How You Can Brand Retail Developments

With the holidays quickly approaching, ‘Tis the season for retail! We work with our mall and retail clients throughout the year to make sure they have everything they need on site before the Christmas rush.

Let’s consider the function of site furnishings in a retail or shopping center environment:

• Benches allow shoppers to spend more time on site by offering places to take a break, relax and wait for others before going back into the stores.
• Trash cans encourage proper litter disposal for a cleaner shopping experience.
• Bike racks offer a place for local bicyclists to park outside the stores while shopping.
• Ash receptacles keep smoking away from store entrances and confined to designated areas.
• Table sets accommodate food court seating and other quick-dining solutions.
• Recycling containers support trash sorting initiatives.
• Planters add ambiance and greenery both inside and out.

Beyond the basic function of retail furnishings, we often see our clients achieving a bigger picture through incorporating branding and logos into products throughout their properties. We touched on this trend in a previous post: Four Trends in Site Furniture.

We understand the importance of a consistent brand in conveying an image and creating a recognizable identity. To further elaborate on how a shopping center or mall can enhance their brand with site furniture, here are Keystone Ridge Designs’ Retail Branding Basics:

Color is Key

If there is a signature color associated with your brand or shopping center, consider how it can be accentuated with matching furniture. Between our 15 standard colors and over 160 custom colors, we can find an ideal match to complement your color scheme and make the furniture a constant colorful reminder of your brand.

Let There Be Logos!

Benches, bike racks and trash cans can all be customized with logos. In fact, we do it all the time! This can be achieved through laser cutting technology, decals or even with metal signage such as cast bronze, aluminum or etched stainless steel.

Know Your Type

Know the type of center you are or want to be and use the furnishings to help portray that image. Choose site furniture quality, styles and designs that fit with your brand. For instance, a high-end upscale mall may want to choose products that are more contemporary in design like our Schenley or Plaza benches. Or an open-air center may be trying to achieve a main street feel where classic, timeless designs like our Reading or Lamplighter benches would be more appropriate. In any case, choosing quality products over price will help create an overall quality brand image.

Keep It Consistent

Branding is all about consistency - maintaining the same visual appearance and message across all channels. Using the same products from the same company throughout your property helps to convey consistency by keeping colors, designs and styles the same. Pick designs appropriate for your brand and stick with them for all future additions and replacements. We have even seen property management companies standardize items across all of their regional or national properties. This helps a shopper to identify with a specific type of property and recognize a consistent shopping experience regardless of location.

Whether it’s for the holiday shopping season, a new development or just year-round maintenance and upgrades, keep in mind how site furniture can be used to add branding and personalization to the retail environment. For more photos of retail installations and customizations, download our Retail Furnishings brochure.

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