The retail industry has seen a significant phase of disruption in recent years. Social media platforms acting as a digital shopping mall along with the emergence of e-commerce has added a new level of complexity to this industry.

While the conversation around the demise of brick-and-mortar has emerged, there is an undeniable exhilaration of store openings worldwide. Despite the headlines, retail is being reinvented and only becoming more exciting.

Branding in the digital age

This digital revolution has changed consumers lives immensely, and it is time retailers follow suit. The consumer purchase journey is now experienced both online and offline. Successful retailers are building on their retail branding and ensuring cross-channel consistency, as well as a seamless transition between technologies.

Amidst all this change, the customer voice has also become louder and more influential – magnified by social media platforms. They too, are spoilt for choice. Today’s consumers are looking for constant engagement and personalised experiences. Brands need to be able to inspire and amaze, offering experiences at every touch point.

We look at some of our most successful retail branding clients.

Retail branding has come a long way from when a physical store, simple colour palette and logo would suffice. Prop Studios ensure brand continuity, developing a seamless brand footprint across visual identity, online communication, store design and interiors.

Naturally: brand identity & development

Naturally is one example of successfully evolving research and strategy into a customer-focused brand. Our team worked collaboratively with Naturally to develop their brand and visual identity. Following market research and customer insight, we identified three brand pillars: quality, transparency and community. We crafted the brand identity around ‘community’, positioning Naturally as a local, independent and reliable grocery store.

Evolving the brand, we created a website design through to full brand guardianship, product packaging and marketing communication. Taking the brand development through to the store design, we created design renders, technical drawing, in-store VM and a complete turn-key store fit-out.

This modular store blueprint will to be used for future spaces—on both a local and global scale. As part of our detailed service, our team tracked footfall, customers journey and emotional responses to influence future store designs.

Tata Harper: brand experience

Brand loyalty is key to create a future brand. Tata Harper looked to create personalised experiences all the while building a connection with customers.

Tata spoke of her vision for the space, “we wanted to develop a store concept that would go above and beyond for customers. Uncompromising skin care for the uncompromising woman.” Working with their visual team, we developed this concession with a focus on an open lab design, digital-led customer experience and luxurious notes. All while keeping customer experience and brand identity at the design forefront.

Developing on Tata’s vision, we installed touchscreen mirrors which offer customers a personalised skin analysis, image and video features, along with ability to upload to social media platforms. Connecting the brands online and physical worlds.

Maintaining the brands organic mantra, the materials were sourced for their sustainable nature. While the design celebrated the key elements of the brand and products, including glass terrariums containing seven of their natural flowers. Key to this in-store blueprint, was scalability. We will work with Tata Harper to adapt and roll out this design for future spaces globally.

ME London: experiential dining

Consumers are much more discerning about where they are prepared to spend their time and money. The need for social experience, even while having a meal has become much more pressing. This trend has quickly translated into experiential dining.

From London’s rooftops to a winter wonderscape, ME London certainly did not disappoint in this escapist experiential rooftop bar.

Three luxuriously furnished cable cars were installed to transport guests from city rooftops to the alpine slopes of Courchevel. Along with the detailed design, manufacture and installation, our team also developed the branding. From lift passes, drinks and dining menus, the branding was specially created to define the experience.

Branding Agency London

Whether an established and emerging brand, Prop Studios will work closely with your team to create a seamless experience across all channels.

For more information about how we can help grow your brand, please call +44 (0)207 399 8664.

Move aside, Beauty Conglomerates, there’s a new generation of brands launching globally and disrupting the traditional launch to market strategies, pioneering the way successfully. These brands from beauty, hair care, skincare and men’s grooming have one key thing in common: direct-to-consumer.

Young buyers of today are radically changing the way we shop and in turn, the way brands behave. Consumers have the power, and start-up beauty brands are paying attention. Beauty, skincare and even fragrance are now just one click away, no longer do Gen Zers and Millennials feel the need to speak to in-store staff about their needs, they trust the vlogger, influencer and celebrities continuously promoting brands.

In particular, there’s a buzz about transparency in Beauty and it’s proving to be a winning formula. So how do you appeal more to consumers in today’s short attention span, meme loving, market?

