Video: Are store designs led by shopper insight? They should be says dcGTR

By Charlotte Turner |

Alan-Brennan-and-Char-vid-stillAfter just six months, dcGTR, part of the dcactiv group, is making its presence felt in travel retail as the division’s Managing Director, Alan Brennan tells TRBusiness, and says the company’s various technological tools and solutions have ‘no boundaries’ in terms of their application in travel retail.

 

As reported, dcGTR entered the market officially in March as a creative commercial tech agency marrying cutting-edge technology with detailed customer insight. Just two months later TRBusiness took the opportunity during May’s TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference to gain a timely update from Brennan and Rob Thorpe, Managing Director – Associate Partners, dcActiv, on the firm’s future pathway.

 

At the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes last month, Brennan spoke with Charlotte Turner about how airports, retailers and brands can gain a real competitive advantage through the various digital tools and technologies in dcGTR’s locker.

 

“We’re using virtual, augmented, immersive and mixed realities among others,” clarifies Brennan. “We can create anything from airport masterplanning right down to physical product on a shelf and everything in between, meaning store, category, brand activation and product.

 

“We’re able to transmit that on a standard internet connection and also immerse an individual in that environment.”

 

INTELLIGENT STORE DESIGN INFORMED BY SHOPPER INSIGHT

A good example of what can be achieved through the digital tools available to dcGTR’s clients concerns store design in travel retail locations.

 

 

“A lot of travel retail stores are very creative [on paper] and brilliantly designed, but one of the questions [we have] is, how fundamental is shopper insight to that design?

 

“Is it the most efficient to navigate or even the most engaging? Our tools and technology allow a retailer to effectively take their concept or design and help to them identify areas they can improve.

 

“Through the tech they can ask how relevant their design is in terms of a global business. Is it appealing to high-spending Chinese, or millennials from Europe, for example. (Skip to 04.50 to see how dcGTR can make this happen).”

 

dcGTR-pillars-slide

 

GAME-CHANGING IN TENDER PROCESSES

Once the store is virtually designed, it be researched or tested with the retailer’s target audience, all which can be done online.

 

This technology becomes truly game-changing in tender processes, as Brennan explains.

 

“It can be provide a point of difference and competitive advantage. For example, when an incumbent retailer has the data from their existing store, they can compare it very quickly with a new one, by looking at the purchasing behaviour online and what the impact is on basket spend in terms of by category segmentation. (For more information on this, skip to 7.10).”

 

Another example of how the ground-breaking technology can be useful to brands, is actually in the design of new products. “Before brands have to make that significant capex; before mobilisation and roll out of new products, they can essentially test them with their target audience through our VR and research tool.”

 

The possibilities and scope for use in travel retail takes too long to list here, but to learn more about dcGTR’s  ecosystem of digital apps, which covers store compliance (via a store-checker), a knowledge hub, playbook on learning and development – or anything else do with dcGTR – watch the above video and get in touch with Alan Brennan at [email protected].

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