures, glass and marble, etc.
In fact, the most premium sportswear shops have nothing to envy to high fashion boutiques in their choice of materials and final appearance.
2.Streetwear = technology
One of the greatest exponents of urban culture is technology. If being trendy in fashion includes wearing trainers, being trendy in sports concept store design includes technology. It can:
- Be integrated into the displays, to attract consumers’ attention.
- Serve as a query point in the form of interactive totems.
- Assist in brand activation or customer loyalty as points of play or exposure.
3.Reinforce your brand personality over your product brands.
Sportswear consumers are unfaithful by nature. They like a variety of brands, which is why multi-brand retailers are in an ideal position to expand.
Something that has led to the success of brands such as Foot Locker, Foot District, Snipes, Sportland or Deportes Base has been to reinforce this positioning as “street fashion experts” through a very marked personality in their furniture. The choice of textures, lighting accents or shapes of the murals and displays are part of the brand’s visual identity manual.
The trend, as opposed to hiding furniture behind products, is to give it visibility and prominence, to add an element of constancy to such a fast-changing sector.
4.Sustainability as a cross-cutting value
For almost a decade now, practically all brands have been committed to sustainability as an added value for consumers. From being included as just another CSR section, it has become a guarantee for more and more products. The inevitable evolution is that this will be transferred to the design of all the brand’s points of contact with the consumer.
Whoever does it first will be able to offer it as a brand differentiator. The latter will simply be accused of greenwashing by the consumer.
In this post we gave you 8 key pieces of furniture that you can now integrate into your points-of-sale, from decorative to product displays.
5.Play with modularity
Using modular furniture that we can easily transform to always offer a visual novelty to consumers is something that we consider a trend in all retail sectors but it is even more important to keep it in mind when we talk about sportswear retail and its volatility.
Having the ability to play with the product displays and dedicate them to T-shirts, sneakers, accessories, etc., depending on our launches or campaigns, or simply use them as rotating elements helps to maintain the interest of consumers who visit our shop by way of showrooming.
Are you ready to apply these trends in your brand redesign? Contact us!.
How to redesign your multi-brand sports shop to become a benchmark in the sector.
- Sportswear shops are one of the most profitable retail sectors of the last decade.
- The high demand for urban fashion, low product storage cost and low entry costs have led to a proliferation of openings.
- We present the insights for a successful sports concept store design.
Sportswear shops have been booming for several years now. In 2019 they already reported 8.4% growth in sales, more than 7 points higher than their nearest sector, fashion.
Not surprisingly, with these figures, sector brands and distributors have taken the opportunity to push ahead with their expansion plans.
Another interesting fact for 2019 is that the sportswear sector already occupies 5% of retail space in most shopping centres. This suggests that we are approaching supply saturation and begs the question: What is the next step for sportswear retail? The struggle for differentiation. And that leads us to talk about redesigning points-of-sale.
What is the process of (re)designing a sports or sportswear shop?
Redesigning the concept of a sportswear shop is a process that incorporates methodology and creativity in equal parts, with the added freedom of being in a sector that can be as formal and informal as the brand wants and needs.
Furthermore, if we talk about redesign, we will also have a starting point for the project.
There are 5 stages involved in the redesign of a brand’s retail concept:
- Analysis of the brand, the environment and its audiences. Something that will give us insights through a series of tools to look for inspiration in the right places and begin to outline the experience that the new design will offer consumers.
- Brainstorming, ideas and inspiration. With what we learnt in the previous phase we start to define the general ideas on which the new concept will be based. Now is the time for a large number of proposals to emerge, many of which will be discarded and others will only partially fit but will serve as a basis for the work that follows.
- Definition of the experience. After sharing an initial list of ideas and inspirations with the brand and establishing a road map, we finish profiling the experience that consumers will have in their interaction with the points-of-sale. Where we want them to stop, what content each point along the route will contain and how it will help them understand the brand and the products. Above all, how it will make them fall in love with it.
- Choice of materials. It’s time to start materialising all of the above. Understanding the new concept and what it wants to transmit will allow us to create a “mood board” or table of materials. It is important not to digress too much, create hierarchies and give the brand personality. Each material transmits a series of values that will in turn be the values that the shop and, therefore, the brand will transmit.
- Creative proposal. Now we finally “put pen to paper”. The shapes appear and we define the furniture, technology and type of lighting. All the elements that will give body and presence to the brand in the physical space. We establish various options for ordering the planogram according to the flow of customers that we have defined and the importance that each point of the route will have.
