Jerry Birnbach & Associates Store Planning Consultants

To Tech or not to Tech, that is the question?

admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:59:02 +0000

Is Retailing relying on technology to reinvent the buying experience? You bet it is and any firm consulting to the retail industry needs to be on the edge of technology as well. As an example our Retail Design Firm has upgraded our technology to allow us to design, manage and project manage retail projects nationally without stepping on an airplane. It is all on the screen and all communication is in real time. With Face Time, IChat, or Skype we communicate with our clients on a daily schedule live and in person. The technology allows us to reduce our fee structure, out of pocket expenses to our clients and manage immediately issues and concerns with a click of a mouse.

All designing of retail space, displays, showrooms have incorporated the use of portable device capabilities for consumers in mind. Our role in design and consulting is to anticipate the radical change in the retail playing field as a result of technology. We have been ahead of the curve which has enabled us to providing design services for over 25 years. Our clients projects need to be technology worthy in order to meet today’s consumer needs.

Walmart renews Meredith Better Homes and Gardens product line

admin — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:37:23 +0000

A simple statement but what goes on behind this news is a major accomplishment for the team that has put this all together. One of the most difficult tasks in retail is to have unique product, at the right price, with the best quality, and always in stock. We all know the power of Walmart to handle product from beginning to end, but in the beginning there was a design team. Obviously a team that has great design capability and understandswhat the customer wants and needs.

In todays retail environment, the point of difference has become the brand, and Better Homes and Gardens is as good a brand as there is. The transition of a printed media brand with great credentials to a physical product took a lot of thought and sorting out to have it succeed. I applaud this team of retailer and design team for giving America a product that will remain with us for years to come.

Designing Stores of the Future

admin — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:37:49 +0000

Trying to reinvent the wheel has been an age old challenge often met with disappointment. As Store Designers set their sights on creating the next great retail environment it is essential not to forget the basic principles of retail. Introducing the newest materials or technological advances into a new store design is only part of what will make that store design succeed.

Dollars per square feet still rule the retail universe and anyone that doesn’t think so can ask all the Award winning Store Designs that are no longer in business. As a retailer you must formulate the business plan to generate profit and then follow the plan to stay in business. Yep, it is that simple. Where many retailers run into trouble is not recognizing that the store plan, display methods need to be tested to see they can meet the business plans bench marks.

The math is easy, just take the product, the turns, the gpm, the units on hand and extend it out for a years worth of sales. If the number meets or exceeds your business plan volume or sales figures, you will live to see another year of retailing. I have found in my years of designing prototypes for start up retailers that they were doomed from the beginning as a result of not completing the exercise stated above.

We have made it part of our design process to prove out the capacity issues and inventory levels throughout the year before we pick colors, new technology or lighting. Our stores stay in business as a result of this review and we urge everyone to insist on having the figures proven before nails are placed into the walls.

Recently, a wedding gown store in Monsey, NY required the above scruiteny as the owner was working out of her home for years. She conviction to make the business thrive was obvious, but in planning the new store, it became apparent that they capacity to generate the profit to run the business could not be met based on the first design firm asked to assist her with the project.

Once we determined the sales performance and linear feet to make the profit levels a reality the design effort became much easier. We we able to concentrate on innovative design ideas which turned the basic landlord vanilla shell into a radient Euro Design Couture store. Every gown had a home and every piece was able to be displayed in the best possible way. We are proud to say the store has out performed expectations and the future looks bright.

Retailers look to find ways to achieve 10% increase sales in 2011

admin — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:04:36 +0000

You remember when life was good and all you had to do was hang a sign in the window “open for business”. Retail has been a barometer of the economy and recent results show that keeping even to last year is a challenge.

Jerry Birnbach Associates have spent most of this year on remodels, renovations and display design with a focus of increasing sales.

Today’s economy has made it necessary for all retailers to take a step back and with an honest eye evaluate if they are doing all they can to increase sales. There is no one factor to fix in order to insure a positive increase and the days of expansion are behind us for the time being. Product will always rule in terms of improving sales, but unique product has been driven by branded items. In the retail venues where the brands are all on a level playing field, price becomes the next factor that has to be right in order to succeed. With e-commerce past early development, this has become a worthy opponent for the brick and mortar retailer.

So what is left to correct or improve in order to get a leg up on the competition? Retail Design, Retail Display, Store layout, lighting, and bringing back a personality that meets your shoppers taste are all factors requiring a revamp to make your numbers. Our experience tells us that those retailers who cannot invent their point of difference and clearly express this to the consumer will fall by the wayside. The small retailer is fighting the well financed retailers that understand the need to be different and are willing to spend the money to obtain that difference. Through well thought out design, decor, merchandising assortments and consistent attention to detail, our retail clients are actually meeting their goals for increase sales in 2011.

If the Shoe fits check before you put it on

admin — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 14:26:16 +0000

I just stopped running in the opposite direction after seeing this photo long enough to comment on the photo. The concept is good, educate the consumer is a very important way to keep your customer base and have a credible reputation. An important evaluation for a retailer is what will be the return on investment by giving up selling space for demonstration space. I do not believe that this item can generate a great amount of volume and illustrating another building material such as deck stain sample colors would bring more dollars into the register.

Retailers have a moral and legal obligation not to mislead a consumer. This footing does not meet any code I am familiar with. You are correct in saying this needs to be a minimum of 3′-6″ below the ground to prevent it from breaking up and cause a failure in the deck structure. For the record, I have found more home closings turn to disaster because the deck was not filed and did not have an inspection to declare it safe.

