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There have been industry reports swirling for years that storefront numbers are decreasing and consumer retail is moving to a new address: The Internet. While we have all seen the rapid expansion of e-commerce, we don’t think we should be preparing brick and mortar’s grave just yet. Hear us out on this:

There is no question that a 24-7-365 online shop with a worldwide reach and reduced overhead is an enticing, straightforward way to bring a retailer’s products to a broader audience. It is also a fact that consumers want to order paper towels while walking down the hall. They also want to make that impulse gadget purchase at midnight on a Friday after a few cocktails. Our argument is that while we are probably all too familiar with those inclinations, there exists an interesting paradox within today’s consumer. It is this dichotomy of belief that we believe gives the breath of life to B&M retailers of pretty much any size.

Yes, today’s consumer wants convenience. The advancements made in the retail e-commerce space in the last decade have been monumental. But in the same breath that today’s consumer rattles off all of the advantages and convenience (and fun) of a service like Amazon Prime, they are also touting the importance of a customized experience.

Today’s consumer expects more from “their” brands. Shoppers want to interact with brands with clear values and a great story. They expect the retail environment to be welcoming, engaging, and to an extent, comforting. Today’s consumer feels very strongly about the brands with which they choose to engage. They are totally disengaged from brands that do not (from their perspective) put enough weight on customer experience.

All of that said, if we take our very simplistic paper towel example to conclusion: it may seem convenient for consumers to order paper towels on the go, but if they find themselves out of paper towels these very same consumers will drive past countless drug stores, gas stations, dollar stores, and even grocery stores, to visit a retailer where they feel comfortable, connected, respected, and appreciated.

So it really isn’t all about convenience, is it?

 

The relationship between you and your vendor should be like a marriage. It takes a lot of trust, commitment, and working together. But when going from design to manufacturing to installation it is often difficult to realize when a vendor tries to sneak in products that lower their bottom line without changing yours. Bad husband indeed! While value engineering is important to try to find ways to keep the look but lower the price, it is important for you to know which materials a vendor may sneak into your production in order to cut costs before it’s too late. Here are 4 common materials vendors may swap for a profit:

1. Particleboard for Plywood

Working with wood products can get pricey, especially when you are talking about solid wood. Many times a project will include designs with plywood as a cheaper alternative. Swapping particleboard for plywood is an easy way for a vendor to try to help their bottom line.

2. Gatorfoam for Sintra/ Komatex

Expanded PVC sheets made of Sintra or Komatex are often replaced by gator foam, or foam board. While many people couldn’t tell the difference between the two, Sintra is a rigid PVC shell with PVC core interior foam. It is stiffer and won’t dent as easily as Gatorfoam. Gatorfoam also costs less, and could be an area where a vendor may try to swap out one type of material for one that looks similar.

3. Iron for Steel

Metals are a big category that can be swapped. Because steel is expensive many vendors would prefer to use iron, a less expensive and more malleable alternative. The bad part is that when you are paying for steel and are instead getting rod iron that is sand blasted and powder coated, you probably can’t tell the difference in the final look.

4. Standard Ink for UV Resistant Ink

Printing with standard ink or UV resistant ink usually looks the same when first printed. However, a year after sitting in the sun will fade a standard ink print while the UV resistant ink will remain unfazed by weathering. Knowing that you are getting the ink you are paying for is important to ensure that you will not have to shell out extra money to replace what your vendors snuck into your project.

So what you should take out of this? Value engineering is important. We want to get you the look you want at the cost you want, but we know that sometimes getting the cost you want comes with changes in the materials we use. In order to protect yourself from getting into a vendor material scheme, here are tips we came up with to remember along the way.

Be Upfront:

Tell the vendor what materials you expect to be using and what areas you may be able to use value engineering to cut costs. If you want that solid oak wood, say you want solid oak wood and are not willing to consider other, possibly less expensive, alternatives. Being upfront with your expectations will leave less room for error or vendor decision-making if it comes down to selecting a certain material.

Get Suggestions:

Your vendor knows a lot about this stuff, it is their job after all. Ask your vendor what materials they would suggest using for certain projects. It will help you stay on top of what is being produced while trying to work with your vendor on coming up with the best possible solutions for your projects.