What aspects make sportswear retail shop design unique?
All retail sectors have something that makes them unique and, as mentioned at the beginning of the post, creative flexibility is one of the characteristics of design applied to sportswear retail.
Nowadays, sportswear is synonymous with urban culture, so it is expected to be transgressive and daring. It doesn’t have to fit into any moulds, but rather break them.
It also has a primarily young and digitally native consumer base, so in-store technology experiences can help make the point-of-sale much more attractive and strengthen its conversion capacity.
What materials and textures are trending in sportswear retail in 2022?
Summarising all of the above, we can say that sportswear consumers are urban, young, digital consumers, increasingly concerned about sustainability and with a strong focus on culture.
This basic definition of the most common purchasing profile in the sportswear sector is reflected in the choice of materials and textures that are trending in this type of shop today:
- Brushed metal and mesh. In different tones, from golden varnishes for a touch of luxury to transparent varnishes to show the rawness of the material. Something that reflects one of the most basic materials in cities.
- Cement and concretes. The most characteristic texture of the urban environment. Mainly used as a base for floors, walls and ceilings.
- Light and saturated colours. They reinforce the feeling of technology and artificial materials. This trend can be at odds with the value of sustainability, so integrate it carefully.
- Smooth lacquers. In order not to fall into the saturation of textures, the best option to complete the list of materials is single-colour woods, either in white or black tones, which leave the protagonist role to RGB light or in saturated tones, which energise the whole.
Technology and sustainability as part of the brand language
When we seek to differentiate a retail space, we want it to appeal to consumers and convey the messages that make up the brand’s identity.
For that we must go beyond materials and textures, so we will end the post talking about two key points that cannot be missing in our redesign: channel and content.
The urban language is digital and technology is its channel. Audiovisual formats and interactive experiences are becoming increasingly important as the channel of choice for the target audience in this sector.
Furthermore, be capable of demonstrating that, despite the brand’s urban style, it is a sustainable style that aligns the retail space with the values consumers want to display as their own.
2022 Retail Trends – What do we expect from brands and distributors this year?
- New designs, more technology and a redoubled commitment to sustainability
- The pandemic, although not yet behind us, will not be a constraint
A new year has arrived and, as well as looking back to learn from the past, at HMY we are looking to the future trying to discern where the sales strategies of brands and retailers around the world will be heading in 2022.
The eCommerce boom, economic crises, a global pandemic… And yet, the result has not changed: Retail dominates sales. What has changed is Retail’s formula for remaining more relevant than ever.
Economic uncertainty and the pandemic have marked the beginning of the year in a society that has returned to the streets and shops with old and new habits, and the main Retail metrics point to sustained growth. According to the research portal, Statista, 6.6% growth is expected in the coming year, despite the renewed surge in eCommerce.
But how can physical points-of-sale emerge stronger in a post-pandemic society which has rapidly embraced online commerce? This is because Retail has adapted both out of necessity and opportunity.
What do consumers seek in 2022?
The eternal question and starting point for the Retail trends of each year. After analysing the projects we undertook in the second half of 2021, it is clear to our global experts.
Experiences
Retail’s great opportunity and value contribution to brands’ omnichannel strategy. The convenience of an online transaction is hard to beat, except in specific cases (such as convenience and transit), but consumer engagement can only be achieved with an experience that is enjoyed with more than two senses.
Visibility and proximity
The reach of online advertising is undeniable, but its saturation is reaching the same levels as traditional media.
This makes physical points-of-sale visually spectacular and strategically located ones have regained great value.
One of the most relevant metrics of the year is that influx to shopping centres has grown by 14%, as published by InfoRetail in November 2021.
Safety, but not uncomfortable
Something that consumers have internalised accordingly with the COVID situation and measures for each area and the individual habits. The role of Retailers has been relegated to providing the minimum requirements at all times in an elegant and non-intrusive way: keeping the point-of-sale unsaturated and without obstacles or major stoppers, making safety as automatic and clean as possible.
5 Retail trends for 2022 – The year of sustainability and technology
2021 was a key year in which two essential aspects that will mark the performance of brands and distributors in Retail began to take shape: sustainability and technology.
The main line of communication of most brands is the promotion of products manufactured from recycled materials and environmentally responsible initiatives.
Furthermore, the democratisation of the cost of technology for Retail is driving the number of points-of-sale that incorporate it. Brands are daring to create increasingly more impactful displays, especially in corners, activations and flagships, aware that this is the winning card for improving the consumer experience.
