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SDEA Shoptalk November 2020

SDEA Shoptalk November 2020. All the latest news, insights and more for the retail, leisure and hospitality display community.

SDEA Shoptalk November 2020. All the latest news, insights and more for the retail, leisure and hospitality display community.

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Shoptalk

The latest news and offers for SDEA members and the display industry

NEW SDEA PRESIDENT

AND VICE PRESIDENT ELECTED AT AGM

The Association made history at its 73rd

Annual General Meeting – by holding it

virtually for the very first time. On 22nd July

members logged on to the Virtual AGM and

heard all about the hard work that has been

undertaken over the past year for SDEA

members and what exciting plans are afoot

for the year ahead, including the launch of the

new Meet The Buyer event: Creative Design &

Display Connections

(www.cddconnections.com).

During the day’s proceedings Executive

Council elections were carried out with Paul

Smart, Business Development Director at

arken P-O-P International being voted

President of the Association and Mark

Chatterton, Managing Director of Morplan was

elected Vice President.

(Paul Smart the new President)

The new President is excited at the prospect

of being at the helm of the Association and

said: “I am looking forward to the challenges

ahead in these trying times and hope to see

and speak with many of our members to

review where we can help each other.” Paul

had held the position of Vice President of the

Association for the previous two years.

(Mark Chatterton became Vice President)

Angus Morton, Head of Sales & Marketing at

bbrown Display Materials becomes Immediate

Past President. Angus was instrumental in

launching the Association’s Member Matching

Service: m2m - a free service which has

resulted in many thousands pounds worth of

business between members.

Two new members joined the Executive

Council this year: Paul Higgins, European

Managing Director at RTC and Rob Hill,

Production Director at Graphica Display.

They join existing Executive Council members:

Ronald Cohen, Chairman of Foxbarn Ltd,

Bob Garton, Managing Director of Glencourt

Associates Ltd, Simon Olley, Managing

Director of Stylo and Nick Wraith, Managing

Director of Unibox.

The Executive Council will work together over

the coming months bringing fresh ideas and

inspiration, securing the future growth of this

highly valued organisation.

Shop and Display Equipment Association

24 Croydon Road

Caterham

Surrey CR3 6YR

T: 01883 348911

F: 01883 343435

E: enquiries@sdea.co.uk

www.shopdisplay.org

Editor: Antony Behiels

November 2020

Inside this issue:

SDEA NEWS 1

MEMBER

NEW MEMBER

NEWS

FOCUS

1

2

- 6

DIARY MEMBER DATES NEWS 3-6 7

QUININE DESIGN INSIGHT 7-8

VIRTUAL RETAIL INTERIORS SPECIAL 9

DIARY DATES 9

EXCLUSIVE SDEA MEMBER

DISCOUNT OF 25% AT VIRTUAL

RETAIL INTERIORS - SEE PAGE 9

FOR DETAILS.

EXCLUSIVE INSIGHT FROM

QUININE: WHY VIRTUE IS THE

NEW COOL - SEE PAGES 7&8

- 1 -


NEW MEMBER FOCUS:

100 PERCENT GROUP

100% provides awardwinning

solutions to

implement and optimise

retail marketing campaigns

in stores across the world.

They provide a comprehensive range of services from surveys &

audits, installation, new product updates, maintenance, to

sustainability solutions for end-of-life materials.

Specialising in international project implementation, the company

offers a centrally managed service to deliver campaigns with

global control and consistency, leveraging local expertise and

resources in over 65 countries across UK, Europe, Russia, Turkey,

Middle East, India, Africa, USA & Canada and beyond.

100% bring ideas to life for some of the world’s biggest retail

brands. They’ve worked on high-profile product launches and

ground-breaking in-store experiences for brands like Adidas,

Beats by Dre, North Face and Sonos.

This is the kind of challenge their team thrives on. Talk to them

about your next project!

Contact:

t: 0161 929 9599

e: hello@100percentgroup.com

w: www.100percentgroup.com

NEW MEMBER FOCUS:

PLASTICRAFT DISPLAYS

Plasticraft Displays are UK Manufacturers of Retail Shop Fitting

Supplies.

With a huge range of retail shop fittings and acrylic shopfitting

supplies, Plasticraft Displays offer a variety of acrylic displays for

shopfitters as well as other industries, such as acrylic display

cabinets for museums, leaflet stands for banks and acrylic signs,

acrylic display stands and displays for airports, window cable

displays for estate agents and many more!

