Virtual Review: Shopgirl

A film about modern relationships seems to be a strange place to find a retail store to review, but the title of 'Shopgirl' should tip you off.

The film revolves around a disenchanted salesgirl, Mirabelle Buttersfield. 

Our heroine watches over the evening glove counter at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. She does not actually SELL gloves, as this area of the bustling department store is rather empty most of the time, except to one customer - Ray Porter - who becomes her love interest.

For a full synopsis and review of the film, you can click here.

The revealing write-up will give you a well-developed view of Mirabelle, Ray, Jeremy, other characters, and the storyline. Those definitely relate to the store design we see... and truly, that isn't a lot. The store environment is used only to provide a backdrop for the development of Mirabelle's character, not as a character itself. Still photos are few & far between. However, it holds a great lesson in how and why store design is an important part of your business 'story'...

 [image from upscaleswagger.com]

Saks Fifth Avenue department store is a venerable bastion of modern-day shopping in the retail mecca of Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive. The service is legendary, the amenities luxe, and the scope of merchandise displayed akin to a den of thieves treasure. More art gallery than superstore, items are displayed like precious jewels. It's exactly what one would expect a huge retail establishment on famed Rodeo Drive to be, and scenes of the store interior on the first floor  - filled with expensive shoes, handbags, cosmetics, and fragrances - reflect this expectation.

As the POV (point of view) moves up the escalators to the second floor, where fashions are presented in boutique-like settings, the scene becomes a bit quieter, less busy, and less aggrandized.

By the time we - the viewers - reach the third floor, the colors have faded out, the space is barren, and the hushed scene is very nearly empty. Customers no longer populate the space in droves... a few lone shoppers tarry in the bridal salon, and walk past the evening glove 'department' without a second glance.

Here is where Mirabelle holds court, encased behind her glass-fronted counter like a prisoner. Mirabelle's facial expression and stance in the photo - detached and rather absent from the surroundings - are a perfect exterior view of her interior state. The girl suffers from depression, lacks any self-esteem at all, and seems to wander through her life without any idea where she is going or who she really is. Her waif-like frame and non-descript clothing perfectly convey the idea that Mirabelle is out of her element in Beverly Hills. (We discover later that she is from Iowa). 

Neutral colors on the walls and floor cause the space parameters to blur. When Mirabelle is in scene, the colors of her apparel are dulled, muted, and have the effect of fading her into the background. She's intent on not drawing attention to herself.... which is what the same colors do for the space. We're not sure if it's a small space or a large one, and so our response is to focus on the display fixtures that are clearly defined by sharp edges and hard materials. The glass case is nondescript and uninteresting, as well, but it's something to focus on. We get the feeling that Mirabelle feels the same way about her job.

Even the mannequin forms, which have softening curves, seem harsh and cold, by nature of being painted an un-lifelike white lacquer. They are not 'approachable' materials, just as Mirabelle seems unapproachable by her absent mannerisms. The dresses chosen to appear on those mannequins and hanging racks are shapeless sheaths, in muted colors. They evoke the hopelessness of Mirabelle's future and her uncertainty of her own worth as a woman.

Yes, I know this is getting a bit deep into the psychological state of the character... but the production /set designer took those cues and made them visual references. We feel the malaise that our heroine does - we imagine her spending eight hours a day, five to six days a week, stuck in this homogenized, muted world, and it saddens us. The store environment affects our state of being.

And THAT, my friends, is what store design can DO.

Take care in choosing your wall colors, your floor materials, your display cases and mannequins - because they combine to tell a story of your business, the main character in YOUR 'film'.  Determine your 'voice' and what you want customers to 'hear', because as they walk into and around your store, the environment is speaking. LOUDLY. Make sure it's saying something you want it to say. And that's before ever pulling a single product out of a box.

Let's go back to that display case for a moment...

Note that from this perspective, which would be exactly what customers see on their approach, the merchandise appears flat, one-dimensional, and uninteresting. Save for the two 'hands' reaching skyward on top of the glass case (a nod to Mirabelle's fledgling artistic dreams), the gloves are all displayed flat. There aren't even any on the mannequin in the background.

