Acrylic Donation or Suggestion Boxes

Just a quick little look at a new product that we've now got in stock. A couple of months ago we introduced a range of acrylic brochure and sign holders. Among that range was a couple of donation boxes and now we've added a new size that accommodates an A6 header card and a 85mm slot for all those suggestion cards or cash. Take a look:

 

It's OK, Just Smile!

I came across an retail article this morning that had some simple little quotes. Whether you're nearly at the finish line and it's about time to reflect on your performance for the year, or your bracing for the few most hectic days of the year, they provide some simple bite sized chucks that might just help guide you through the coming year, or just give you something to hold on to through the coming days:

“An ok decision brilliantly executed is better than a perfect decision poorly executed” (Doug Edwards CEO, Prime) (BRW)

That one really ties in with a common gripe from marketing managers:

"You spend six months and millions of dollars building your Christmas and New Year sales plan, and then the plan is delivered at store level by millions of holiday pay teenagers who've never worked in retail before!"

It's a bit late now... Next:

“Being good is the enemy of being great”

A good way to stay focused, though hopefully it won't cancel out any pride you were feeling with some of your moderate successes.

There's a couple here that really are a reminder to just  take the time not to overlook the basics ie. get out there onto the shop floors and shopping centres. And take notes!

“Walk in their shoes” Ross Love partner BCG (BRW)

“A desk is a dangerous place to view the world” (John Le Carre, author)

And this one's definitely the best. It's some advice that David Liddys (CEO, Bank of Queensland) received on his first day working in a bank back at the start of his career and will help get anyone in the firing line through the next few days:

“I don’t care what you do Liddy, Just smile and call the customer by their name” (BRW)

We do tend to complicate things some times!

Anyway the original article is by The Retail Doctor on the Inside Retailing site and you can see it here.

Retail Display Goes Green

Apparently the worlds largest retailer - Walmart - as a part of it's strong stance on environmentally sustainable retailing practice has made an unexpected decision to dramatically cut back it's use of disposable retail displays in the lead up to Christmas, opting for more environmentally friendly reusable displays.

Specifically they are targeting the use of disposable cardboard DVD displays. And thought that may not sound so dramatic, if you consider that retail DVD disc sales at Walmart account for one third of the entire retail DVD market in the US, it's a big decision.


Read more here.

The Right Display Product, at the Right

You can't see it but we're going through some big changes behind the scenes at Slimline Warehouse.

Firstly, we are deep into the process of implementing a new eCommerce engine that will provide a first class online shopping experience to all our customers who would prefer to buy their display products online rather than by phone or fax - so that's exciting. And a lot of work.

At the same time we've also started using new inventory software that allows our customer service and administration staff to be more efficient and helpful when dealing with customers. We want to make sure that everyone gets the right product for them, at the right price, delivered right to their door.

That last sentence pretty much sums up what Slimline Warehouse is all about, but we got to thinking that we haven't really made that clear to all our customers. Of course we're always doing our best to ensure they have a positive experience dealing with us - and we hope it shows - but we've never really put down on paper, or on our website, exactly how we go about it.

So if you're interested... read on and get a better idea of what we're all about.



The Right Product...



We’re more than just a budget display warehouse, in that we stand behind the quality of every detail of every shop display and light box product that we stock. We can only do this with the confidence that comes from a unique combination of in-house manufacturing facilities, a global network of production partners and the rigorous testing and quality evaluation to which each product in our catalogue has been subjected. But don’t just take our word for it. To showcase this quality and inspire the same confidence in our clients, we’ve comprehensively photographed, described and illustrated all our products on our website. So when you shop online at www.SlimlineWarehouse.com.au, it’s the next best thing to holding a sample in you hands.

At the Right Price…
The key to our low prices is volume. The more you buy the cheaper it gets! This volume driven approach allows us to lower our margins and offer the highest quality display items at wholesale prices direct to the public. You’ll find all the prices for our display items, including our generous volume discounts listed on the product pages of our website. If you can find a cheaper product, manufactured to the same quality standards, don’t hesitate to let us know!

Right to Your Door!
Of course price and quality are critical to any display product purchase, but they are also quickly undermined if order fulfilment is sub-standard. We believe that the saying “Retail is Detail” is as important behind the scenes as front of house. That’s why we’ve taken the same high standards expected of our product range and applied them across all our ordering, warehouse and freight procedures. At Slimline Warehouse we’re always working to ensure that your order arrives on time and in top condition.

New Counter Top Poster Holder

Just a quick look at a new product that will very soon be available from Slimline Warehouse:

It's a simple aluminium counter top poster display. It's double sided and your graphics are put in place by simply peeling back the plastic strip and then sliding them into the side of the unit. It also comes with double sided tape already applied to the base, so you can just peel it off and fasten it in place, making a great step up from cheaper counter top acrylic displays without blowing the bank.

Google Doodles

Yeah, it's a little off topic, but kind-of semi-related in that it's about logos, and your logo is really your most direct representation of your company or brand and that's what all retail display and advertising boils down to - a representation of your brand.