If you have any questions or require a bespoke acrylic product,

please contact tracy@plasticraftdisplays.co.uk.

Contact:

t: 01484 453358

e: tracy@plasticraftdisplays.co.uk

w: www.plasticraftdisplays.co.uk

Whatever you want to display and however you want to display it,

they have the products for you. A huge range of acrylic retail shop

fittings - from acrylic shop displays in a variety of styles including

slatwall and shoe stands to serious shopfitting supplies including

gridwall panels and slatwall panels and all the slatwall

accessories you'll need.

If you can't find the acrylic displays you need, their in-house

design and development team will work with you to create a

custom acrylic display to suit your requirements.

Plasticraft Displays supply trade, but are also open to the public.

You are welcome to visit and view products at their premises in

Huddersfield. Easy purchase is available from their online shop

with delivery or collect from their premises.

- 2 -


MEMBER NEWS

SAFER WORKING SPACES WITH

VECTROSCREEN FROM BOHLE

Bohle has launched VetroScreen, a highly flexible cough and

sneeze-guard screen system for glass or polycarbonate sheet.

Available either as clamps or free-standing, VetroScreen, has been

developed as a solution to providing temporary or permanent

screen protection from airborne aerosols.

A weighted, freestanding desktop version manufactured in

aluminium and steel, with self-adhesive pads, provides a solid

foundation for glass screens typically up to 800mm high

dependent on application. For widths over 1200mm more clamps

or stands can be added for stability.

Both versions of VetroScreen allow screens to be easily repositioned

and re-purposed without damage to existing surfaces.

Powder coated aluminium VetroScreen clamps simply slide over

the edges of counters or tables to be tightened by hand, providing

a secure, safe and unobtrusive fix for screens typically up to

1000mm dependent upon application.

For more information please email info@bohle.ltd.uk, call free on

0800 616151 or visit www.bohle.com

Contact:

t: 0800 616151

e: info@bohle.ltd.uk

w: www.bohle.com

DISCOUNT DISPLAYS LAUNCH NEW

TRADE DIVISION

After 30 years of success in the displays, exhibition and large

format print industry, Discount Displays are launching a new trade

division.

Available to printers, sign makers, exhibition companies, marketing

companies and other resellers, DDT has a wide and expanding

range of print and display hardware at highly competitive prices.

A recent expansion in their HP Printing arsenal has allowed DDT to

significantly increase their capacity and expand their range of

substrates. This allows them to now offer reliable and affordable

large format trade printing services alongside their retail

operations.

With long-established supply chains, DDT has a fully tried and

tested range of hardware products. “We have a great relationship

with our suppliers, they are incredibly reliable and always supply us

with high-quality products at great prices… we aren’t static though -

we are always looking to expand our offering and whenever we

decide to source a new product we will test multiple suppliers to

ensure we only supply the best hardware at the best prices.”

Contact:

t: 020 3876 6798

e: trade@discountdisplays.co.uk

w: www.discountdisplays.co.uk/trade

- 3 -


MEMBER NEWS

Glencourt Associates, the Gatwick based ‘white collar’ recruiter

that specialises on the retail interiors market, celebrates its 30th

birthday this month. Founded in a year when the UK economy was

also in recession, the company remains focused on the same

market sector but has extended its geographical coverage outside

of the UK.

Contact:

t: 01342 712253

e: bob@glencourt.co.uk

w: www.glencourt.co.uk

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY TO

GLENCOURT ASSOCIATES

Founder and Managing Director Bob Garton stated: “The business

has developed significantly since I was working by myself in a spare

room at home. Much of this can be attributed to the very loyal

team that we have developed. One consultant has now been with

the company for more than 20 years, and between us we have in

excess of 190 years’ practical experience of the retail interiors

market.”

Bob continues: “The last ten years has seen the company expand

into mainland Europe with the team now able to recruit in nine

different languages. Fortunately, I do not foresee Brexit having a

negative effect on our work on the continent.”

FLOWBOX WINS 2020 RED DOT

AWARD FOR PRODUCT DESIGN

Flowbox, designed and manufactured exclusively by Kendu In-

Store Visual Solutions, has received a Red Dot Award: Product

Design 2020. As one of the world’s most sought-after quality

marks for good design, the Red Dot Award highlights the power

and potential of Flowbox for retail.

