Tuesday 7 May 2013

Retail Safari at Westfield gives back to basics VM inspiration!


The other day I was heading for an appointment in London and I had an hour to kill, so I hopped off the train a stop early and went to the shopping mecca, Westfield. Recession? What recession? It was jam packed with people jostling to get into their favourite shops.
I had great fun as I turned my trip into a retail safari and caught up with what the latest trends are being used to display product and was amazed that major brands were using such simple and extremely effective POS (points of sale) and methods to display their merchandise, that any independent retailer can or MUST get inspired by. Many of the items you will see below are  extremely low cost and almost basic looking, but they are so simple they really do look fantastic. Take a look and let me know what you think!
First stop was www.Ozdilek.co.uk. I wasn’t looking for new bathroom towels or bed linen, however I went past the shop having taken a look into the very back of the shop and had to do a double take as the colour blocking they had done was stunning. The photo doesn’t really do it justice, but hopefully you can get a feel for the power of a good colour block!
Colour blocking display www.Ozdilek.co.uk
 Next stop was Palladium Footwear. I just love the stones and oil cans as props!
Palladium using stones and petrol cans
Palladium footwear stones display
Close up of the stones:
palladium footwear stones!
Then onto one of my favourite shops, Urban Outfitters. Check out the retro look here, back to 80′s graph paper to display prices and messages,  super cool even if it does remind me of my maths classes!!
Urbanoutfitters display
 These wood POS really beat their acrylic cousins seen EVERYWHERE!!
Urbanoutfitters wood display
 The clothes rack using pipework, ribbon, graph paper and wood!
Urbanoutfitters clothes displayHere is a close up:
Urbanoutfitters display
A bit of Banksy to give the graffiti look and feel to the displays:
Urbanoutfitters display with Banksy
Got a horrid pillar bang in the middle of your shop? Here’s a cool way to decorate it and make it a piece of art!
Urbanoutfitters display pillar artPillar Art:
Urbanoutfitters display pillar art
Sign Up here! Don’t forget the essential opportunity to ask your customers to sign up to your offers and newsletters…
urban outfitters sign up POS
Student Discount highly visible at till point here:
urban outfitters student discount
And for the Urban Outfitter hipsters, the Spotify offer in a lovely wooden box:
urban outfitters spotify
This is what you see the tills:urban outfitters behind the till display
Next stop – am I outside a nightclub? No it’s Hollister! No branding, just comfy chairs and an nightclub-esque entrance! Take your shades off now, you will need your night vision at this uber cool venue!!Hollister
Again, a great example of stylish POS and not a spec of plastic in sight. This one can be interchanged depending on the required message:
Hollister POS
All those shops made me quite hot and in need of…aha! a frozen yoghurt! I discovered a fantastic place, Pinkberry, where the frozen yoghurts are sooo tasty. I must come back just for the mango and strawberry combo. Look at the simple, clean and fresh branding here.
Pinkberry
Roll up banners even in Westfield have a great impact:
Pinkberry frozen yoghurt
We hope we have inspired you to go on your own retail safari. Take your camera and see what you wouldn’t normally see.
Let me know how you get on and leave a comment in the box below!