Terry Richards creativity class 2012 assignment #2

Project definition:-

I identified both organised and un-organised retailers

Definition:- Organised

I. Modern form of retailing II. Noted for poor supply chain management and aggressive expansion

III. High degree of in-house stock controlIV.

Tesco:- Supermarket use oftenMcDonald’s:- Fast food store never usedSubway:- Fast food store never used

Un-organised

I. Traditional retailing, but not market stallII. Labour intensive

Forbidden Planet:- Aspirant store use infrequentlyHarrison’s:- Discount store use infrequentlyMal UK:- Aspirant store never used

Use as many senses as possible Size up people – people watchingClarity – seeing the world as it isCuriosity – asking whyListening skillsWillingness to set aside personal biases

Creative study of retail outlets

Requirements of assignment #2

Assignment #2 submission

Photograph checklist 5 senses (how)

Myself ( by whom )

Word doc.( format)

Fresh insights (measure)

Terry Richards creativity class 2012 assignment #2

Photographs

Fig. 1 Tesco main entrance

Fig. 2 signage fronting main road

Fig. 3 Harrisons cheap and cheerful shop (thanks to Google)

Terry Richards creativity class 2012 assignment #2

Fig. 4 Mobile phones (thanks to Google)

Fig. 5 Forbidden planet comics shop

Terry Richards creativity class 2012 assignment #2

Fig. 6 fast food

Fig. 7 fast food

Checklist

Tesco Harrisons Mal UK Forbidden Planet

McDonald’s Subway

Before you enter the store:Style of building

Rustic Barn Traditional Traditional Modern Corporate Corporate

Does the store draw you in? If so, how?

Easy car parking wide doors on one level No No

Yes interesting window display No No

Is the door open or closed?

Self Opening Closed Closed

Self opening Closed Closed

How does this Welcome Not worried

Not worried

Welcome Un-welcome Un-welcome

Terry Richards creativity class 2012 assignment #2

make you feel? expected expected

How big is the sign lettering and in what font? 3 feet 18 inches 18 inches 18 inches 18 inches 2 feet

Slab and italic Slab Caps

Sci fi upper case Mixed case italics

Environment:What is the colour scheme of the store? How does this affect you?

Red /Blue / White trusty

Dark blueNo real effect

Multi coloured happy / relaxed

Darks colours / intrigue

Yellow Red full of fun

Green fresh

What type of floor does the store have? How does this effect the environment? Marble Carpet Laminate

Carpet subdued Marble Tiles

echo’sDeadens noise

clean hygienic subdued echo's clean

How high is the ceiling? How does this feel?

15 feet spacious

10 feet normal

10 feet normal

12 feet painted black full of mystery

12 feet spacious

12 feet spacious

How brightly lit is the store? How does this affect you?

Bright can see what buying

Average lighting need to search for items

AverageNeed advice from sales

Dark what I would expect

Bright can have a happy time

Moderate relaxed eating possible

How loud is the environment? Moderate Moderate Quite Quite Moderate Moderate

What is causing the noise?

Echo's from feet

Echo's from feet

Salesman talking Very quite

Bustling families

Bustling families

Personnel:

How long does it take

30 mins 15 mins < 1 min 15 mins 3 mins 2 mins

Terry Richards creativity class 2012 assignment #2

before a sales person initiates contact? To sellHow long does it take before a sales person initiates contact? To talk 15 mins < 1 mins < 10 mins

Don’t just wait for you to ask 2 mins 2 mins

Does the salesperson have a script to follow with each customer? Yes No No No Yes Yes

Does the salesperson treat different customers differently? No No Yes Yes No No

How "Friendly" are the staff Mixed Friendly Friendly

Very friendly Friendly Friendly

Findings

Obtaining pictures of “Harrisons” and “Mal UK” was near impossible due to the presence of shutters and their late opening times. This resulted in too many people for a reasonable photo, thus I used Google maps and for this I give them due credit.

I did not expect much from this assignment because I always thought my observational powers were good. I was surprised at how much I actually miss.

