Allen International

NETWORK OPTIMIZATION

Through retail strategy, journey mapping and design we create the optimum customer experience.
With our KIT OF PARTS, we will develop a concept that can be delivered as cost effective modules. Every zone has key components that deliver the desired experience, from general decoration and environmental graphics, through to furniture, technology and displaying marketing materials. We prioritize the components for ROI potential. This, combined with analysis of the branch’s potential, will inform decisions on levels of spend across the branch network.

The key stages to build a KIT OF PARTS

• Create a master plan for desired customer experience across all store formats. A brand driven look and feel, combined with an optimized operating model
• Condense the optimal design in to component parts.
• Establish a hierarchy of importance (ROI potential) for each of the key touch points along the customer journey. Develop a customized KIT OF PARTS.
• Analyze the network of stores to determine the ROI potential for each store. Develop a roll out map for the network that applies the different levels of spend according to the KIT OF PARTS hierarchy.
• Following refurbishment, apply a store analytics capability, continue to shape future store models, ensuring operational optimization and delivering the best possible customer experience.

KIT OF PARTS gives businesses the opportunity to roll out changes quickly and cost effectively, delivering consistency across the network.

PHYSICAL STORE DESIGN

We create physical spaces that engage customers and motivate your teams, bringing your brand to life.

We create the optimum physical spaces for your customers and employees through a balanced combination of:

• Spatial design – creating a branch layout that engages customers and facilitates effective interactions between customers and branch staff
• Environmental graphics – to reinforce the brand and to help customers use the branch in the best possible way for their requirements.
• Customer journey design – to ensure that customers can move through the branch easily to achieve their desired objectives for the branch visit.
• In-store technology applications – intuitive apps that help customers to interact more easily with staff to achieve their objectives.

HUMAN DIGITAL DESIGN

Technology advances mean that customers have high expectations of branded experiences. They expect interactions to be immediate and highly personalised, regardless of delivery channel.

Physical channels are an integral part of a brand experience. The brand that offers customers a full range of physical and digital means of interaction, and that delivers this in a way that the customer demands, will always sell more than a brand that offers a limited range of interaction channels.

Technology should be used in branded environments to enhance and personalise the experience, and to bring digital and physical journeys together in seamless way for the customer.

We apply the latest technology to the store experiences we design and we always consider how people interact, in markets around the world. This is Human Digital - a design philosophy that harnesses the latest technology to surprise and delight customers in store environments and to facilitate and enhance valuable human interactions.

Human Digital is applied to in-store interactions to improve a store visit, to measure interactions before, during and after, and enhance the store experience in any physical format.

When Human Digital principles are applied, a customer’s journey through the store is streamlined, improving their levels of satisfaction. Through measuring the interactions, customers’ experiences can become more personalized and their attention better engaged.

Measurements made with Human Digital solutions can be used to create a store experience that can be adapted quickly and cost effectively to better serve its unique community of customers.

BRAND DNA

No two companies are the same, and businesses must differentiate themselves from everybody else out there. The amazing thing about DNA is that it is unique, and allows us all to be different. DNA represents the essence of the brand, identifies its unique personality and the soul of the business.

Determining a brand DNA will define what your organization is about for everyone – customers, stakeholders and your people. The information used to define and create your brand DNA can be used to develop the business strategy, shape the customer experience and plan all marketing activities.

DNA has become a major resource for companies when building and developing a brand - especially when that company is trying to give meaning to what they sell and create an emotional connection with their customers. DNA will help to create brand content that will bring a coherent and authentic message throughout all the brand’s touch points.
The key elements that build a brand’s DNA are:

• Attributes: The physical properties and assets of the brand, usually influenced by the business strategy and operations.
• Benefits: What the brand delivers rationally and emotionally. The benefits must be credible and should ideally create a point of difference.
• Values: The guiding ethos and standards of the brand behaviour. This is how the brand engages the emotions and appeals to its targets.
• Personality: This is how the brand is expressed through human characteristics. The brand personality should include distinguishing and identifiable traits to deliver a differentiated and memorable brand experience.

Engagement of all key stakeholders is critical in determining a brand’s DNA. Through a series of one to one interviews, group workshops, audits, and research, we will guide a business to establishing its unique essence and how that essence can effect change across the organisation.
Our deep understanding of the market, the organization and its customers informs the brand development process, resulting in an enhanced brand that can effect transformational change in the consumer decision-making process. Our “consistency is key” approach creates greater harmony, making the brand credible and memorable and providing an enhanced brand experience to the customer. Through consistency and focus we help companies reflect their brand essence through their corporate identity, communication materials, ‘phygital’ touch points and staff behaviours – improving customer experience and ultimately the bottom line.

ASSESSMENT & RECOMMENDATION

Multiple branch formats embedded with well-rounded multi-channel experiences in a lean, optimized network can increase revenue and customer satisfaction.
Through the lens of our connected customer experience model we assess and analyze the current situation through a combination of data collection, audit, workshops and interviews.
We will facilitate a strategic recommendation project, the results of which will be the definition of future branch formats and the shape of the branch network. The assessment and recommendation will lay the foundation for a creative brief and be at the heart of a business case for the future omni-channel customer experience.
We take a three-stage approach:

• Discovery: audit existing branches, digital and print communication channels, competitors, brand and staff. We run staff workshops and interview customers and stakeholders.
• Analysis: we assess customer requirements and engagement levels, review use of technology, benchmark current situation against best practices and investigate opportunities for optimizing networks, store formats and staff engagement.
• Recommendation: we highlight key opportunities to optimize customer touchpoints, branch networks and formats. We define a detailed phased development plan and a staff engagement model.

BRAND CULTURE TRANSFORMATION & RETAIL ACADEMY

We change behaviours and bring brands to life from the inside-out.
Engaging colleagues is more important than ever. People are one of the most expensive investments in a business and they can have the biggest impact on an organization’s performance.

Strong brands are powerful – they add value above and beyond functional delivery because they convince the head and engage the heart. Strong brands create something that customers can identify with. Strong brands have a purpose and they help to build loyalty.

Brands influence people - not only consumers but also employees. We believe in using the power of the brand to effectively engage colleagues and change behaviors to drive cultural transformation. We develop practical, functional and effective initiatives that inspire, engage and motivate employees. We enable people to ‘own change’ and live and breathe the brand.

Investment in employees and their behaviour has a direct impact on the bottom line. The right initiatives will improve efficiencies, increases motivation and loyalty, which leads to cost savings and greater performance.

We drive physical, digital, brand and human behavior change across businesses through our Retail Academy programs.

Retail Academy programs, tailored to suit your business needs, will give your staff the skills to make your business flourish. They will help your people to own the brand and generate excitement and long-term engagement.