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!
Next stop was Palladium Footwear. I just love the stones and oil cans as props!
Close up of the 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!!
These wood POS really beat their acrylic cousins seen EVERYWHERE!!
The clothes rack using pipework, ribbon, graph paper and wood!
A bit of Banksy to give the graffiti look and feel to the displays:
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!
Sign Up here! Don’t forget the essential opportunity to ask your customers to sign up to your offers and newsletters…
Student Discount highly visible at till point here:
And for the Urban Outfitter hipsters, the Spotify offer in a lovely wooden box:
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!!
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:
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.
Roll up banners even in Westfield have a great impact:
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!