Authenticity

Sceptical consumers are clued up and no longer accept traditional marketing and advertising. They see through the hard sell and are after truthfulness and transparency. They want to feel part of a brand’s story, and feel heard. The success of Glossier cult fandom is largely due to how Founder, Emily Weiss listens to her customers and in turn, they’ve built up a strong online community through her beauty-focused publication, Into the Gloss. Glossier is audience-focused and feedback-driven with 70% of Glossiers’ online sales coming from peer referrals. Their plastic pouch packaging is made for Instagram.

In November 2017, Glossier unveiled their first brick-and-mortar store which also provided an offline experience for the launch of their fragrance, Glossier You. The interior is made for social sharing and clever use of interactive mirrors ensured customers were engaged, offering a truly memorable experience.

Disruptive Pricing

Most notoriously, Deciems’ The Ordinary made a clever move when it decided to name its products after the main ingredients featured in them. This is a brand that trades on transparency. Their consistently affordable range prove you don’t have to pay big bucks for your skincare.

Their store models are instantly recognisable, always small in size, simple interiors and letting the products speak for themselves.

Beauty Pie, a skincare and beauty brand allowing consumers to purchase under a membership model, cuts out the middle man. “Consumers are basically getting a backdoor pass to come into the factory with me and shop directly off the production lines,” says Marcia Kilgore, Founder of Beauty Pie. Which is why it’s been a hit as prices start from as little as £3.

Honest Branding/ Packaging

We’re seeing a rise in a minimal “less is more” graphical trend when it comes to packaging. Being clear, informative and to the point with consumers conveys a sense of transparency, cutting out all the frills that once captured their attention. The shift is down to consumer demands, they’re conscious about sustainability and taking a stance by sharing over-packaged orders on social media, in particular #antiplastic campaigns. This attitude is encouraging brands to consider social responsibilities and work on innovating their packaging to reduce the use of single-use, non-recyclable packaging formats.

Earth Tu Face, a purely plant-based 100% natural skincare brand from California ensures all their products and packaging are made in the USA with reusable, compostable and recyclable containers. They proudly state what they believe on their website and continue to echo it across every channel.

Packaging plays a huge part in leveraging brand loyalty across all channels, particularly with the sheer volume of competition emerging in the beauty industry. So perhaps keeping it simple is key.

To stand out this Christmas, start by showcasing your brands unique personality through your window displays. Christmas window displays have the exceptional ability to stop, engage and raise brand awareness, they conjure wonder and demand attention.

Follow our 5-step guide into creating a prominent and effective Christmas experience for consumers.

Step 1: Choose your theme

Having a clear, identifiable and cohesive theme is one of the best ways to capture your customers during the festive period. Where there is so much competition from retail giants and chain stores, an independent brand or start-up can differentiate themselves and stand out from the crowd through their window installations. Consider new products or campaigns also launching ahead of the festive period to ensure consistency across your channels.

Harrods harnessed the power of collaboration in 2017 as they partnered with Italian fashion brand, Dolce & Gabbana for an Italian themed takeover of their windows. The concept continued in-store with a full on Italian market experience.

Step 2: What’s your story?

What story are you trying to convey within your window display? A successful window scheme always tells a story. Keep it on brand, reflect your values and personality, reassert your brand truths.

Printemp Haussman department store told the tale of a little boy who travels from London to celebrate Christmas in Paris across their 11 windows. The little boy leaves London to celebrate Christmas in Paris dressed in a Burberry trench coat, cashmere scarf, rain boots and walking umbrella. He starts his journey in the twilight of winter and travels through the snowy English countryside, crosses the sea, takes the train and finally arrives in Paris at night. Printemps partnered with a select curation of brands, including Fendi and Burberry to bring the story to life.

Step 3: Consider the needs of your audience

Quite simply, know your audience. For example, do your customers crave an offline, tactile experience? Perhaps, considering Gen-Z are being more mindful of social media usage and it’s mental health implications. Or do your customers want to be ahead of the crowd and get an exclusive shareable moment? Is wellbeing at the top of their agenda? Or transparency? Sustainability? Listen to your customers, pay attention and reward them with the experience they actually desire. Offer a genuine experience and they are more likely to invest in your brand.

Step 4: Key Messaging

Of course, your window intends on driving footfall but not everyone will make the conversion to the store. So what key message do you want to leave passers-by with? When you capture their attention for 3 seconds – what will you be quickly communicating?