I'm sure you've noticed that on most days of note Google's logo undergoes a transformation into something that, while maintaining the basic elements of the logo, reflects the occasion of the day. That new logo is called a Google Doodle:

If you thought they seemed to be happening more and more regularly, well, you'd be right. In October of 2009 alone there were 51 variants of the logo world wide. It's even more remarkable when you consider that the majority are designed by the same guy - Dennis Hwang.

Anyway Google have now put all of them online, dating back to 1998. It's really interesting to see how much the doodles, and the Google logo itself has evolved since then. So take a look and get inspired for you next advertising mission!

New Retail Technology: LED Light Walls

LED is definitely the current buzzword in lighting - and of course that also includes lighting products used for retail display and advertising purposes. LED Light Walls are a fine application of this energy efficient  technology. They are produced by  a UK based company and, to my knowledge, not currently available in Australia, but please have a read about this new product and if you would like to register your interest or simply have a little more information, contact Jeff at Slimline Warehouse on 1300 658 808.

W&Co manufacture LED Light Walls up to 3m x 2m in one piece and they can be butted together to form super large format illuminated display areas, yet the depth starts from only 30mm deep. The light is generated from high bright LEDs which are positioned on the sides of the acrylic lighting panel. Each individual sized acrylic lighting panel has a unique pattern etched into the face, which makes the light refract outwards. The light that is channelled through the etched lines are diffuse by a sheet of opal acrylic placed over the top of the lighting panel this technique delivers the brightest and most even light distribution possible from a large format edge-lit light panel.

LED Light Walls are a fantastic way of illuminating large format display graphics. The graphics can be printed directly to the opal acrylic front sheet, or printed to self adhesive vinyl and applied accordingly, or printed as standard backlit prints which are held in place by an additional clear front sheet. However, LED light panels are also commonly used without display graphics to simply create stunning illuminated urfaces for walls, ceilings, floors or table tops and have proved very popular with architects, shop fitters, banks, retailers and various prestigious office nvironments.

For more information about LED light walls, LED light panels and other display light boxes and illuminated signs supplied in the UK, please see www.w-co.co.uk for more information.

LED Light Wall being fitted with it's graphic in W&Co's workshop

The finished product - Nice and big, nice and bright

Six Great Retail Display Tips

Came across a nice little article this morning that gives you some easy to follow ideas on creating retail displays that have the desired effect - to sell!

What I like about this article is that it keeps it simple and doesn't overwhelm you with info, but just keeps it to six simple rules. See 'em here: Retail Display Tips

Have a Cashed Up Christmas!

So the year has flown by and the Christmas rush is on already - Time to start preparing your business to capture those additional sales and profits. Here's some tips from The Retail Doctor at Inside Retailing to get your Christmas registers ringing!

The team's on board, the stock's flowing in, the promotional plan is in play, the advertising is in shape, the online strategy is flowing and we are ready to take to the field to win the “Grand Final of Retailing”.

Yep - it's Christmas.

Over the next few weeks, we'll share a series of Business Fitness tips to help your retail business maximise its Christmas trading period.

Here are the Retail Doctor’s first set of Business Fitness tips in

1. Be unique: Have something special to say that has personality, courage and presence. Be bold and stand out from the crowd. This is your chance to really make your business mark.

2. Have a plan over this period to drive sales, margin, customer transactions and stock turn. A good strategy without implementation is fairly worthless.

3. Be visible: This is the time for the CEO to be in the field along with other senior executives, proclaiming the vision, pressing the flesh and serving customers alongside their staff.

4. Teach your people well (to quote Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) with specific focus on:

* Key staff rostered on for high traffic trading times of the week – rosters needs to change in the Christmas trading period to correctly reflect the shift in trading hours and customers buying patterns. This is a big one! If your key people are not on when the traffic is at its highest, you will not maximise your potential.

* Sales training – Many staff benefit from increasing their selling skills, especially in customer interaction, product features and benefits and mutli acknowledgement.

* Reduce the non essential non sales tasks dramatically. Maximise every available minute of sales and service time.

* Treat this period as a specific staff competition period with prizes for sales, average sale, items per sale and conversion rates.

* Make sure you have your “A’ team on show.

* Daily start up meetings: Have each team member demonstrate their product knowledge and sales skills. Reinforce the daily target.

* Do the early morning shop opening and visual merchandising the night before.

* Have a daily sales target to individual sales targets.

* Keep lifting the bar. Measure and reinforce the KPIs

* Leadership, coaching and motivating our teams that work long hours in this period is vital.

5. Stock up before and after store trading hours – you want the team to be 100 per cent focused on selling, not tasking. Have a ‘no cartons rule’ during trading times which keeps the store clean and team focused on customers.

Read the rest of this article and tips 6 through to 13 here on the inside retailing website. And have a Merry Chri$tma$!

Just a Quick One...

Did you know that Slimline Warehouse can also take care the printing requirements for all you retail display products. Whether it's light box transparencies, pull up banner graphics or posters for you clip frames - we'll print it!