Articles and Tips at fcdadson.com

One of the coolest things about the F.C. Dadson team is that we aren't just experienced salespeople, project managers, engineers, designers, fabricators and installers -we also represent a collective wealth of design and build out knowledge.

Rather than let this expertise go to waste, we've decided to share it with anyone who might be interested. Over at fcdadson.com, we have a handful of how-to and advice-filled articles with more being added as our team creates them. Here's an excerpt from our newest article to give you a sneak-peek of what you'll find:

4 Tips for Creating a Multi-Unit Build Out Program

Making the decision to grow a business concept from a single location to many can be quite exciting. Visions of new customers and additional revenues are enough to bring a smile to any business owner's face, but before you can fully enjoy the benefits, you need to negotiate the leases and prepare these new spaces for business. Without a proper plan in place, multi-location build out can quickly become a nightmare. To help you avoid your own horror story, here are four tips for developing a solid build out program.

#1: Modular design: a multi-location business's best friend.
Available real estate doesn't come in just one shape or size. Finding a location that perfectly fits your original design specifications every time is nearly impossible. Since it's generally more time and cost-effective to fit a design to the space as opposed to the space to a design, modular fixtures and displays are perfect tools for the multi-location business to use. Their layout can be easily reconfigured to make the most of any size (within reason) locations without compromising the overall "feel" and branding of the original design.

Click here for the remaining three tips as well as other articles for you to browse.

--Liz Blohm

When Passion Isn't Enough

Often times, the question emerging entrepreneurs get asked the most is: what's your passion? Starting a business takes a heck of a lot of passion, so it helps to start one that revolves around something you're passionate about. Unfortunately, sometimes being passionate isn't enough to build a profitable business. Sometimes it takes a little more.

If you're in need of "a little more" or just looking for some new ideas, Entrepreneur.com has a great article up that showcases five different entrepreneurs and what they did to "bridge the gap" between passion and profit.

A quick read to help get the gears turning on this Monday morning...

--Liz Blohm

Chapter 4 - Is Time on My Side?

Our kiosk guru, Marie, is back with her 4th chapter in kiosk development. In case you missed them, here's Chapter 1, 2 and 3 to get you caught up.

Chapter 4 - Is Time on My Side?

One of the biggest differences between a national kiosk program and a regional launch is the time it takes to get to market. Depending on the complexity of your design and how many mall properties your kiosks will be in, it could very easily take up to 8 months to design, get mall approval, test functionality and operate a public location.

If you're hoping for a more speedy development, a solid option to consider is growing regionally within one mall property group. That way, you only have to design to one mall group's specifications, get their approval and presto -you can have a fully operational kiosk ready for the real world in about 2 1/2 months. This approach is also likely to give you opportunities to leverage cost- and time-saving elements in your kiosk program.

But if there's any possibility that you may expand your concept nationally and you can afford a little extra time on the front-end, then I'd recommend designing your regional program as though it may some day go national -meaning creating a kiosk that will comply with a variety of mall groups' guidelines. This should allow for a smoother approval process across most mall properties while keeping the brand look of your kiosk consistent from one location to the next.

Keep in mind, however, that this may cost more money upfront because you may have to use more expensive materials required by certain malls if you want to locate in their properties. The extra effort upfront does have its benefits though, as your design can now essentially be mass-produced and that will drive down your unit cost. Otherwise your kiosk vendor may view each kiosk as a one-off and price it as such.

-- Marie VanDrisse (Learn more about me here.)

Design Considerations

That Paco Underhill is always so insightful. For his "Shopping with Paco" column in March's issue of DDi Magazine, he talks about personal security and the cleanliness of a space. Women, in general, are more aware of both, by the way, but that's not why I picked this column to write about this morning.

Actually, what got me thinking doesn't show up until the very last paragraph. Underhill starts out, "In retail, we recognize that what is easy to keep clean, is more likely to stay clean. (Totally agree with him there!) Then he challenges readers to ask themselves "at what point in your design process does maintenance get factored in?"

Well, Paco, I'd guess the answer you're looking for is that maintenance should be a consideration from the beginning. However, the reality is that maintenance is often an afterthought -if it even gets any thought during the design process at all. I mean, design's all about look and function, isn't it?

Not entirely. It's also about making sure the look and function keep working for as long as you need them to. And that comes down to the more mundane details of production, assembly/installation, and -yes- maintenance. Using quality, durable materials is a start. Making the components easy to assemble and install in the space is another important piece. And simple cleaning and upkeep procedures are the frosting on the cake and makes keeping your store in top shape that much easier.

-- Liz Blohm

Using Shopper Motivations to Shape Design & Growth Strategies

So often I see store designs revolve around a shop owner's likes and needs. This strategy does have the potential for success -if the shop owner also happens to be part of the store's target demographic and an avid shopper. But it's more likely that you'll find more success if you consider your customers when drafting up new store designs and growth strategies.