“I am pleased that Flowbox has been recognised in the prestigious

Red Dot Awards for its product design. This esteemed award also

belongs to our clients as they are the ones who push us to

constantly innovate to create unique shopping experiences for a

sector that’s in constant change,” comments Álvaro Cabrera, CEO,

Kendu.

The Red Dot jury complemented its composition and innovation,

scoring Flowbox highly in design, aesthetic and quality of use. In

their evaluation the Red Dot jury stated: “the animated images of

Flowbox attract attention in a retail environment. The ease of use

of the dynamic display is also very impressive.”

Contact:

t: 020 3735 5258

e: info@kendu.com

w: www.kendu.com

- 4 -


MEMBER NEWS

DISPLAY DEVELOPMENTS SUPPLY MAZDA

DEALERSHIPS WITH SNEEZE SCREENS

Display Developments offer a standard range of sneeze screens

which are now available in two different material options including

an impact resistant version manufactured in HIPS material.

The company can manufacture screens in bespoke sizes. For

example they recently manufactured a number of acrylic sneeze

screens for Mazda Dealerships in Kent, in preparation for

reopening their showrooms. The acrylic screens were mounted on

the service counters and included stainless supporting posts and

frosted vinyl graphics.

For more information on their bespoke service, please call 0808

1682372 and one of their team will be happy to advise you.

Contact:

t: 0808 1682372

e: sales@displaydevelopments.co.uk

w: www.displaydevelopments.co.uk

THE CHANGING FACE OF HEALTHCARE

IN THE UK - HMCA SPECIAL

Coronavirus has changed every aspect of our lives: how we work,

how we shop and how we socialise.

It also appears to be changing how we look after our health.

According to a recent national survey a growing number of people

in the UK are considering taking out private medical insurance,

with 27% of those polled saying they have thought about paying

privately for healthcare, compared with only 15% before the

pandemic struck.

The NHS response to the coronavirus outbreak has been heroic.

The skill and dedication of hospital staff have saved many lives.

But to enable the health service to meet the unprecedented

demand caused by Covid-19, many specialist treatments and

routine operations had to be postponed. And concern over

lengthening NHS waiting times is the main reason why people are

now thinking about taking out private medical insurance.

Of the 1,000 people questioned for the survey, three-quarters said

it was long NHS waiting lists that were their main concern, while

67% were worried about the NHS being able to promptly deliver

routine care.

These concerns seem to be well founded as medical experts agree

that the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on NHS services could

be with us for some considerable time.

In June this year, health bosses warned it would take four years to

restore the NHS services to pre-Covid levels. This will inevitably

result in much longer delays for diagnostic tests, while it is feared

the number of people waiting for operations could rise from 4.2

million to 10 million by the end of 2020. Moreover, these

depressing forecasts don't take into account the further disruption

to NHS services that a second wave of Covid-19 would cause.

Private medical insurance avoids the anxiety of having to wait

months for tests and treatment. Outpatient and inpatient care are

covered, with patients being able to choose where they are treated

from a wide selection of private or NHS hospitals all over the UK.

Patients whose care involves being admitted to hospital overnight

or for a longer period, can stay in a private room that has television

and wi-fi, with relaxed visiting times for the convenience of family

and friends.

Most providers of private health insurance offer a range of medical

plans that can be tailored to meet individual and family needs. For

a relatively

modest financial outlay, more and more people are discovering

that they can receive medical care when they need it and avoid the

worry that comes from waiting for NHS treatment.

It's not just individuals who are turning to the private sector for

their healthcare needs. Affordability and its growing popularity is

why a rising number of companies and other organisations are

offering private healthcare as a major employment or membership

benefit.

Private health insurance can't prevent you from falling ill. But it

does offer the peace of mind that comes from knowing that in the

event you do need medical care you will be diagnosed and treated

in the quickest possible time. And in these uncertain times that is

something that many people seem happy to pay for.

For further information and quotations contact HMCA by telephone

on 01423 799949 or visit the exclusive HMCA Shop and Display

Equipment Association website at www.hmca.co.uk/sdea

t: 01423 799949

e: hmca@hmca.co.uk

w: www.hmca.co.uk/sdea

- 5 -


MEMBER NEWS

Discount Displays have worked hard throughout the COVID-19

pandemic to continue supplying their 5* rated service to the NHS

and other key workers.

