A successful supermarket draws their customer in from ‘macro to micro’ with consistent, brand-led wayfinding. Waitrose felt they needed to reassess their wayfinding, to maximise connection with the customer.
Cold comfort
We developed a signage system that helped draw customers to their frozen food – which saw a marked and rapid increase in sales in that department. In any wayfinding system, there are some key considerations. It must be easy to manage and maintain, cost effective and easy for customers to understand. With freezer signage there is also the challenge of dealing with lower temperatures, at which many adhesives on signs just don’t work.
The technical to the practical
From the technical to the practical, across the whole store, we looked closely at every non-standard piece of kit and recommended new manufacturing processes whenever a cost saving could be found. We specified new trolley bays made from foam mouldings – not only reducing costs but also improving consistency and longevity. We also reworked internal signs using mouldings and extrusions to reduce costs and carbon content, improving both the look and Waitrose’s eco-rating.
Once designed, we also managed the delivery of the new signage system, rolling it out in every store across the country in just two weeks, helping them re-merchandise the freezer section at the same time.
Getting results
The result of our work and findings is a ‘kit of parts’ that can be used across any store of any size – helping Waitrose cut costs and increase consistency across their estate.
Industry or sector
Retail – supermarket
Country
UK
Challenge
Cost reduction across store equipment
Services
Cost reduction
Customer journey
Links
Waitrose
Downloads
Customer experience factsheet.