How are these inputs translating into trends for the year ahead?
1.Sustainable products in sustainable points-of-sale and recycling
Brands will apply the same strategy used with their products to their points-of-sale and activations. Sustainability initiatives in Retail will combine shops and marketing campaigns, conveying a message and creating spaces consistent with the communication.
2.Interactive shops
Having conquered the easiest part (digital signage), the level of technological spectacularity will increase at points-of-sale, where screens and one-way messages will no longer suffice and consumers will demand the ability to personalise their in-store experience through interaction.
3.Eye-catching and bold designs, together with premium formats
Points-of-sale as mere places of transaction no longer build customer loyalty. They have their space as points of convenience, but only those that offer something extra will succeed in building customer loyalty, i.e. those worth visiting… and posting on social media.
4.New materials and combinations
Light integrated into furniture has become indispensable for giving added value to traditional wood and metal, but retailers are already asking themselves: “Now what?”
In 2022 we will see a greater use of surprising materials, new textures, premium finishes… The use of ceramics, glass and vinyls will give commercial installations real personality.
5.Pure playersare redoubling their expansion strategies in Retail
The first brands born on the Internet are already in physical Retail and they have paved the way in recent years, demonstrating that it was not just a whim: online needs Retail and vice versa. Hawkers, Ecoalf, Oppo…
Their mixed selling strategies have led them to play with different shop formats to achieve their expansion strategies, but all surprising and brave. Who will follow them? Our “Keys to Expansion in Retail” guide will no doubt prove useful.
Consumers and technology have been changing the rules of the game for years, threatening the continuity of traditional Retail (mere product-currency transaction), but opening new windows and spaces that bring unique value to brands and customers.
It is in the combination of both aspects: digital (seamless and fluid) and physical (surprising, exciting and enveloping) where consumers truly connect to brands.
Each year, this panorama becomes increasingly defined in the form of emerging trends.
6 tips to increase visual impact in health and beauty shops
- How to make a cosmetics section or shop more attractive from the outside.
- Practical tips for attracting consumers more effectively.
The health and beauty industry is, along with fashion, the industry in which image matters most.
Your products are bought to enhance the user’s appearance and presence, make them feel better and present the best version of themselves. And that’s why the point-of-sale must achieve the same aspiration in order to attract customers.
Furthermore, visual impact is something that cosmetic brands have always pursued. They have created spectacular graphics, aware of the presence of their competitors in most of the environments where they sell their product.
This has led many health and beauty industry retailers to entrust the visual communication of their spaces to the merchandising that brands send out for self-promotion. This is not a bad practice, but it makes them a point of convenience with no differentiation of their own.
That’s why today we bring you 6 tips to increase the visual impact of a Health and Beauty shop that will also help multi-brand retailers to reinforce their positioning.
1.Discover what makes you stand out from the competition
And design your space around that positioning. Take the spaces of large multi-brand retailers with unique ambiences in which the consumer perceives real differentiation as an example.
To give a few examples: Primor’s use of nature and light to appeal to a more environmental positioning. Douglas’s Flagship shops appeal to the premium consumer and Séphora’s Beauty Hubs are the clearest example of their positioning as expert advisors.
Which leads us to the next tip.
2.Leverage technology to connect with consumers
Today’s consumer has a strong digital component. Often, the fact that there is technology at the point-of-sale connects with them because of its proximity to their lifestyle.
When referring to “pure and simple” visual impact, we cannot fail to mention digital signage. The effect on the consumer is instantaneous and unavoidable. In the same way that a television captures our attention in the living room, the brightness of the screens and audiovisual content attract consumers to the point-of-sale.
Furthermore, the multitude of possible formats means that digital signage can be adapted to almost any space without too much effort. We can see it at the top of murals, integrated into columns, on the gondolas themselves…
But best of all, this technology is not only a visual lure, but one of the most effective mechanisms for communicating promotions, discounts and other messages that make up the marketing strategy to consumers.
3. Brands provide the content – you provide the format
If we consider that screens are no longer novel enough, retailers have even more innovative options to highlight products, such as holograms.
Devices that are an experience in their own right, with the ability to differentiate the point-of-sale and attract consumers in equal parts.
4. Increases ease of product testing
One of the most enriching experiences for cosmetics consumers is testing the products. However, the whole process is too time-consuming and limits the number of cosmetics they discover. And even more so after the preventive measures adopted due to Covid-19.