With large stocks of vital social distancing equipment at the start of

the pandemic, Discount Displays were immediately able to supply

1000’s of A-boards and retractable barriers to a wide range of

clients allowing them to continue to operate vital services in a safe

manner.

As part of this proactive approach, during the pandemic, Discount

Displays have opened their Digital Signage Demonstration Suite in

Chichester.

Aaron Inglethorpe, Discount Display Digital Signage expert said:

“The timing could obviously be better but as a company we have

taken a proactive approach throughout the pandemic to diversify

and strengthen our business and this is another step towards

that.”

The demonstration suite

will give customers a

chance to see

different types of digital

screens as well as get an

understanding of options

such as network or plug

and play solutions.

All demonstrations are

booked in advance and

subject to strict social

distancing guidelines.

DISCOUNT DISPLAYS OPEN

DIGITAL SIGNAGE SUITE

Contact:

t: 020 3876 6798

e: trade@discountdisplays.co.uk

w: www.discountdisplays.co.uk/trade

STYLO CREATE STUNNING

3D ROLLING STONES SYMBOL

For a large part of this year the majority of us have had our

mouths covered by face masks, but recently, Stylo made sure that

one mouth was sure to make a huge impact.

Back in September, the Rolling Stones welcomed their first

flagship store in Carnaby Street, London. Most of us will know the

famous Rolling Stones ‘Tongue and Lips’ logo as something of a

flat symbol, but 50 years on, Stylo were given the task of

producing this iconic image and turning it into a 3D sculpture that

would take centre stage in their window display.

Contact:

t: 01923 800666

e: info@stylographics.co.uk

w: www.stylographics.co.uk

The company started off the process by using their 3D printer to

create part of the tongue, then filed all of the sections down and

made sure everything was as smooth as can be.

Stylo’s fabrication staff were then able to spray the model with the

famous Rolling Stones red and finally, put it together on a steel

stand, ready for the store!

The response has been overwhelmingly positive and Stylo are so

grateful to Clements Retail for involving them in this project.

The store and team were delighted when Mr Ronnie Wood

personally signed the sculpture.

- 6 -


SPECIAL INSIGHT FEATURE

QUININE DESIGN INSIGHT:

WHY VIRTUE IS THE NEW COOL

Being virtuous is a key characteristic of the most successful brands.

Priorities of the modern consumer have shifted to make kindness and

empathy the key to sustained market growth and consumer trust and

loyalty. The Millennial generation is the largest in history and has

unprecedented buying power. This younger consumer group has a different

set of values than the generations before them; they want a job that they

are passionate about and they view their consumer choices as a

mechanism to support movements and make change. Their concept of

identity is intertwined with consumerism, where buying products and

supporting brands is a form of self-affirmation.

Today, consumers have a more positive view of a company, when that

company supports a social cause. As brands try to capture the attention of

consumers, there has been a shift from brands seeking engagement, to

having to earn public approval. Making quality products or supplying

quality services is no longer enough, brands need to benefit society.

Successful brands of the future must be virtuous. And the most successful

retail brands will have virtuous store experiences.

What do we mean by virtuous?

Virtuous is conforming to moral and ethical principles. A virtuous brand

drives towards a high standard of moral excellence. Being virtuous comes

from a place of sincerity. Doing something to appease public opinion or

seek profits is not virtuous. This is a thin line that many brands cross.

Virtuous brands do good things because it is an extension of their brand

DNA. There is no playbook for what is considered virtuous. Acts of virtue

that follow a script are contrived and inauthentic. Truly virtuous brands act

because they feel it is the right thing to do, irrespective of judgements or

profits. They are virtuous because what they are doing is true to their

brand ethos. They act irrespective of their competition, often being

trailblazers that others eventually follow in time.

Why do we need virtuous brands?

We need brands to be virtuous because brands have power and wield

influence. Modern society looks to brands for moral and ethical leadership.

Today, brands are replacing politics and religion as moral pillars that we

trust and seek guidance from.

Global brands can wield their power to make large scale change. Brands

can improve working conditions and workers’ rights. They can change

employment and pay inequalities. They can choose to be sustainable.

Society used to turn to governments, interest groups and activists to make

positive changes, but now consumers have a direct relationship with

brands. As consumerism has become a key pillar of society, it’s no surprise

that we turn to big businesses to effect change like we do. Brands have

the ability to take a stance, but they also tell stories and engage us in the

process. Brands don’t have to please everyone, they can take sides and

choose who they want to please.

