Retail Report : Making a Splash
H2O Plus's in-store display is bathed in blue tones to reflect the brand's fresh image. By Marie Redding, Senior Editor
H2O Plus is a unique, upscale product line consisting of skin-care, bath, and body products. Products are sold in the brand's own worldwide stores, with 25 stores in North America. In May, the brand launched a new makeup collection. To introduce the line in its stores, H2O Plus partnered with The Royal Promotion Group (New York City).
"To appeal to today's consumer, we need to continually evolve and innovate," says Cindy Melk, CEO and founder of H2O Plus. "We chose The Royal Promotion Group because of its proven experience with prestige brands, its attention to quality and detail, and its ability to successfully translate brand 'vibes' for retail selling environments."
The team at The Royal Promotion Group is made up of experts from a variety of backgrounds, including interior design, architecture, and manufacturing. All have a tremendous understanding of merchandising.
H2O Plus's in-store displays were designed to reflect the image of the brand and its packaging. The packaging for the entire product line conveys the image of the brand: simple, modern, and fresh. Since all of the brand's products are based upon the idea of using water for moisturizing, and incorporating ingredients derived from the sea, the color blue is prominent in all the brand's packaging. This is reflected in the design of the in-store displays, which include an open-sell wall and a mobile "play station."
"We emphasized the already existing attributes of the brand," says Bruce Teitelbaum, president of The Royal Promotion Group. "Lighting and illumination are important to the environment of H2O Plus's stores, which use blue light. We used the brand's own design cues, but modernized its approach." The Royal Promotion Group's Retail Division is also in the process of redesigning the entire interiors of all the H2O Plus stores, which will be unveiled next year.
The in-store display's open-sell wall appears to be free-floating because of the lighting used behind it, but the unit is actually adhered to the wall. It is made of white, powder-coated steel, with thick, clear acrylic sleeves and removable templates. The concept of using open-sell walls in prestige environments is something that The Royal Promotion Group incorporates often into its design concepts, if it is right for the brand. The play station is a mobile counter that displays the entire makeup line within easy reach of the consumer. A potential customer can look into the station's mirror and sample the line on her own, or be assisted by a makeup artist. The station's Corian material keeps it from getting dirty with makeup.
Teitelbaum says that what drives The Royal Promotion Group's designs is the goal of selling a product. "Design, development, and manufacturing are intrinsically connected," he says. "Both our company's designs and the quality of our manufacturing are what set us apart. Our main priority is to showcase a product. If a product doesn't sell, what's the point of having a beautiful display? Knowing how to merchandise multiple SKUs is extremely important for us."
Selling a product may be the ultimate goal, but a quality in-store display is an important means to that end. This is why working with a good display company shouldn't be underestimated. Both the packaging and the display work together to achieve the same goal—to capture a consumer's attention within a few seconds. Without the right look and retail environment, even the best products can end up just sitting on shelves unnoticed