Week 3: Retail display research: What makes a successful retail display?

Supermarkets utilize a number of different techniques to create successful retail displays. The entire supermarket has been planned out in a way that certain products receive more attention than others and customers are forced to cover large area of the supermarket to find their desired products. Products are split up into sections that are tactically spaced around the store. Essential products like milk are often single purchases and are always placed towards the back of the store. Supermarkets do things like this so that customers purchasing milk are forced to view other products around the store and could then potentially make impulsive purchases on other products.

Products that are located in aisles are arranged in a hierarchy with leading brands receiving better placement than others. Popular products are usually placed towards the tops of the shelves where customers are more likely to notice them as they are at roughly eye level. Essential products are often placed at the ends of aisles as research has shown that customers have a tendency to only travel part of the way down each aisle. Supermarket specials, promotional products and new products are often displayed in their own individual structures that are usually placed on the ends of aisles or at the front of the store. These displays are usually large, colourful and hard to miss, giving the product extra special exposure.

Supermarkets are designed to be welcoming and make customers feel at home in a relaxed environment. Supermarkets and brands use a number of tactics to make customers feel a certain way about a particular brand, product or display. The use of colour is very important in attracting a buyers attention and it is often thought that different colours will invoke different emotions and have an effect on peoples purchases. Yellow is said to be the colour that is commonly associated with hunger. The fruit and vegetable section is arranged like no other and is always placed towards the front of the store. It is important for this particular section to promote an idea of quality and freshness that is commonly associated with healthy eating and also perishable foods. Unlike products in other sections, most fruits and vegetables are not packaged and their displays are often spread out giving customers the opportunity to look, touch and evaluate the products for themselves.

Supermarket displays use bright colours, large fonts and attractive imagery to inform customers and make them feel a certain way about a product. Coles currently have a special display set up for some Uncle Toby's Oats that not only promotes the products but also the brands key values and identity. Uncle Toby's products are often associated with being healthy and the display uses imagery and text that are not seen on the products packaging to help convey the brands values. It is of key importance for a display to stand out but to also demonstrate the brands value and why customers need to purchase their product.

http://blogs.abc.net.au/canberra/files/caroline_salisbury.mp3

Week 3: Mood Board: LNH Designs

The idea for my product was beanies with handmade logos/ designs. I had noticed that there were an awful lot of students at the university that wore beanies and seeing as Canberra is so cold I figured it could be seen as an essential product. I personally prefer black beanies with hand stitched and embroidered designs so I have decided to produce beanies with my own logo that would be sown on the front. I have designed a mock up logo that could potentially be used for the design. The logo would be printed or painted on some white fabric which would then be sown to the beanie. 

Beanies would be a relatively inexpensive product as they would require minimal materials and labor. Basic black beanies can be bought in bulk from sites like Amazon for only a couple of dollars each. Fabric is also relatively cheap and can be bought from sites like eBay or from art stores. I am yet to investigate the cost of actually printing/ painting the logo onto the fabric and will leave this until I have finalized the design. A simple option could be to have a large piece of fabric have several logos screen printed on it which would then be cut to size. A cheaper option could be to use special printing fabric and doing the printing at home. 

Week 2: How does packaging indicate brand value?

Packaging plays a very important role in representing a brand and communicating with the target market. Brands use different techniques to address their target audience and to demonstrate their brand value. Two popular brands of chocolate that are sold in Australian supermarkets are low priced brand Cadbury and high priced brand Ferrero Rocher. Although both of these products are sold in the same section of the supermarket, they are targeted at slightly different markets and are usually bought for different reasons.

Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate comes in a dark purple packaging. The packaging design is very simple and includes the Cadbury logo, the Dairy Milk logo and an image of a piece of chocolate. The Cadbury logo is a script font that flows smoothly through the design and is coloured either gold or white depending on the product. The Dairy Milk logo is a large block letter font with slight serifs and is written in capitals. The Dairy Milk logo is shaped like a wave and the Cadbury logo fits in neatly above it. Below both of these logos is an image of an individual piece of unwrapped Cadbury chocolate. The plain packaging design and the purple/ gold/ white colour theme give the design a luxurious and quality feel that is commonly associated with chocolate. The image helps to refresh your memory and ignite your craving for the taste of Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate.