British supermarket chain Morrisons started an initiative to provide a

shopping environment for neurodivergent customers that has since been

followed by other retailers such as B&Q. Once a week Morrisons ‘Quieter

Hour’ provides an altered store

experience that is more

comfortable for autistic shoppers.

Environmental stimulants that

would otherwise be off-putting for

autistic customers are removed;

lights are dimmed, check-out

sounds are turned off and store

speaker announcements do not

take place, providing an altered

store experience that is more

considerate of this consumer group. This was an initiative that Morrisons

had no legal obligation to make, yet they chose to make a positive

contribution to people disadvantaged in their community.

Virtuous brands inspire people

Virtuous brands show ambition; they have an admirable desire for

achievement that inspires people over a long period of time. Virtuous

brands lead from the front and motivate consumers to actively contribute

to causes beyond themselves. We need virtuous brands to bring social

issues to the forefront of people’s minds by using their stores (and other

brand touch points) to highlight agendas and educate consumers. It’s not

- 7 -

always the case that brands are fighting for causes that are on the current

news agenda or that their customers deem important. It can be that

brands bring issues to the awareness of consumers. Such is their power

and importance in society. Customers visiting a Toms’ shoe store will

become aware of the social needs of poverty stricken societies, and

customers visiting an Ecoalf store can become educated about ocean

pollution.

Virtuous brands help individuals be themselves

They allow customers to actualise their own self-concepts by aligning

themselves with the brand. A person who defines themselves as someone

who believes in a sustainable way of life and deeply cares about

environmental issues will reaffirm their own self-concept by purchasing a

coat from Patagonia. The brand set up over 70 repair centres across North

America that repair over 100,000 items each year. These are often small

mobile repair centres that will repair any piece of clothing brought to them,

even if they’re not made by the Patagonia brand. Another initiative is their

Worn Wear collection of recycled Patagonia clothing, that they sell in-store

and online. Brands that have meaning attached to them, that people align

themselves to, often provide people with a sense of fulfilment. This is the

power of brands in the modern age. Consumer products have always

provided a sense of fulfilment on different scales, but today brands also

have the ability to provide consumers with moral fulfilment. They have the

ability to fulfil what Maslow, in his hierarchy of needs, referred to as ‘selfactualising’

goals.

Virtuous brands establish a connection with the community

They are a part of something larger than themselves and act in a selfless

way. Virtue is socially beneficial by nature. What’s good for the community

is good for the individual, and equally what is good for the individual is

often good for the greater society. This is what makes the public lend their

trust to virtuous brands. They follow them and believe in them. Starbucks

Community Stores aim to open in

underprivileged neighbourhoods

to play a positive role in the

community. The stores support

local economic development and

provide employment and training

for local youth, they hire local

contractors, and provide unique

in-store training events and

programmes. With 17

Community Stores opening since

2015, Starbucks is committed to opening a total of 100 ‘community stores’

by 2025.

Virtuous brands take a stand, despite the risk

Being virtuous allows a brand to stay present and evolve with society

throughout time. Virtuous brands evolve with public movements and

remain contemporary. Society always strives to become ‘good’ and to

create a more prosperous world. Human beings are constantly developing

a collective sense of morals and ethics to hold each other accountable. A

single act that is good or ethical is contemporary, often frozen in time, but

the desire to be good is something that evolves through time as society

does. Nike has a history of supporting social issues ahead of other brands.


SPECIAL INSIGHT FEATURE

Their support of American civil rights

activist, Colin Kaepernick was consistent

with the brand DNA rather than a reactive

moment. In 1988 the ‘Just Do It’

campaign fought against ageism.

In 1995 the ‘If you let me play’ ad

supported gender equality in sport, the

same year their ‘Just Do It’ ad featured

openly HIV-positive runner Ric Munoz.

In 2007 they featured a disabled athlete Matt Scott in a ‘No excuses’ ad

campaign to support disabled sport. In 2017 they celebrated Arab women

in sport with their ‘What will they say about you’ campaign, and in the last

couple of years we have seen ‘plus size’ female mannequins and

mannequins with prosthetic limbs included in their stores.