There is nothing more apt to make customers walk right by product as to display it in a way that is un-interesting and static. These are elegant evening gloves... and to sell them, they need to be displayed in a way that captures the beauty they will have when placed on a warm, moving, feminine hand. Set off by a sparkling bracelet, perhaps, or a single rose caressed between fingers.. Drape a pair of gloves over a stack of opera programs, and sit a pair of opera glasses nearby. (Remember the scene from another film, 'Pretty Woman', where Vivienne experiences her first opera? How her hands in the long, white evening gloves moved slowly to her face as she tried to hold back tears?) Make the merchandise come alive, and it will sell.

The story has its highs and lows, as does Mirabelle's psyche and her life. [This is a drama, not a comedy, despite being written by and starring Steve Martin.]

It's about becoming who you are meant to be, 

not disappearing into the crowd. 

A worthy effort - for a young woman AND for a business.

[images located via google image search and IMDB;

property of Touchstone Pictures]

Five Software Suggestions for Retailers

Todays' post is courtesy of Michael Koploy from SoftwareAdvice.com.

I found his suggestions and recommendations for retailer resources very informative, and thought you would as well!

Many retailers are looking to upgrade their retail software from old-fashioned QuickBooks and cash register systems and make the plunge into a point-of-sale (POS) software investment. For small retailers that only manage one or two stores, there are a limited number of choices that won't break the budget.

Here are a list of 5 choices that are deployable for under $2000 for software. The original guide can be seen here: Point of Sale (POS) Systems for Small Business | 5 Affordable Solutions

CAM Commerce Retail STAR: This system includes the following applications: POS, CRM, merchandising, inventory management, e-commerce, and WMS. Includes both touch-screen and single-key input support. Retail STAR is a good choice for numerous specialties, including auto parts dealers, furniture stores, and pawn shops. CAM Commerce offers data conversion, retail consulting, up-front pricing, and a subscription program. Retail STAR much be deployed on-premise on a Windows-based system.

Comcash POS - This system includes the following applications: POS, customer relationship management (CRM), e-commerce, and inventory management. The touch screen integration make it a good choice for food service and convenience stores. Software can be deployed on-premise or hosted by the software vendor. Comcash POS can integrate with QuickBooks.

GoldTech Retail Manager - This system includes the following applications: inventory management, CRM, merchandising, warehouse management software (WMS), and POS. The inventory system can be organized with the included SKU database for apparel retailers that need customer color/size differentiation. Software can be deployed on-premise or hosted by GoldTech. Retail Manager can be purchased with up-front payment or by installments.

Microsoft Dynamics RMS - This system includes the following applications: inventory management, CRM, POS, accounting, and e-commerce. It's a great system for book stores, electronics stores, industrial supply stores, and firearm dealers. Offers both an individual store version and main office version, making it a good choice for retailers with growth in mind. This software system must be deployed on-premise.

POS Prophet Systems - This system includes the following applications: inventory management, retail accounting, POS, CRM, and e-commerce. Ideal for both start-ups and medium-sized retailers. Well-suited for many specialities, including (but not limited to): gift shops, food service, and furniture stores. Must be deployed on-premise on a Windows-based system. POS Prophet Systems can be paid for in monthly installments or in one up-front payment. The system also includes QuickBooks and Peachtree integration.

For more information, contact Michael Koploy at Software Advice

(512) 364-0129 . michael@softwareadvice.com

Q&A: Choosing a Booth Location

I recently received this comment from reader Connie: 

Hi Debi, I love your site and refer to it often! I have a little question... 

I have a shop inside a large community shop and right now I have the "first" booth right behind the register person, I sell lots of jewelry and blingy things, and it has 3 walls and is approx. 8'x14', a good size, but I have the opportunity to take a little bit smaller space for the same price, but with only one wall and its a window booth at the very front of the store. I think it would be a prime booth, but my hubby says I won't sell anything out of a window booth, because people will think its only for display, but I think it would look fuller, since its smaller and I would have 24/7 advertising. 

What do you say? I'm so anxious for an answer. 

Thanks! Connie 

I thought this was a great question, and that many other people could benefit from this information... so, I'd like to present some factors that Connie should consider as she is choosing whether or not to move to this new location in her antique mall.

Connie, I'm curious as to whether this window booth is on the right or left of the entry, and where the cash wrap / register in the store is located? Both of those factors will contribute to the success or failure of sales in the new location. Here's why:

As 'retail anthropologist' Paco Underhill found out, most shoppers will turn RIGHT when they enter a doorway. This is simply natural instinct and behavior! So, in a store, anything located on the right side is seen first. This may seem like a great thing - but it's possible that customers will simply look as they walk past and further into the store space. Have you ever thought to yourself 'Well, that's nice.... but I want to wait and see what else they have in the rest of the store before I decide on anything here?' This is a possible response that a space in the right-side window will get. Your husband has a point, by the way (I'm sorry to say that, I really am!!!) - many people are used to hearing that what's in the window is props, not merchandise. They may not even ask to buy it.

