It was quirky; it was inspiring; it was a place for encounters.
Clusters of people gathered in front of the RAG-SHOPPING WALL. Astonished expressions were much in evidence as visitors discovered the eye tracking technology, and good conversations arose with regard to the innovative shopfitting concepts on an inspiring fair stand with an atmosphere of sustainability and comfort, on the way to a successful future with UMDASCH Shopfitting.
Inspiration en masse
In view of the positive development at the EuroShop 2014 some visitors may have rubbed their eyes in amazement – after all, the growth of the online retail sector has been the dominant discussion topic in many sectors over the past months. But bricks-and-mortar shops are getting ready to encounter the competition from Amazon & Co. more powerfully than ever. Visitors at the fair stand of UMDASCH Shopfitting could experience through sight, hearing, touch and taste what characterises international shopfitting today. Silvio Kirchmair, Chairman of the Umdasch Shopfitting Group, commented on the success of the EuroShop 2014: “For us the presentation at the EuroShop 2014 was the first under our joint umbrella brand UMDASCH Shopfitting. At the same time we also presented our new divisional structure with its units Food & Care, Fashion & Lifestyle, Premium & Travel Retail and ViBiz. The response at the fair not only to our technological innovations, especially the interactive RAG-SHOPPING-WALL, but also to the other practical solutions like, for example digital signage, showed us that we are increasingly positioning ourselves in our customers’ minds as technology leaders in shopfitting.”
Functionality encounters technology and sustainability
Customer-oriented solutions with top price-performance ratio, refined through the latest technology and a maximum level of sustainability were the ideas behind the Food & Care presentation. Basixx in the variants Premium, Standard and Discount formed the basis. Basixx with a clay back wall and solid-wood shelves as well as special solutions for gondola heads went one step further and were arranged in a refreshingly new but sustainable manner with a waterfall and a stepwood wall. Peter Prisching observed with regard to the Food & Care section of UMDASCH Shopfitting: “Anything is possible! What is important is that added value is generated not only for the customer but also for the operator.”
The LED lighting shelf with integrated busbar in the upright is an impressive result of the synergy between energy savings and functional lighting. The shelf from the Basixx system series, which works entirely without power cables, was specially developed for UMDASCH Shopfitting. Those who operate within the food sector could enjoy the hugely increased range of solutions involving technological extras.
A digital signage solution with promotional, advertising or image videos was realised together with a partner. When a product is removed from the shelf, additional product, cross-selling or information videos are automatically played on the screen. And in the back office it is possible to keep a statistical record of the stock levels, removals or returns and to read out the results.
A further highlight was the LED shelf lighting controlled by the visitor’s eye movements. The brightness of the lighting changed as a result of the eye-tracking technology.
An LED cosmetics mirror generates product-specific information with central advertising text control that could be subtly faded in.
An absolute eye-catcher was the new dark grey galvanised Shadow Chrome surface, that produces a very high-quality appearance. This trendy surface, which can currently also be found on smartphones, was staged at the fair stand of UMDASCH Shopfitting by using wire mesh shelving in the Basixx A25 system.
“The RAG-WALL simply steals the show” (Elke Möbius, Director of the EuroShop at Messe Düsseldorf) When commuting between bricks-and-mortar shops and webshop the customer is not prepared to accept any form of restrictions. He wants to buy here, pay there, order here and complain there, redeem coupons here, return products there. The retailer must make sure that processes like these function smoothly. His aim: webshop and bricks-and-mortar store should profit from each other when it comes to the generation of revenues. From personal advice to convenient methods of payment. However, for this dovetailing of virtual and real-world shops the retailer will need an overview that spans all the channels concerned with regard to customers, purchases, orders, stocks and deliveries. His IT should integrate customer data and personalised marketing campaigns. Payment processing – whether in cash or cashless, including the taking into account of down payments, balance payments and repayments should be synchronised within the sales channels. Mobile services should be possible. These requirements are fulfilled in all respects by the RAG Shopping Wall. It brings the online world into the sales space, strengthens customer loyalty and emotionalisation and thus makes the Point of Sale into the Point of Confidence.
Elke Möbius, Director of the EuroShop, was enthusiastic about the 360° performance of UMDASCH Shopfitting: “Among all the exhibitors, the UMDASCH Shopfitting stand caught our attention as innovative and dynamic and as a place in which the visitor can feel at ease. I have been familiar with the Umdasch fair presentations over the years, but at this year’s EuroShop the colours and shapes and also the newly created Divisions have been visualised in a manner that is fresher and more youthful and. The interlinking of cross-channelling at the fair stand stands out among all the other exhibitors and has proved over the past few days to be a magnet for the public. In short: the RAG-WALL simply steals the show.”
“Back to the future”
The future began with the new Division Virtual & Visional Business, known as ViBiz for short. In the Shop-of-the-Future Lounge UMDASCH Shopfitting presented the retail world of tomorrow as imagined by the winners of the Josef Umdasch Research Prize as “Digital Natives”. The winning projects were presented in a studio setting alongside a colourful collage of services provided by Shop Consult and in future by ViBiz. They provided insight into the ideas of UMDASCH Shopfitting for the future, as could already be seen in the RAG SHOPPING WALL.
“We were pleasantly surprised by the large numbers of decision-makers from top management who visited the EuroShop and our stand this year. In view of the huge challenges currently facing the retail sector, the subject of shopfitting in combination with technology and presentation (under the motto: Visual Merchandising) is once more becoming a matter for the boss to decide,” remarked Petra Böttinger-Barth, Director of Marketing and Project Leader for the EuroShop at UMDASCH Shopfitting.
Pure Premium
High precision and concentrated creativity, linked with a cosmopolitan approach and personal relationships – these are the requirements of international premium and travel retail customers. So why not shine the spotlight on this Division in a completely different way?
In order to present the Travel Retail sector, abstract elements based in the theme world of the airport were used. UMDASCH Shopfitting is already very successful in this segment worldwide and belongs among the top players in the furnishing of Duty Free shops from Auckland to Hamburg and from Doha to the Seychelles.
Divisional Manager Roman Fussthaler was pleased that there were a number of surprises in the luxury division during the EuroShop 2014. “New customers not only from the premium sector but also from the field of travel retail approached us and showed particular interest in the projects we had already realised. The positive feedback from international travel retail customers also reached the new Divisions with regard to their specialisation and presentation. We were able to record visits from all the world’s leading Duty Free retailers, who came to see our fair stand for themselves.”
This year UMDASCH Shopfitting’s stand was planned and designed as a joint cooperation by the two Vienna-based offices Section.d and Labvert. Samsung, Ars Electronica Linz, Pfleiderer and Forbo were also involved as main cooperation partners. Further partners from the technology sector were Ana.U, Echion, MMIT and L&S. The lighting was provided by Zumtobel, Philips, Lledo and RZB.