Step 5: The Power of Reality

Christmas windows are, traditionally, exciting explosions of festivity and fun. If anything is going to encourage shoppers to pause for minute, look up from their screens and enjoy reality – it’s a Christmas window. Utilise this moment to reassert your in-store experience to your customer. Encourage them to come in-store and experience your brand in 3D, to talk to your ambassadors, to feel your story. Now that more retailers are offering same-day delivery or click and collect options, it’s crucial for retailers to offer their customers something they can’t get online.

The tradition of the Galeries Lafayette Christmas tree dates back over a decade. Each year, you’ll find a different show-stopping tree underneath the mesmerizing art-nouveau dome of the large department store. All in keeping with their theme for that year. Their latest Christmas tree from their 2017 ‘Spectacular, Spectacular’ theme was made up entirely of inflatables consisting of candy, balloons and plenty of colour. It rotated and every now and then, a host of inflatables and sparkly forms danced up and down. There was also a VR experience on the 2^nd floor, where you could find yourself riding a roller coaster with moving seats, wind fans and immersive sound.

Whilst it’s important to create a winning Christmas window, it’s also vital to ensure you’re bringing together your product and your consumers.

Looking for an experienced retail design agency to help inspire your next Christmas store window display? Get in touch today to view our award-winning Christmas portfolio.

If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.

As brands, constant innovation is required to stay fresh and relevant to customers who have the world literally at their fingertips, therefore choice and knowledge. We see brands nailing this like Supreme, for whom collaboration is core to their identity, collaborating with everyone from Levi’s to Louis Vuitton. A current collaboration of Supreme’s brings together multiple brands through a combining thread of the 90’s album artwork of Public Enemy with multiple brands including Supreme, Undercover and Dr Martens.

A collaboration that instantly comes to mind is Louis Vuitton’s massive collaboration with Yayoi Kusama encompassing their products and spanning 460 store windows and 7 concept stores. Arguably this collaboration took them from a perhaps slightly stale luggage brand back to the fashion powerhouse that they are. There are many examples of sucssesful win:win partnerships out there – we have Puma x Rihanna, Vetements x Juicy Couture, Basquiat x Urban Decay, Anya Hindmarch and Kellogs, Krispy Kreme x The Simpsons.

The fashion world is currently waiting to see what Off-White, a powerhouse of collaborations, owner Virgil Abloh’s influence will be on Louis Vuitton as a recently appointed Artistic Director – and if his penchant for partnership will continue into the luxury label.

Fresh content & renewed relevance

We are all looking, or should be, at our roles in retail – be it an agency, a brand, an individual – in this ever evolving, digitally advanced, hyper-connected universe that is retail. One thing we can’t ignore is how digital advancements in particular perhaps, Artificial Intelligence, will affect those roles and that really the main thing humans will bring to the table is creativity.

However, constant creativity and innovation is difficult to keep ‘on-brand’. Collaboration can provide that brand stretch required to reach new audiences and markets.

There can be pitfalls to collaboration. Take a look at H&M designer collaborations with Kenzo, Alexander Wang, Erdem and now Moschino – some might argue that is becoming formulaic, maybe unexciting, even safe.

Longevity

That’s not to say longevity isn’t possible – look at Mac, who have been doing this successfully for years across famous faces repeatedly but then they push the boundaries with a Disney Villains or a Trolls collection. Their latest partnership matches a Puma sneaker collection to lipstick shades. This year a customer petition with over 26,000 signatures sparked a collaboration between customer and brand first, and artist next, with Mac releasing an upcoming post-humous collection with Aaliyah.

There can be no question that when you harvest experiences, interests, perspectives, passions, even customers – when you collaborate with people – you gain greater creativity.

Enjoying a 3-course meal at one restaurant is no longer the norm. With speciality restaurants, experiential dining, pop-ups and dessert bars on the rise, it’s clear as consumers, we want only the best experiences tailored to our every need. Consumers now tend to visit multiple venues in one evening and class it as “going out for dinner”.

As we now know, consumers choose to invest in experiences rather than products. It’s memories they’re looking to create. Brands have tapped into this by creating experiential concepts, it’s a key marketing tool being utilised in raising brand awareness but is also crucial to surviving in today’s competitive environment.

A typical night out would consist of going to a cocktail bar to start with, not you’re your average bar however. The cocktail bar would probably be something like experimental bar, Lounge Bohemia, a chic, secret and stylish bar in Shoreditch, offering cutting-edge cocktails and a large choice of Bohemian beers. The subterranean bar is hidden behind a door on Great Eastern Street.