Back to retail, love the concept, pick your battles, and be sure the message will not lead you to a litigation that could put you out of business.

Product verses Display, who should win?

admin — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 10:39:23 +0000

Ask any retailer the definition of a “great look”. The answer would be a full product presentation with no part of the display showing! I would say the above with some display showing to border or frame the product.Granted if you sell out of an item and the store staff are too slow to fill the goods back in, then the exposed display does look better then conventional slotwall or pegboard.Just remember that slotwall works well in aligning product in the horizontal direction. However the downside of slotwall is the strict dimensions in the vertical position. If you product package hanging on the peghook is in multiples of 2.75″ on a 3″ on center slotwall spacing life is beautiful If the package is over that dimension, the end result is you have to skip a row when placing the item one over the other. When you calculate the lost area due to the spacing it could result in $100 per sq. ft. loss in sales productivity. Multiply that loss over an entire store of slotwall and it isn’t a pretty story. Remember form follows function and if the product and packaging works to the slotwall strict rules that is a good solution. If not, you are penny wise and pound foolish

Looks like a duck, sounds like a duck, must be the perfect display

admin — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 13:36:31 +0000

So I was saying based on the images in this blog of wire bins. This concept of display is perfect for the category of goods it is showing. In the case of Walmart, Target or CVS the savings to the chain can exceed $100000 a year based on just the 9 bins shown in this photo.A wise retailer once explained the basis for this claim is that the only way retailers can make money theses days is to cut overhead. Almost any product is so well shopped including imports from China that the difference of an item from chain to chain is negligible. Therefore the gross profit is the lowest it can be and the only way to make money is to handle the product more efficiently.If the bin was not used and a shelf was the alternate solution, I estimate the following savings:at $10.00/hr labor rate, and 3 minutes more to load product onto a shelf per section, times 10 reloadings of product per item over a year equals $4.80 per item. 9 Items shown in photo times 2500 stores comes to $108000 in labor saved.Design is a business decision first and an esthetic consideration after. Look at the whole picture before landing on what you consider the best display solution.

First in or you won’t win

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 15:00:09 +0000

Okay, I get it. It took ten years to believe smoking is bad for your health. If only people listened when the argument first was published their longs would have had ten more years to improve themselves from the day of that notice.Attention those who believe that the social network phenomenon will be a thing of the past. Remember when there was no such thing as a bar code on product? Where you one of those who said this concept will never stick! I don’t think you were because you would be out of business and in another industry by now.I have been saying that there is a golden opportunity to create distance between you and your competition as well as spike sales and have a great PR story to rally around. Social Networks are a door to meet your customer, one on one, and hear what they have to say for free when focus groups would cost you hundreds of dollars per person.Read what was released today regarding the Twitter, google and Facebook websites

With the internet the one thing you cannot overcome is time. Ranking, placement, and exposure is dictated by who was first. It is no easy task to play catch up should your competition beat you to the punch.

Our firm has created a division, Net Prospector consisting of Internet experts who are promoting your business, creating excitement, showing retailers that their vendors are partners and participating in driving their category business. A national reunion with your customer base is only a twitter away, so let us help you make the event a profitable one.

retailer turn to social media to meet their customers

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 23:30:57 +0000

Comment to: Retail Design Diva Blog

As the man said ” you ain’t seen nothing yet” when it comes for Retailers using the social networks to promote their business.

Beyond the obvious as to why Retailers can always use the promotion from satisfied customers about their store, there is opportunity for the vendors as well.

Vendors can now assist the retailer even with private label product by polling customers as to their likes and dislikes. I believe that next seasons goods will be created by the vendors and retailers downloading their actual customers. Our Store Design Firm has created a division called NetProspector which helps the retailers and vendors find their demographics and talk to them one on one. Twitter and Facebook reach an ever increasing potential customer base and one good virus could make your months sales.

Jerry Birnbach F.I.S.P.

NetProspector on Twitter

http://retaildesigndiva.blogs.com/retail_design_diva/2010/05/hm-has-an-eye-foryoutube-facebook.html#comments

A simple twist to a better rate of sales

admin — Tue, 18 May 2010 12:53:45 +0000

Firstly, I do take exception to the term “Jerry rig” followed by “Jerry built” however, I have become use to it.

The concept of presenting product to the flow of traffic is a sound merchandising idea. With the 45 degree angle, the product takes on a new viewing vista to the customer coming down the aisle.

The problem here is that the product needs to face in one direction because of the dynamics of the package are such that if you alternate the direction, you reduce the actual dimension of available loading space as you go back. That is not good, because the capacity is the most critical issue with product presentation. You can see from the photo that the product went back only two rows and stops. The other consideration is that if the right product is shopped and removed, there is no longer a visual image showing to the other direction.

This design is a left hand, right hand solution meaning it is intended to fit in either side of the aisle but only showing product in one direction. The proof is that the right side of the display in the photo is blocked visually by another product shelf therefore, the 45 degree view serves no purpose in stopping traffic.

The direction of traffic usually puts the direction from the front of the store going back as the primary direction to show the goods on a 45 degree angle.

I agree the pricing could have been handled better by the store, that is why it is to the vendors best interest to design the unit with minimal store participation. Assuming the store would load the product into the unit correctly apparently was too much of an assumption. Lastly, the store and the vendor better figure out why an entire bin of product is empty? That did not happen in one days worth of sales. In today’s difficult retail environment, this void of product is costing both partners dearly in lost sales which cannot be made up easily.