Virtuous brands take accountability

This often means engaging with consumers and taking ownership,

admitting faults and striving to improve. This is an inevitable part of growth

and evolution. Accountability is important for a society that fears losing

power. An organisation that isn’t held accountable is untouchable and has

no incentive to be empathetic to others. Accountability builds trust with

customers. Starbucks showed internal

accountability in their response to an

incidence of racial prejudice in a

Philadelphia store. After they admitted

fault, all stores were closed for a day

while 180,000 staff were admitted into

implicit bias training. What started off as

a negative brand association become a

brand that takes its responsibility to serve

the community very seriously.

It is particularly promising to see businesses turn to external sources that

hold them to independent standards and value their commitment to others.

B Lab is a non-profit organisation that provides ‘B Corporation’ certification

to for-profit businesses. Any certified ‘B Corp’, as they are known, is valued

by their positive social and environmental impact, receiving a score across

multiple dimensions that assess the business governance, the impact and

treatment of workers, and the impact on the community and environment.

B Corps, such as retail businesses Allbirds, Patagonia, Ecoalf, Veja and

Toms (to name but a few), voluntarily submit to a transparent impact

assessment that can be viewed on the B Corporation website. These

businesses accept the responsibility they have as global businesses and

hold themselves accountable for their own performances and practices.

Virtuous brands don’t just inspire customers, but they inspire staff

The virtuous nature of the brand is embodied by store staff and their

interaction with customers. This makes the brand characteristics

infectious and authenticates its true nature and motives. Staff that believe

in the brand they work for are happier, more enthusiastic and more

productive. Staff who are authentic brand ambassadors are the key to

providing a great experience for customers, while also providing a more

effective workforce with lower turnover. Virtuous retailers can create a

deeper level of job satisfaction that other retailers don’t provide. Giving

someone purpose through their work that extends beyond the store and

into the community is a powerful thing. It touches our deeper psychosocial

needs of belonging.

Why does it matter? What are the results?

There are many ways to gain the trust of consumers. Some brands offer

quality or consistency, yet virtuous brands offer an authentic desire to do

good. This can be a precarious strategy to win trust, however the rewards

for philanthropic brands are becoming obvious as more brands engage in

socially conscious behaviours. Brands with a clear sense of purpose have

increased their brand valuation by 175% over a 12 year period 1 . Nike has

seen sales and market share grow after each socially conscious campaign.

Their endorsement of Colin Kaepernick saw on online sales rise 31% in the

two days following, while company shares rose 33% that year 2 . Starbucks

have continued to grow globally as they prioritise local communities and

social causes. The company opened over 30,000 new stores in 2019 and

finished the year with an all-time high figure of net sales. The biggest

benefit to being a virtuous brand is the deep level of connection with

consumers. This turns periodic sales into loyal customers. A 5% increase

in customer retention can lead to a 25-95% increase in profit 3 .

- 8 -

On the other side of the line, perceptions of faux philanthropy can be a

tough hole to get out of. There is a huge difference between being virtuous

and virtue signalling.

Pepsi’s infamous Kendal Jenner ad should

be a lesson for all brands. The brand tried

to piggyback off the Black Lives Matter

movement with disastrous effects. The

Pepsi brand perception dropped to an

eight year low among Millennials over the

months following the campaign 4 . The key

is to be authentic. Virtuous acts should

come from a place that’s unrelated to

profits. Chasing profits under the guise of activism will likely end badly.

71% of consumers will lose trust in a brand forever, if they perceive that the

brand is prioritising profit over people 5 . The importance of brand trust

cannot be overstated. Brand trust is rated by consumers as second only to

price in brand attributes that gain new business or retain existing

business 5 .

There are many faces to virtue and many types of virtuous acts. In reality it

is very difficult to be a truly virtuous brand. No brand is perfectly selfless,

just as no person is. Many brands that do great things (some mentioned in

this article) also engage in acts of obvious self-interest. This is to be

expected, after all, they are commercial enterprises first and foremost.

Virtuous brands have to pick their battles and decide how they give back.

Naturally some causes will have more social currency than others, but this

shouldn’t determine how any brand decides what social cause they fight

for. This would be acting with interest in profits. It needs to be authentic.

It needs to come from an internal desire to use their given power as an

organisation to do good.

Is your retail environment the best place to show your virtues?

Visiting physical retail stores is a commonplace activity for most of us in

modern society, therein lies their power to enact change and have a real

impact. It’s important that brands go beyond mere signalling, and connect

virtuous behaviour to an action. The growing number of virtuous brands is

certainly encouraging to see, but we can’t help but think there is a missed

opportunity within retail design.