Modelled on a 1970’s Soviet/Czech vibe, you will find old newspapers dotted about and a raw, kitschy, living room-style decor, with sofas and paper lamps. They’re original tipples such as Forest, which is delivered in a glass cone will bring to mind the taste and smell of wood. Lounge Bohemia have a perfect recipe to create a truly exciting and memorable experience from the get-go.

Next up, a restaurant of your choice. Consumers are always looking for the next best, trendy restaurant. The design of a restaurant plays a big role in luring consumers through the door, with “is it instagrammable” being the basis of the concept. The hospitality industry understands by creating a “destination”, consumers will always want that Instagram post to prove they’ve been there, done that. It’s key for their attraction and more importantly, their survival.

Restaurants that have harnessed the power of an attractive concept design are:

Sketch London: Their renowned pink décor now recognised as The Gallery.

Bob Bob Ricard: Equipped with a ‘Press for Champagne’ button at every table, it is famous for pouring more champagne than any other restaurant in the United Kingdom.

The sweet-tooth revolution and rise in dessert-only bars is partly due to the celebrated show, The Great British Bake Off, where the masses were introduced to mouth-watering treats that are as rich in design as they are in sugar. Were restaurants keeping up with the trends? Hotel Café Royal saw a gap in the market and opened the capitals first dessert only restaurant in March 2016.

Executive pastry chef, Sarah Barber notes:

“I’ve always felt that the desserts offered in some London restaurants were not as good as the main courses.”

And it’s clear by the numerous dessert-only establishments around, we all agree.

Why not finish your evening off at a cool pop-up bar? Our sister agency FormRoom were invited by Luxury hotel ME London to deliver a unique winter experience to launch the festive season at the exclusive ME Hotel: Radio Rooftop Bar Cable Car.

#AprèsWithAView, an experiential rooftop bar, transforms the usual urban oasis of the Radio terrace, into a winter wonderscape.

Renowned for its enviable views across the iconic London skyline, the cable car installation transports guests from city rooftops to the alpine slopes of Courchevel.

Within the exclusive & cosy enclaves, guests can indulge in seasonal offerings such as truffle-three-cheese fondue and spiced rum eggnog signature cocktails, or guests can enjoy Grey Goose Vodka and Vueve Clicquot Champagne.

As part of the experience, #AprèsWithAView guests are handed ski lift passes on arrival at ME London, before ascending to the roof top bar. The lift passes, along with drinks and dining menu were specially created by FormRooms’ design team to define the identity of the temporary experience.

A culture has very rapidly developed among young people, students and families, where they actively seek out unique experiences. The success of the wider world of niche destinations will depend partly on these independent businesses and their unique concepts to colonize the high street and account for consumer spending power.

Click here to find out how FormRoom can help you create the next great destination dining experience.

With Spring, comes one of Prop Studios favourite time of the year – Chelsea in Bloom.

Every year our workshop transforms into a floral fantasy – twisting, tying and forming thousands of stems into our latest window design.

Chelsea in Bloom is a floral art show that spills out of the Chelsea Flower Show onto the local neighbourhood from 21^st May to 27^th May 2018. The show is judged every year by a panel of Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) affiliated judges. This years theme is ‘Summer of Love’ and is inspired by the upcoming Royal wedding which can be interpreted as “Royal, wedding, golden ‘Summer of Love’ era of the 60’s/70’s or just ‘love’ generally”.

Our Designers are busy creating on-brand themed concepts that drive footfall, increase brand awareness and push social engagement. Our workshop team plough through early morning flower markets in the UK and internationally, mainly Holland, to find the best long-lasting blooms for our designs.

Our award-winning design for Khiel’s tied a new product release in with the Floral Safari theme through an ‘African Sundowner’ scene – marking the safari transition from day to night. We built a community connection between customer and brand by designing a window scheme that could be literally shared with customers by having the 670 flower pots available to take home individually. Our scheme was awarded Gold by the RHS panel.

Across the city, floral fever takes over with the art show extending to Covent Garden in Bloom and Belgravia in Bloom. Last year we worked with parfumier Miller Harris to transform their store for the Covent Garden in Bloom campaign. The aim was to highlight and showcase specific floral accents, taking the modern Bohemian spirit of Miller Harris as inspiration.

