Obscure, vaguely disconcerting

This adshel noted at Circular Quay earlier this week - unsure of what they are advertising ?  any thoughts anyone ?

talktoyourkids.com.au ... mmmmm ... must be a new thing... 

Is the Surf Up on George St ?

Classic Quiksilver store on George St - looks old school, but stands apart from surrounding stores and has 'attitude'.  Good use of brand iconography, and treble window plasmas.

Target's Bullseye

Great Target in-store graphics, Broadway. High impact in large busy store.

Retail Landscape

The Body Shop looking good

The Body Shop, George St - good looking store, good use of windows and lighting - laid out in shopper-friendly way.

The Small W

Witchery store, George St.  New window treatment - unsure if the 'W' approach works.  However, good to see them finally out of sale mode.

T2 Merchandising

Spotted in Bay Swiss store, World Square.  T2 is a vertically integrated tea distributor with retail stores.  Logical, then, they should seek to increase distribution through other cafes.  I thought this display was positioned just right at the counter, and was innovative.  (Excuse poor quality of pic) :).

Mall Rats II - the movie

A fun look at scenes from the mall.

SMIGGLE STORE FORMULA

Smiggle store interior shows off the simplicity of the design + funky colours + colour blocked merchandise = pleasant  shopping experience (in essence). Funky with frugality ?

Not Black and White

Liverpool St, Sydney city.  The elegant simplicity of this sign caught my eye - I love the colour accents and the shutter/ lens device.  However, I couldn't help thinking that the word 'studio' was perhaps superfluous - but then again maybe there are trademark issues with that option :)

No service ?

Market City, Sydney.  Shoppers looking at product, but this staff member (Gen-Y ?) seems more preoccupied with her cellphone.

BULGARI FROM THE BUS

Bulgari store, Castlereagh St Sydney

LESS IS MORE

Giorgio Armani, Martin Place, shows less is more.

Why We Buy - The Offer #consumer

Experienced retailers will tell you the 'offer' has to be good for shoppers to buy. What is 'the offer' ? Apart from the obvious aspect of price, 'offer' could be value or exclusivity (harder to achieve these days), a unique product or service or a combination of these. What is 'good' these days ? In a market where most products are commoditised, an offer has to stand out to be compelling. As with anything it needs to have a point of difference. It should be simple, yes simple, and compelling.

As a retail mentor once said to me, 'they need to be motivated to leave the dishes in the sink !'. The 'offer' needs to have a sense of urgency. What 'offers' work for your shoppers ? How have these changed ? How should you respond ? More importantly, what behaviour do you want to encourage, while maintaining margins ? It should be simple. Insight pays.

Plasma Power

General Pants Co., Pitt Street mall.  'Three-peat' plasmas add power to the message - busy mall justifies investment.

Apple busy to the Core

Apple store, George St, Sydney.  Very busy despite mid-afternoon on a Monday - seem to be long customer service queues.

General Pants on Fire

General Pants Co., George St store looks hot - well worth a visit.

Sleepwear wide awake

Peter Alexander sleepwear on George Street - stands out with attitude on busy street in city centre.

THE FEMALE PETER PAN

A trivia question: what is the female equivalent of the male Peter Pan syndrome - ie where men don't grow up and cling to the things of their childhood ? Not that there is any reason why it shouldn't apply to women - you just don't see it very often. Any thoughts ? we could start a new trend ... :)

SHADOW DANCING

Zu Shoes, Myer Centre, Pitt St