Now, a space located on the LEFT side of the doorway has positives & negatives, too. If the cash wrap/ register is located next to or across from your space, you have the remarkable opportunity to capture the attention of those waiting in line. (And this works - just think about the grocery store!) But if the register is located further back in the store space, customers may not wander all the way forward before stopping to pay for their selections. And after having paid already, most won't choose an item near the door and return to pay for it. Again, this is just natural behavior for most people, not all.

There is a concept in retail store design called 'The Decompression Zone'.

This refers to the area immediately inside the entrance (ANY entrance) of a store. There needs to be empty space here, so customers can step inside, remove coats, close umbrellas, take a breath, and see the layout of the store before proceeding in. If this area is crowded with 'stuff' or the booths immediately inside the door are encroaching on the aisles, there is an immediate feeling of discomfort for customers and can cause them to hurry past the first few displays or booths. If you notice this about the store you are in, and your booth is in the front right corner, make sure you are leaving room to breathe at your space entrance... don't crowd it with fixtures or merchandise. Create an open, welcoming space that will help ease customers into the store - and they'll be more likely to step into your area first.

Another facet of this new location that you should consider is the comfort factor:

It's a window, and Spring & Summer are coming. Does the window face South or West? Will there be hours during the day that your space is in glaring sunlight - making it hard to see your jewelry & smalls - and will it be unbearably HOT in that area? Next winter, will it be freezing? Customers will avoid it if they are uncomfortable there, no matter how wonderful your product & displays are.

And lastly, placing small items - especially jewelry - near an entrance is an invitation to thieves. Sadly, they are everywhere (from elderly women on a budget to teens getting thrills), and it doesn't take them but a minute to load up their pockets and disappear. Having sparkly eye-catching items within easy reach of the door really increases your risk for merchandise loss and you WILL be hit by it. If the register is located a fair distance from this space, or if the space cannot clearly be seen by the cashier, your risk increases.

Connie, I hope I have given you some information that will help you make an educated decision about the location of your booth. If you choose to stay in your present location, there are many ways to make a non-frontage booth stand out amongst the competition... if I may, I suggest that you read my info on Successful Show Booth Design Tips, which is all translatable to antique mall spaces. 

Also, make sure you read a new and effective resource: 

'Selling in an Antique Mall: A Beginners' Guide'

(pictured at top of post)

written by Inis Lovely and Sue LaLumia,

is a new e-book available on Kindle through Amazon 

{click book title above}.

It's just $9.95

Thank you for your question, Connie!

New Resource for Women in Business

 Launch Your Creativity

is a new web resource for creative women entrepreneurs.

Visit their web site to find info on a gathering of inspiring women in business,

coming in April in Orange, California!

I am honored to have been featured on their blog today, 

to share a bit about what my business is, how I chose it, 

(or, rather, how IT chose ME)

and how I can help others succeed in creating their own businesses.

Please click here to visit the blog post...

Thank you so much for the opportunity to be featured, Sharon!

Enough is Enough!

sigh. Haulin' out the soapbox again, girls...

This post originally appeared on my personal blog last winter. But since the subject is such a hot-button issue and affects so many design professionals, I decided to post it here on my Retail Design Blog. I'm placing it in a high-priority spot here because I think people need to hear more about WHY this is so important. OK, on with the post:

____________________________________________________________________________

I just heard from a friend today that her fabulous business idea is being copied. By someone she has gone out of her way to help with their business.

Today I also read a blog post by an artist who was announcing that her own design has been picked up by a major chain. When I saw her design, I realized that another person, whom I know of, has been copying it and selling it as her own recently.

Last night, I read another blog post by an artist who was ripped off by the company she had licensed her art to. This woman has been through a nightmare - and it ain't over yet.

And last week, on Facebook and Twitter, I read that two friends' product designs are being ripped off - one domestically, one in Europe.