Virtuous brands are primarily communicating to customers via ad

campaigns, but social causes are not being communicated inside retail

stores effectively. This means that brands aren’t using their most effective

and engaging communication tool; their most effective medium to

translate an idea and make an impactful impression. The multi-sensory

nature of store experiences creates the ability evoke more emotion, but

also create a lasting memory. Retailers have the capacity to involve

customers and communicate through in-store experiences. With the

famous proverb in mind "Tell me and I'll forget, show me and I'll remember,

involve me and I'll understand" retailers need to use interaction and active

participation in their stores, as they are the most powerful ways to

understand something.

If brands use social causes to connect to customers and communities, and

retail stores are the ultimate point of customer connection, it makes sense

for social causes to feature heavily in physical retail, the domain of

communal places for social experiences. This is the new challenge for

virtuous brands and the next logical step for experiential retail in a socially

conscious society.

Sources:

1 Kantar Purpose Report, 2020

2 CBS News, 2018

3 Harvard Business Review, July-August, 2000

4 YouGov, 2018

5 Edelman, Trust Barometer Report, 2020

Contact:

t: 020 3468 9222

e: ian.johnston@quininedesign.com

w: www.quininedesign.com


DIARY DATES

8--12 February 2021

Virtual Retail Interiors Exhibition

Virtual

www.virtualretailinteriorsexpo.com

April 2021

VM & Display Show

BDC, London

www.vmanddisplayshow.com

10 June 2021

Creative Retail Awards

Proud Embankment, London

www.creativeretailawards.com

23 September 2021

Creative Design & Display Connections

Bounce Old Street, London

www.cddconnections.com

EXCLUSIVE SDEA MEMBER DISCOUNT OF 25%

AT VIRTUAL RETAIL INTERIORS

A new world needs an innovative solution. Has the world changed

forever? 'Maybe' or 'maybe not' but one thing we know for sure is

that we will carry on and everything will return to its 'new' normal.

With all of this in mind the organisers behind the VM & Display

Show and the VM & Display Awards have come up with the best

way forward for now, and this could become the new normal.

They are pleased to announce the arrival of 'Virtual Retail Interiors

& Virtual Leisure and Hospitality Interiors' the Show that will

enable us all to source, communicate and interact with the

industry in a virtual world during a 5-day event accessible on any

platform and device from the 8th-12th February 2021.

Step into a virtual world of excitement and creativity where you

can view and engage with product launches, showroom and

factory video presentations, products and services, all never seen

before on a global scale.

This event will be open to the world for 5 days only so be a part of

it and connect in a very unique environment and selling platform

by signing up for your stand.

SDEA Members are able to claim an exclusive 25% discount off

the standard exhibitor package - an exceptional £244 off the

usual £975 rate.

For details please contact the organisers by calling

01945 420068 or email info@virtualretailinteriorsexpo.com

For further online Show details including video walkthroughs

please see the website www.virtualretailinteriorsexpo.com

There are dedicated halls featuring 100's of exhibitors catering for

Shop Equipment, Visual Merchandising and Display, Fit-Out, Print

and Graphics, Lighting, Technology and Security, Design, Signage

and POS, Flooring, Surfaces and Finishes as well as Online Media,

Associations and Industry Awards.

As an exhibitor you will be able to showcase your products and

services in a virtual environment capturing maximum global leads

via photographs, videos, demonstrations, online brochures, live

chat and interactive video etc.

You will have your own virtual space with a customized exhibitor

stand, offer on-demand content, provide chat forums and perform

online transactions for optimal prospect engagement talking to

customers either one to one privately or a group chat.

The amount of information you wish to have on your stand is

limitless whether it be promotional videos, product showcasing,

literature; the choices are only limited by your imagination. Using

a step by step, easy to use software with no complicated

downloads and which works on all platforms and devices it

couldn’t be simpler.

You will be able to fully interact with visitors live and increase

conversions and buyer satisfaction by enabling your

representatives to engage leads using text, audio and video chat.

Attendees will be able to purchase products directly during the

event through an integrated e-commerce engine. They can

also save and download any piece of content to their device via a

wish cart if you allow, so that they can reference it later

on. Products saved to wish lists help understanding buyer

personas and allow for targeted marketing campaigns after the

event.

Contact:

t: 01945 420068

e: info@virtualretailinteriorsexpo.com

w: www.virtualretailinteriorsexpo.com

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