In their article, "From Plague to Paradigm: Designing Sustainable Retail Environments," IDEO's Steve Bishop and Dana Cho introduce readers to the five different "modes" that people generally shop in.

• Mission Mode: shoppers go in knowing what they want and are looking to get in and get out as quickly as possible.
• Restock Mode: shoppers pretty much switch on the "autopilot" and fall back on ingrained buying habits while replenishing the basics.
• Background Mode: shoppers in this mode aren't actually intending to purchase anything, but use shopping "as a means of accomplishing something more important" (i.e., shopping with friends -the shopping is the "background" to being with friends).
• Celebration Mode: shoppers are making purchases to treat themselves and are generally more open to visiting new stores and trying new products.
• Beyond-the-Store Mode: shoppers in this mode are already picturing how and when they'll use the products they are checking out within the store, and this influences their purchases.

While shopping modes are largely based on context and you'd be hard-pressed to find a customer that consistently falls in one of these categories, considering these motivations can help give direction to your store design and growth strategies.

For example, if you find that most of your customers come in "mission" or "restock" mode, you'd want to pay attention to your store layout to ensure a swift traffic flow as well as your directional signage to facilitate the quick finding of desired products. You'd also want to consider locations that are "convenient" for your shoppers -close to their homes, offices or other businesses they frequent. Or for the "beyond-the-store" moders, it might be nice to set up merchandise vignettes that showcase how your products can be used. Furniture stores like IKEA are great at this.

Finding ways to accommodate these modes within your store will help create a pleasurable experience for everyone, no matter what frame of mind they're in.

--Larry Myer (Connect with me on LinkedIn.)

Retail Build Out Relief by F.C. Dadson

Browsing the Fast Company website, I found out about one of the coolest things -Google created a tool on YouTube that lets anyone create their own version of Google's "Parisian Love" SuperBowl Ad (read the article here).

It looked like so much fun, I decided to create one for F.C. Dadson to share with our lovely blog readers. So, without further ado, here's "Retail Build Out Relief by F.C. Dadson."



What did you think?

-- Liz Blohm

Investing in the Shopper Experience

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to sit in on a RetailWire webinar titled, "Investing in the Shopper Experience - Weighing Customer Satisfaction vs. ROI," which revealed the results of a Dechert-Hampe/RetailWire study of top influencing factors of shopper experience and ROI.

For anyone doubting the importance of store design, survey respondents listed "customer-centric store design" as one of the top influencing factors of the shopper experience. Also grouped into this category were ambiance (lighting, music, etc.) and directional signage/graphics.

On the ROI side of things, "customer-centric store design" ranked in the upper-middle of ROI-delivering factors. I was a little surprised not to see it ranked higher considering the high scores it received on the shopper experience side. Still, respondents saw it as producing a solid return on a retailer's investment, which is something we all like to hear.

And if you're wondering how some of the leaders in shopper experience like Apple, Starbucks and Whole Foods got to their top positions, it turns out they all have three things in common:

1. They are uniquely positioned.
2. The shopper experience is integral to that positioning.
3. They carry out consistent messaging from one channel to the next.

Just a few things to keep in mind if you're contemplating a new design for your stores.

-- Liz Blohm

International Franchise Expo

If you possess an interest in franchising and you'll find yourself in and/or around Washington, DC this weekend, you should seriously think about stopping by the International Franchise Expo. The show, taking place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on April 9-11, offers access to some of the nation's top franchise concepts as well as the industry's premier suppliers, consultants and supporters at a very affordable price.

F.C. Dadson is excited to once again be an exhibitor at the show. Company reps will be on-hand at Booth 439 during show hours to meet with those interested in learning more about us and our services. Or you can call (800)728-0338 before Thursday and Tim or Troy would be happy to set up a time and place to meet.

A Gift Registry for Divorces?

It is an untapped market. And it's a growing one. What enterprising retailer would pass on an opportunity like that? (Well, maybe a happily married one, but anyway...)

Divorce creates a whole market of people moving into new living spaces and depending on the terms of their settlement, they may not be bringing much money or loot along with them. This means that they'll need to make a few purchases for their new place. Ironically, it's sort of like a cash-strapped newlywed couple putting together their first home. So why not a gift registry for divorcees?

One creative British department store has launched just that -a divorce gift registry service. The concept behind it is the same as a more traditional registry. While some criticize it as a "cynical attempt by a high street chain to cash in on the misery of people whose marriages have come under pressure," the chain is taking a more optimistic view and sees it as "a way for friends and family to help that person on their way a bit."

Being a married man myself, I hope I never have a need for such a service. But it's hard to argue with the logic behind it. And it makes me wonder what other untapped markets retailers will uncover next.

--Tim Matey (Connect with me on LinkedIn.)