In this regard, technology helps shops offer customers enriched experiences and make them see that the space they are in is much more than just a point-of-sale.
If we combine the two concepts, we find interesting technological experiences, such as augmented reality Makeup Testers. This is a fast-growing technology that facilitates product testing for consumers.
In addition, by personalising the filters, the retailer increases the association of the experience with the shop. Through it, they gain access to this novel product trial, and not only to the products used in the shop.
Undoubtedly a point that, properly promoted and positioned, will make a cosmetics shop stand out from the rest.
If you are interested in the digital transformation of your points-of-sale, be sure to download our guide to The Keys to Omnichannel in Retail.
5.Light is always your ally
On the more economical side of digital signage is visual communication using conventional lightboxes and, above all, dynamic lightboxes.
Lightboxes are already widely known and their use is widespread in all industries, especially in fashion and cosmetics. Dynamic lightboxes, however, add dynamism to the striking brightness of this format.
This means that, although it is not a screen and the number of messages that we can convey is somewhat more limited, we can still use the changes and fluctuations of light to attract consumers.
They are especially designed for those points where our content is not going to change very much. In addition, in those points where we want to maintain a very high visual impact, such as the different section headers in the shop or the shop window.
6.Helps consumers to navigate between multiple fragrances
Another negative consumer experience in health and beauty shops is being confronted with a myriad of scents without knowing beforehand whether they are their style or not.
Enhancing that experience and promoting the most profitable fragrances for the shop may have the same solution. This would also draw the consumer’s attention from any area, even from the street.
We are referring to the perfume recommendation wall, which is easy to install and very effective. It uses light pulses to attract consumers and a touch screen to understand what kind of fragrances they like the most. Accordingly, it recommends that closest to the user’s taste.
As you can see, technology is at your fingertips to increase the visual impact of your point-of-sale and improve the consumer experience in health and beauty shops.
3 keys to creating an efficient and sustainable environment with lighting
- Inefficient lighting not only produces a higher electricity bill. Its impact on the consumer experience and on the environment can also affect the cost-effectiveness of maintenance and installation costs.
- We give you 3 keys to prevent this from happening and to turn your shop lighting into a differential value for consumers.
The importance of good lighting
Historically, few sectors have considered light a strategic element of Shopfitting. The premise was: illuminate the product at the lowest possible cost.
This is an understandable position given the limited variety of solutions available, where durability and price were the only variables in the equation.
But today, Shopfitting has the options, the knowledge and the tools to propose real lighting projects focused on improving the visual of the space, the customer relationship and environmental respect as a basic element of the shop rather than a premium bet.
Why should we think of lighting in terms of efficiency and sustainability?
There are 6 types of costs associated with the lighting of Retail spaces (apart from acquisition cost). With an eco-efficient lighting project, we automatically reduce all of them.
Direct costs: infrastructure, installation, maintenance and electricity bill
Undertaking a lighting project from the perspective of “quantity and unit cost” always results in oversized projects. Consequently, infrastructure, labour, installation and maintenance hours will increase over time.
Indirect costs: environmental impact and labour costs
Naturally, the higher the electricity bill, the higher the energy consumption. And although a few kilowatts may not mean much to the profitability of our commercial spaces, they do to the planet when we all neglect them in the same way.
The point is to find out how to create an eco-efficient lighting project in a retail space.
What are the keys to creating an eco-efficient lighting project?
1. Limit light barriers in your layout
Something that great Retail designs have in common is that they play not only with the distribution of furniture but also with the distribution of light. Something to which more traditional shops give less importance, erring on the side of excessive zeal for the amount of product on display, which results in narrow aisles where not even the product itself is clearly visible.
Fortunately, this way of conceiving retail spaces is becoming more and more obsolete, and even supermarkets are opting for more open designs that create squares instead of aisles, where people and light flow naturally.
2. Think before acting: the lighting study
Measuring the layout of the space and calculating the amount and type of light we need will help us choose the most suitable elements to strike the best balance between cost, visual and experience. We will be getting the right amount of lux (lumens per square metre) at all points of the shop.
3. Quality over quantity equals savings
Usually, quality goes hand in hand with versatility and options. Choosing higher quality spotlights brings many benefits, but in this case, we will focus on three: greater durability, better light distribution depending on the type of beam we are looking for and, of course, lower energy consumption.
Now that you know the keys to creating an eco-efficient and sustainable environment with your shop lighting, contact us and take your point-of-sale to the next level.
