INSPIRED IDEA

For a commodity product Kikki K East Gardens
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EYECATCHING

At Smiggle East Gardens
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A RARE SIGHT

these days - a retailer looking for staff.  Harvey Norman, Moore Park.

CHAOS IN BRANDS

at Kaos Surfwear, Salamander Bay, but then it probably works for the core audience.

STYLISH

Vodafone shop for secondary provincial Mall location Salamander Bay Nelson Bay
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PAIN

And distress dilutes brand purity. Normally very tidy presentation. Adairs Moore Park.

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JB HI FI SHOPPOLOGIST REVIEW

JB Hi Fi is by any measure an Australasian retailing phenomenon.  In the midst of the worst recessionary conditions, it has just posted 40% profit growth - see below.  We visited a store as mystery shoppers to go 'under the hood', and take the pulse.The video clip is a visual record of what we found. 

I visited Bondi Junction, a regular haunt for me.  The store was quieter than it has been on all my previous visits, especially for a Saturday.  However, the layout and merchandising generates a sense of excitement and buzz, supported by the 'ambient' rock music - if those terms could ever be used in the same sentence.

It is clear that the brand is highly relevant to today's market. Despite an era of internet downloads and illegal copying, customers are still happy to pay for the 'real deal, even in a recession.  What could be better than getting a great range at a great price, and with good service when required ?

The staff look the part - I was served by a young dude with a headband who could have just stepped off-stage.   I have always found their staff knowledgeable when approached, although they are not always smiling, they certainly have the inside knowledge on their product, and are willing to share their passion.  They keep busy which is a great thing to see - motivation is the result of activity. 

The product range is akin to category killer status - there is not much in the core categories of music, movies and sound and vision equipment you cannot find there.  A minor gripe is their camera offering which seems a bit limited, and not as competitive, but I guess they have to make their margin somewhere.

I liked the extent to which they provide 'curated choice' - apart from the expected Top Sellers, and New Arrivals, they also have staff recommendations, and then promotional displays in high traffic areas, some of which are clearly supplier funded.  This is not rocket science, but something many retailers do not get right.  

The layout gently 'forces' you to navigate many of the areas of the store.  The fixturing, lighting and flooring is simple and reinforces the brand promise, without looking dirty or cheap.  They walk a fine line between range and visual clutter, but then this is not a store for minimalists !

The brand proposition is clear and simple - reinforced by the black on yellow colours, simple fonts, quirky execution of the font, and even works with handwritten bargain signs, normally a no-no of professional retailers.   They feel like street traders who really know their customers and their product. 

Their customers were a cross-section, but mainly males, both younger (up to 30) and those you would call baby boomers - the latter provide a steady trade in the profitable backlist product.

The overall sense is of brand integration - or alignment - throughout - a very rare thing in retail today.  

PHENOMENAL JB HI-FI

 Amazing results from JB Hi-Fi.

(Source: Inside Retailing)

http://www.insideretailing.com.au/Default.aspx?tabid=53&articleType=ArticleView&articleId=4662

FACEBOOK FLASHMOB

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/02/09/uk.station.flashmob/index.html

Source: CNN

Thousands of dancers jammed a major London train station in a Facebook-driven "flashmob" mimicking an advertisement for a phone company.

Thousands of people attended Friday's silent disco.

And the event last Friday evening was so successful that another is planned for next Friday in Trafalgar Square in central London. Plus, a group has been set up to organize another one at Liverpool Street Station a week later.

Videos posted on the social-networking site showed Liverpool Street Station completely filled with people, counting down the seconds until the clock showed 7 p.m., then dancing to music on their mp3 players as the hour struck.

NAPOLEON INVADES

Napoleon Perdis kiosk in Bondi

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DRAMA AT PETER ALEXANDER

Shop theatre unfolds at lifestyle sleepwear store in Bondi

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APPLE OF MY EYE

, 

New format Telstra shop in Bondi looks like an Apple knock off, only more corporate.

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THE FRAGRANT DESERT

Perfume shop in Bondi. Normally busy but deserted today. Dept store competitors have huge specials on.

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ENLIGHTENED SHOES

Display David Jones Bondi

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EYECATCHING POS

David Jones Bondi very stylish Chanel POS image.

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RETAIL RAIN IN SPAIN

(Source: The Age)

http://smallbusiness.theage.com.au/managing/finance/the-pain-in-spain-offers-retail-re-frame-913451414.html

A very insightful article about retailing in Spain, but with globally applicable learnings.

LOVE IN

The window. Broadway.

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DESPERATE DEALS

Dick Smith Powerhouse Moore Park. Sign of desperation from normally professional operation.

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HOT DOTTI

Dotti window Broadway good use of brand iconography

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SPORTSGIRL IN BRIEF

Melbourne airport Virgin terminal small format Sportsgirl store has great location and target market fit. Smaller range to suit small footprint and high rent.

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BOOST TO VIRGINS

Melbourne airport Virgin terminal. A great fit between Boost Juice and Virgin brands.

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rich relevance lifts online sales

Interesting article from Ogilvy blog:

http://cats.blogilvy.be/index.asp?news_id=7508

A PIECE of PROVENCE

In Bondi Junction. L'Occitaine has great consistency in execution, to a high standard, across most locations.

QUIKSILVER

Eye catching window in Bondi

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SURF'S UP IN BONDI

Oakley window sells the dream in bondi junction mall

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CHIC AND CHEAP

Affordable design for the masses at Target Bondi.