Until only a few years ago, Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate came in traditional chocolate packaging that included a foil wrapper that was packaged in paper. Cadbury Dairy milk now comes in plastic packaging giving the product a cheaper feel and reminding you that this is not a high quality chocolate product. There is limited information on why Cadbury chose to lower the quality of their packaging but one would assume it was cost related.

Ferrero Rocher utlize a very different style of packaging to Cadbury and instead incorporate several different elements to the design of their products.  Ferrero Rocher chocolates are packaged individually and are then contained in a clear plastic casing that is different depending on the amount of chocolates being purchased. Each individual chocolate comes wrapped in gold coloured foil that then sits in a brown paper casing that has gold highlights around the edges. A small sticker with the Ferrero Rocher logo sits on top of each of the chocolates. A thin, serif font is used for the logo which is coloured brown and sits upon a white background. An image of an unwrapped Ferrero Rocher chocolate is included in the logo that is placed on the plastic outer packaging but is not included on the logo used on the individual chocolates.

The plastic packaging comes in all different shapes and sizes that differ depending on the amount of chocolates inside. Some boxes are shaped for special occasions like Christmas or Valentines Day. The plastic packaging is thin and clear and is kept relatively plain except for having some sort of base to hold the chocolates in place. The use of all of these elements successfully demonstrates the brands value and makes Ferrero Rocher seem like a high quality product. The metallic gold colour used and the use of different textures shows that the company goes the extra mile to make their product stand out. These techniques paired with a great tasting chocolate are what easily separates Ferreo Rocher from lower quality brands like Cadbury.

http://ronancasey.ie/2013/09/cadbury-lose-the-foil-and-their-irishness/
http://www.quora.com/Why-is-chocolate-rarely-wrapped-in-foil-and-paper-these-days

Week 1: Retail Brand Research: Smiggle

Smiggle is a stationary brand and retail chain that was founded in Melbourne by Stephen Meurs and Peter Pausewang in 2003. Smiggle has since grown to having stores in countries all around the world. Smiggle aim to influence their customers creativity through the use of fun and interesting stationary products. Smiggle are renowned for making products that utilize bright colours and bold graphics to create innovative designs that are both captivating and highly appealing. The smiggle owners believe that they are bringing a much needed fashion-forward touch to the stationary industry. Products come in an assortment of key colours that include purple, blue, pink, green, white, black and orange. 

These products are typically targeted towards young children and kids attending school. Stationary is vital throughout a child's education and Smiggle make products that would be seen as appealing to kids. The bright colours and fun designs help to inspire kids to be creative and make learning more enjoyable for themselves. Smiggle not only stock stationary but also other items kids may need for school like backpacks and lunch boxes. An assortment of products targeted towards a more mature audience are also stocked. Things like watches, headphones and lights come in a wide range of colours and styles that would appeal to tech savvy, fashion-minded adults.

Smiggle use bags that are made from bamboo to package their products. These are white bags with two handles and a large smiggle logo covering the bag. These bags are both appealing and eco-friendly, as bamboo is one of the worlds fastest growing plants. Like their products; Smiggles packaging is bright, bold and visually appealing. Utilizing certain products like bamboo to create sustainable packaging is a great idea that helps give the company positive attention.

 References
Smiggle, www.smiggle.com.au, Accessed 10/08/2015,
JMP Holdings, www.jmpholdings.com.au,  Accessed 10/08/2015
Milman, Oliver (22 September 2010). http://www.startupsmart.com.au/growth/how-i-did-it/smiggle-crowned-australias-top-retailer/20100922432.html Accessed 10/08/2015