I've had my own run-ins with this over the past year - from having my design blog 'scraped' to make someone else money from ad revenues {generated from the content I wrote that he posted on his blog} to having my product designs for Retreat oogled at shows, 'covertly' photographed {um, yes, I saw you do it} OR had my photos snagged from my blogs, and then seen my products reproduced and presented as someone else's 'original design'. I even had my Facebook Fans & Friends falsely lured to another Page by someone using my name - and I wasn't the only one these particular people targeted. Oh, yeah, then there was the client/frenemy who took all my submitted design ideas and told her coworkers and the corporation who employed her that they were HER ideas. {Ahem.}

There's even a blog devoted entirely to link ups where people can show off the things they have copied after seeing them somewhere else. ??

{Warning: Rant Ahead}

I'm done, girls. Sick and tired and DONE with these people. 

I am tired of people thinking it's ok to copy, borrow, lift, reproduce, 'appropriate', steal, and whatever else you want to call it. IT'S NOT OK!!!! Immitation is NOT flattering, it's not 'inspired', it's certainly not nice, and it's most definitely not LEGAL.

BTW, I'm not talking about Debbie Sue who reads a blog and sees a cute thing and decides to make it for herself. Creating is often inspired or jump-started by something we see - we start there and it evolves into something reflecting our own style. I'm referring to the deliberate taking of an original, unique product/idea/service and reproducing it for sale as your own design.

What ever happened to manners? To ethics? Morals? Doing business based on the skills and talents that you possess - not by stealing ideas and product designs from other people? I am tired of people taking advantage of other people. They've been getting away with murder, we've paid the price, and it's time to put a stop to it, for God's sake!

Owning a business is HARD WORK, my friends. It never ends. But all that hard work and late nights and no vacations and sometimes no pay for yourself is worth it when you come up with a great product or service, and people want what you have.

Unfortunately, some of those people who want what you have are untalented and underhanded, and simply steal it from you. They start a duplicate business, or they lift your design and start selling it as their own. And usually, they manage to market it to the very people who were actually looking for YOUR product or service, so the impact doubles. These are hacks, theives, slackers who want the buck without the work, the fame without paying the dues, and the limelight no matter how they get it. It's disgusting. It's wrong. And it's spreading like a freakin' epidemic - H1N1 has nuthin' on creative & intellectual property theft.

Here's what I'd really like to see:

A watchdog organization for creatives, designers and artisans that will publicize the illegal activities that these unscrupulous people have been undertaking. Something along the lines of 'the 3/50 Project' - but instead of promoting a 'shop local campaign', this organization will promote a cooperation amongst creative businesses to stop the rampant theft going on. Something like 'Blog With Integrity' except on a larger scale - not just blogs, but web sites, B&M's, shows, etsy, ebay, twitter, facebook, everything. Something with viral visibility, worldwide distribution, and a spitfire spokesperson like Cinda Baxter who will grow this thing fast. I ALSO want Wonder Woman and her rope of truth - 'cause they all deny it when they get caught.

I don't know how to do that. I'm trying to make a living running not one but two businesses, and I am not as proficient at getting the word out about 'causes' as I'd like to be. But I am compelled to do something about this mess, so I am going to do some research to find out what is already out there.

My question to you all is this: What can we do?  

I know there is something we can do. I know the power of a group is far more moving than the ire of one person. I know we can move mountains and change the landscape of business if we stand up to this.

Any ideas, brainstorms, or fingers pointed in the right direction will be gratefully accepted! Leave me a comment below, send me an email, hit me on Facebook ... just let me know what you think about this. Have you been a victim? Do you know of a growing movement against intellectual & creative property theft? Let's get together on this issue and make a change for the better. Climb up here on the soapbox with me....

I've added a few links over in my right sidebar - these are other professionals who share their opinions on the creative copyright issue. Check 'em out! And many thanks to Cinda Baxter of the 3/50 Project for linking to my original post in support. Rock ON, Sistah!

NEW INFO January 2011: 

Please visit the newly created web site, blog, & facebook Page 

Be Your Original Best 

to join with creative designers & artists 

in the effort to promote a 'copycat free' artistic industry.

Image Credit: photo used by permission from design*sponge Biz Women Series 

{I wrote a blog post for them and have permission to use it!}

Selling in an Antiques Mall #101

'Selling in an Antique Mall: A Beginners' Guide'

written by Inis Lovely and Sue LaLumia,

is a new e-book available on Kindle through Amazon 

{click book title above}.

It's just $9.95 

and is a great resource of information and inspiration

for vintage/Antique dealers, or those of you who want to be!

This would be a great Holiday read - just in time for the new year.

Find out more info on their facebook Page and blog