See Materials:

There’s nothing wrong with asking for a sample (Hey, why do you think people love Costco and Sam’s Club so much?). Request that your vendor send you tangible concrete examples of materials being used, especially when prototyping a project. That way you can see it, look at it, get to know it, take it out for a nice steak dinner, and really feel comfortable with the materials you are selecting. Plus, it’s a great way to test a look on two materials if you can’t decide.

Ask Questions:

Remember when your grade-school teacher told you no question is too small? That applies to your vendor as well. It’s your project, and the more questions you ask the less likely you will be left in the dark. Remember, there are a lot of steps in this process and putting a project that someone else designed into your vendor’s hands can create some confusion and human error.

Manage the Project:

Make sure your project managers are keeping you in the loop. It is important that you know how the product is unfolding so that you aren’t displeased with the outcome. Make sure you know: what is the quality, what is being produced?

You have to be willing to build a trust and partnership with a vendor where you know you are going to get what you pay for. We don’t value our customers as customers, we value them as partners. Their success is our success and your success is our overall goal. Hopefully these tips will help protect you. If your vendors aren’t tricking you into material schemes, then you are probably already using Southeastern Products.

Have you ever jumped into a project headfirst ready to take on the world and after the initial euphoria of the newness of the project began to wane, thought to yourself, “how am I going to bring this to a successful or profitable conclusion?” Then you find that while you are in the process of making your project a success, little fires begin popping up when least expected?

And THEN if you aren’t careful and planned out, those little fires turn into major blazes and the success of the project appears to be in jeopardy? Timelines get lengthened, progress points are missed, patience runs thin and scariest of all budgets are broken. To quote a famous POTUS from the late 20th century, “We feel your pain.” That’s where we step in and provide the guidance, support and know-how to smoothly transition any grand retail environment vision into a glimmering tangible success.

We have found that often clients want the success of the project, without having to deal with the headaches that come with putting the project into action. Project management services are effective tools that take the initial concept drawn up in design and turn them into retail floor realities, while at the same time alleviating the pitfalls and headaches that can come about with any major project. Our “boots on the ground,” so to speak, become the vision and hearing of both the client and the mother ship where we make things happen.

Our project managers take the task at hand and efficiently guide the process step by step through installation to completion. They effectively communicate with all parties involved, going great lengths to ensure our clients’ success. Not afraid to get their hands dirty, they can instinctively make the call on a client’s last minute changes, while at the same time, climb the 12-foot ladder to make sure that final décor piece is hanging perfectly plumb. They are the tactical component of the grand strategy, the conduit conducting the flow of information, the fire marshal putting out those fires. They are the ones who allow our clients to sleep well at night, taking away the nightmares of a grand project gone awry and replacing them with sweet dreams of retail environment goodness.

So the next time you are looking for a leader; a project manager that will put out the fires AND make sure your store is left looking better than it did before the blaze, turn to Southeastern Products.

Hey! Did you know that we design more than just grocery stores? That’s right, from the USC Basketball team locker rooms to your nearby OfficeMax store, we get our hands dirty with all types of different store designing. So, when we were offered the opportunity to design the store for the first-ever women-specific bike shop and athletic boutique, we jumped up and down in excitement, and then got to work of course.

Pedal Chic, located in Greenville, SC, is a bike shop for the female athlete that offers not only sales and rentals but also riding apparel and fashion accessories. With unique bikes, helmets, and other fashionable gear, it is no surprise that the store is living up to its “roadways are the new runways” mantra.

Our objective for Pedal Chic was to complete a refreshing facelift to improve the store appearance and shop-ability for an upcoming TV guest spot on The Today Show. But completing a new concept design and retrofit in two weeks is no easy task. With our design-build experience and a clear communications and coordination plan, the project was a huge success for both Southeastern Products and Pedal Chic.

Click Here to download the free Pedal Chic Case Study to see the challenges we faced while completing this project and what solutions we used to ensure success with the client. Plus, see insider before and after pictures showing how we upgraded the store to become a runway-fab experience for shoppers.