Tesco fig. 1A small supermarket / convenience store mostly used by mothers taking

children to school collecting snacks, and older people who want to shop away from the crowds of a larger nearby store. Inside the store, first sales are vegetables and pizza style food. The building style would indicate a “rustic barn” but looking into the roof it is more “Industrial“ with exposed pipes and trunking that I had not noted before. The line of sight being draw towards eye level. The sign in fig.2 had been in situ for several

Terry Richards creativity class 2012 assignment #2

years, but close examination shows the term “meal solutions”, this I did not understand so I asked the store manager. The answer, “ the sign was changed 6 months ago and “ meal solutions” is and expanded range of ready meals from economy level to finest. Given that this is a “food stop off” on the school run, it is not difficult to identify 3 commercial opportunities that I had not thought of before, 2 of which should generate much free publicity. I am now talking to the store manager re my ideas.

Harrisons fig.3This is a shop patronised for its economical range of goods, mostly hardware.

Much of what is for sale is seasonal and what is at wholesaler at the time. There was nothing outside the shop stating this; stock control is weak with no real time stock control or computer. Else where the shop is much as I had seen (chaos). Having noted the poor stock control and lack of flagging what is currently in store, these are topics I would examine in detail as I think there may be benefits to be had.

Mal UK fig.4

This is two shops in one and I concentrated on the mobile phone side of the business. This is a very competitive sector and benefits are from “early innovators”, which this shop does not cater for, concentrating instead on “ flashing or blinging” your existing phone. The interior is busy and confusing with little chance to browse. There is overlap between the two sides of the business and it is not easy to separate either side.

Big mobile phone outlets have dummy models for display where this shop has none; there is nothing to allow a potential buyer to make an informed choice. I think first actions should be to give a clearer separation between the two sides of the business. The driving school is really just booking lessons and just needs an appointment control system, this would free up floor space for better display of phones and related. Plus the window is full of signage and should be made less cluttered so patrons can see in and feel more inclined to enter.

Forbidden Planet fig.5

This shop sells comics and specialist sci fi items and first look is all I expect, I do use this shop often. There are many items for sale and you are welcome to browse as long as items are not removed from wrapping. There is little if any contact between staff and customers; indeed many customers use this as a meeting place.

I noted that customers tend to congregate in the sales area obstructing others from browsing; I have done this myself and was not aware of the consequences. If it is to remain a meeting location then I would think a separate area with chairs and table coffee machine etc; this would allow discussions to flow and may result in further sales as clients make each other aware of what is in the shop at the moment.

McDonalds fig. 6

This is a chain of shops I have never used. I thought it would be useful to test my thoughts. The shop was full of families enjoying a birthday party and several adults alone or in small groups eating and drinking. The staff seemed polite but

Terry Richards creativity class 2012 assignment #2

remote as if working from a script. The food was served reasonably fast and seemed hot, (I did not try any myself) and was welcomed by the customers. All the food seemed the same size portions and similar quality so people would know what they were getting. Personally, the food seemed very unexciting and bland so I was not tempted and there is a big issue with disposal of packaging outside of the shop.

This is a very successful chain of shops so change would be resisted; there are moves to paint the outside of some shops green to reflect a more environmentally friendly approach. The packaging seems to be the area to look for improvements but encouraging people to dispose carefully is very hard. It is possible to use packaging with a set time for decomposing, e.g. 1 day 3 days etc. which uses banana leaves, is cost effective and cannot be identified from traditional packing.

Subway fig.7

Again, this is a chain of shops I have never used so see above. The shop has a green décor to suggest freshness and some but not all food is prepared inshop. There are lots of signage suggesting what is on offer but most customers seemed to go with a “BLT” or meat filled sandwich plus a coffee to take away. This is again a successful chain of shops but to me much of what was on offer was for a limited range of clients, most choosing traditional food. The food was in disposable packing which is often just dropped, again difficult for the shop to control. Many customers either take the food back to their car to eat, or sit on a wall by a bus stop and eat the food whilst waiting for the bus. When the bus arrives the food and wrapping is simply dropped over the wall and left for somebody else to pick up. It may be possible for Subway to site a litter receptacle by the bus stop, on which they could advertise what they are doing as part of an environmental awareness issue.

Conclusion

I did not realise how restricted my observation was, for example I never looked at the ceiling in any shop, nor at what people did outside the shop. How they were encouraged to enter or what their actions were near a shop. With strong observation and clear thoughts it is possible to identify opportunities, they may not be viable but the first task is to identify.