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HOT TO TROT

Heatwave causes rush on fans to beat recession at Harvey Norman. But customer service levels poor as shopper numbers took them by surprise. However, given they were advertising the Aussie sale (Australia Day), this shouldn't have been the case. Bondi Junction.

CHILLING

The mall is the coolest place when outside temp is 35 C. Crowds at Bondi junction

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SCENES FROM A MALL

Bondi junction

FRESH LOGO

Much discussed new Woolworths brand identity launched in recession. Bondi
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ENGAGE THE SENSES

Fleischengeist sells liquers and oils by the bottle. Bondi Junction
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DREAM SHOP

Peter Alexander sleepwear Bondi Junction
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CHANEL IS COLOUR

Eyecatching window in Bondi Junction
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INDULGENCE BEATS RECESSION

A full shop in Bondi Junction. Young segment without credit hassles and major commitments spends on itself.  

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SHOPPING MALL IS THE MEDIUM

How Mall foot traffic is now valued by the mainstream advertising media .  Bondi Junction used to promote TV shows. 

THE SOCIAL CHUNGA

Interesting story (Source: The Australian).  

A QUIRKY internet advertising campaign featuring the character Hans Fagerlund -- the headband-wearing front man for Kit Kat Chunky chocolate -- has had remarkable success for snack company Nestle.

The $1 million campaign -- which invited young men to go online to play Chunga, the virtual game at which Fagerlund was a former champion -- achieved results Nestle would normally have expected from a television campaign, but at a quarter of the cost.

People ate 63 per cent more Kit Kat Chunky bars and brand awareness jumped 8 percentage points in research tracking the effect of the Kit Kat Chunga Championship campaign.

The campaign -- most of which ran on social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and YouTube -- was the most comprehensive of its type in Australia.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,24922283-7582,00.html

EXPERIENTIAL ADVERTISING IN-STEP WITH COMMUTERS

(Source: Ogilvy Blog)

350 dancers surprised commuters at London's Liverpool Street station, promoting T-Mobile.

http://www.blogilvy.nl/motion/dance/

RIPPER WINDOW

At Rip Curl DFO a window that sells the dream.  They set a high standard, with great graphics, even at their outlet shop.

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EYECATCHING DISPLAY

Clever display for Nokia phones with GPS capability.  Dick Smith Powerhouse, Moore Park.  Sets it apart from the crowd in this category.

BUZZING

Today at DFO outlet centre a 'Cue t' sign.  The centre, near Homebush, was pretty busy, as people snapped up bargains.

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THE ENDLESS SALE

Great window which will help extend the sale's freshness. Chapel St Melbourne.

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A GREAT STORE

L'occitaine store Chapel st Melbourne very focused concept well executed. They deserve to do well.

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SALE DRESSED UP

Cool sale window. Jigsaw Toorak rd Melbourne.

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DESPERATE SALE

A sign of retailer pain to come. Home fabrics shop Moore Park Supa Centa.

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RUDD'S CASH BONUS PROMPTS RETAIL BOOM

Dear Shoppologist readers,

You have been sent this article link by The Shoppologist courtesy of smh.com.au

Personal Message:

The fiscal stimulus has made a difference, but 2% retail growth hardly constitutes a boom !

Rudd's cash bonus prompts retail boom

January 13, 2009 - 7:38PM
To view the entire article, click on: http://news.smh.com.au/business/rudds-cash-bonus-prompts-retail-boom-20090113-7g2a.html

Sign up for news updates from The Sydney Morning Herald newsroom emailed each morning and afternoon: http://www.smh.com.au/newsletters/subscription.html

Visit http://www.smh.com.au/ for updated local and world news, sports results, entertainment news and reviews and the latest technology information.

COMING SOON: FORTHCOMING ATTRACTIONS

These articles coming soon to this blog:

• The futures of Australasian retailing
• Sticky customers
• The High Street: niche or nothing
• SHOPPOLOGY LANDSCAPE - the consumer in habitat
• Needs, wants, must

Watch this space - let me know what else you want to read 

SALES GO NAKED

Queenspark East Gardens - certainly attention-getting, quite innovative.

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NEW BANK CONCEPT

East Gardens Bankwest very consumer friendly - great use of colour, open frontage, soft warm lighting, open areas, very funky - worth a look.

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INVITING STORE

East Gardens pharmacy. Consumer friendly inviting frontage.

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POWER SALE GONE FLAT ?

Dick Smith Powerhouse Moore Park Supa centre. Same sale POS material for last 3 weeks begs question of how to keep 'sale' fresh for customers ? POS signage is strong, attention getting, despite a weak location (upper floor, end of mall).

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GREAT SALE SIGN

A differentiated sale sign that stands out in a sea of sameness. Broadway mall.

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YET ANOTHER RETAIL BLOG ?

A FAIR QUESTION, given the plethora of information and opinions available on the Net.

NOW MORE than ever, retailers and advertisers should tune into what consumers are saying, thinking, and how they are behaving. Most retail commentators focus on the state of the retail industry - which is valid, but ultimately limiting - this blog aims to contribute by focusing squarely on the consumer, as all revenue projections are affected by what she or he is thinking and doing. The core idea is: consumer insights can make a difference, they can be turned into actionable concepts and incremental EBITDA. I hope thinking retailers and advertisers alike enjoy the content and find something useful here. I will be looking at the retail experience and advertising, and the touchpoints that make a difference to consumers' lives.

PLEASE DROP me a line if you have any comments or observations.

Cheers.

THE COLONIAL SPRUIKER

The Colonial spruiker seems a bit wasted on the $2 shop, but at least he stood out - with a 'posh' accent and eccentric outfit, fitting in perfectly into the eclectic suburb.