This year is no exception, as we craft floral brand experiences in our studio, ready for production in our workshop and installation in-store. We focus on crafting unique, memorable displays that visually communicate brand identity. Keep an eye on our Instagram @PropStudios for ‘Behind the Scenes’ snapshots.

Summer window display themes

For more information about our creative process, capabilities and how we can help you, please contact us today on +44 (0)207 399 8664.

8 nominations. 3 wins. 4 amazing projects from FormRoom & Prop Studios.

The winners have been revealed for the 2017 VM & Display Awards,
and we are absolutely thrilled with the results!

WINNER – Best Outstanding Feature/Prop
WINNER – Best In-Store Branding
FINALIST – Best Store Concept

For their first ever bricks and mortar store, Missguided came to Prop Studios to deliver sensational, creative social experiences in-store. We designed, built and installed many creations, including a ‘Unicorn Tears’ vending machine, oversized flamingo mannequin plinths, hashtag props, and the now infamous Missguided Monster Truck!

WINNER – Best Store Concept
FINALIST – Best In-Store Branding
FINALIST – Best Non-Fashion Retail Store Concept

FormRoom were invited by award-winning barbers Jack the Clipper to design and build their Flagship London barbershop. FormRoom re-branded the Jack the Clipper store identity, creating a Gentleman’s Club with a unique and macabre twist – with experience at the forefront.

FINALIST – Best Windows in an Independent

To celebrate the Urban Decay x Jean-Michel Basquiat capsule collection, Prop Studios were invited to design an immersive promotional site and window display, exclusive to Selfridges, celebrating the collection and paying homage to the much celebrated artist.

FINALIST – Best use of In-Store Graphics

FormRoom collaborated with Levi’s to design and build a concept pop up shop to celebrate the latest “You Say You Want A Revolution?” headline exhibition at the V&A Museum.

We’re very proud of our award for Best POP/VM Solution at last night’s Retail Week Interiors Awards!

Prop Studios loved working with Miller Harris, launched as part of Covent Garden In Bloom.

Earlier this year, world renowned perfumery Miller Harris, invited Prop Studios to produce an in-store installation and contemporary window scheme for their In Bloom campaign.

Details of the project’s design can be seen here, and information about its installation can be seen here.

Would you wipe all your data and reset our phone for a Ben Eine print?

To highlight the importance of personal data, FormRoom were invited by Radley Yeldar, a marketing and communications agency to design and install a Pop Up shop for cybersecurity and anti-virus provider, Kaspersky. The Data Dollar Store was based in Old Street Station and acted as a backdrop to the Kaspersky filming project. Radley Yeldar had hidden cameras put in place to capture the reactions of shoppers as they were asked to pay by data and not currency. In this store, the value of the product a customer wants to buy is not defined in monetary terms, but instead by how much personal data they’re willing to sacrifice to obtain it.

Kaspersky partnered with East London graffiti artist, Ben Eine to “sell” exclusive mugs, t-shirts and the most prized item, limited edition prints. There were only 100 of each item and FormRoom had to strike a balance between championing the products without necessarily making them centre stage.

FormRoom’s challenge was to effectively translate Radley Yeldar’s innovative campaign into an experiential retail concept. Large LED screens were placed in both windows to allow the data captured and harnessed by the onsite digital team to be broadcast to Old Street’s commuter audience.Our design team utilised minimal materials and natural textures along with simple but effective techniques to design an authentic Pop Up space which served both the retail and digital needs for the campaign. Vinyls were used in a strategic way to create different zones for each product category, whilst strategic propping such as suspended Edison Bulbs were introduced to soften the space.

FormRoom took inspiration from the Kaspersky brand colours to create a cohesive space that clearly marked the brands identity but in a subtle, artful approach true to the local area’s aesthetic.

Watch the video

Prop Studios design Folli Follie’s first Selfridges window

Launched as part of Selfridges’ Music Matters campaign, Prop Studios had the honour of working with international jewellery and accessories brand Folli Follie to design and produce their first window at London’s iconic department store.

FOLLI FOLLIE: SEE OUR DESIGN PROCESS

Animated Selfridges window crafted for NARS by Prop Studios

Prop Studios joined with NARS to develop and install an animated window scheme to launch the latest NARS lipstick collection at Selfridges, London. With a giant radio as the premise of the window and bespoke lighting, the brand and product launch is a perfect collaboration for the Selfridges Music Matters theme.

NARS: SEE OUR DESIGN PROCESS