In-Store

Purple Tuesday

This month we welcomed Purple Tuesday – a key date in the shopping centre and OnBrand calendar. But, although that day has now passed, it doesn’t mean this initiative shouldn’t be on your radar all year long. And here’s why….

Ever heard of the Purple Pound? No, it’s not a currency you can use to buy Prince merchandise; it’s the amount of money that businesses lose out on each year because they are reluctant to engage with disabled consumers. It’s estimated at a staggering £249 billion and is on the rise.

So if disabled people in the UK have this much spending power, why aren’t businesses catering to their demands better?

Why indeed. This is exactly the question that the charity Purple, are asking. They are the ones behind the Purple Pound and Purple Tuesday and campaign for accessibility in malls. Their research puts this reluctance for businesses to engage with the disabled community down to fear: “fear of causing offence, of being politically incorrect or of being misunderstood”. So to combat this, Purple set aside the second Tuesday of every November as a day when businesses can show their true colours and tackle their shortcomings by making themselves as accessible as possible for people with disabilities.

What You Can Do

But what does being ‘accessible’ mean? Luckily for you, we’ve compiled a list to give you some ideas on how to make your business more disability-friendly.

One of the ways which you can make a commitment to improving the accessibility of your business is by “Formalising Quiet Hours”. We know many of our clients are already doing a great job of this by setting aside #SEN hours or days, but for those of you who aren’t in the know when it comes to setting aside some quiet time, here’s a quick explanation as to what it involves and why it’s so important:

Many people, especially those on the autistic spectrum, suffer from Sensory Processing Disorder (sometimes called ‘Sensory Integration Disorder’), a condition where the body can struggle to interpret the information that the senses signal to the brain about its surroundings.

One of the ways SPD manifests is a hypersensitivity to the kind of ambient sounds that other people are able to tune out and ignore, things like cars revving, dogs barking, or in-store music.

Now, as much as we love our music at OnBrand, inclusivity always comes first. That’s why we’re encouraging our clients as a part of Purple Tuesday to make it a #SEN day and hit pause on your playlists.

Quietly Confident

As it turns out, aside from being a super simple way to show support for SPD sufferers, we could all do with a bit of peace and quiet from time to time. The World Health Organisation has gone as far as calling noise pollution a “modern plague”, estimating that the 340 million citizens of Western Europe annually lose a million years off their life because the stress it puts us under. And as if that wasn’t scary enough, they also reckon that noise pollution is the root cause of around 3,000 heart disease deaths per year.

We might think of silence as an absence rather than anything else. But the absence of sound has been shown time and time again to be extremely beneficial for us. Whilst testing how different kinds of music affect us, Bernardi (2006) had expected the silent intermissions to act as a control for his test subjects. But he was surprised to discover that silence had a more relaxing effect on the brain than the ‘relaxing’ music he had been playing.

Studies done on mice done by Wehr (2010) and Kirste (2013) have even more exciting implications though. In both cases, silence had a unique effect in mice brains; it not only provoked brain activity unique from processing sound, but the results of Kirste’s experiments suggested that silence provoked the growth of new neurons. These are still preliminary findings, but it could mean that silence therapy might be used in future to treat sufferers of dementia and depression, states in which the production of new cells in the brain decreases. Talk about making something out of nothing, eh?

Don’t shoot us for mentioning the C word… we’re really on your side.

Because, love it or loathe it, Christmas comes around early when you’re in the retail business.

In fact, we’ll let you into a little secret, we know some companies that hold Christmas days in July just to make sure they’re on top of journo’s press lists…

And while we’re all good and happy to do this for our clients, we’re digressing.

Today we want to talk about Christmas music in your centre. With 10 weeks until the big festive day, when is the right time to start those Christmas music playlists?

Lucky for you, we’re following the trends closely…

We’ve found that every year, Christmas creeps up earlier and earlier. This is prompted mainly by brands competing to be the ‘memorable’ campaign of Christmas.

That’s right, the big brands like M&S, John Lewis, Argos etc. have been looking to claim their No.1 Christmas spot, probably from February, to align your festive shopping experience to their brand values.

In fact, we bet there’s the key Christmas ad debut scheduled for those X Factor breaks… watch out guys, we foresee John Lewis sneaking in there with its festive offering.

It’s going to be somewhat mingled with Halloween and Guy Fawkes night because of course, we can’t forget these are also big dates for retailers, but, mark our words, as soon as that last firework pops on 5th November, Christmas will be making a huge bang!

Normally the first prompting from TV or radio leads many other businesses to consider when they should put live their Christmas theme and music. And it’s a huge topic in the office at the moment as we work with clients to get Christmas events ready… so it’s got us thinking…

Why?

Why should we advise our clients to put on Christmas music and when? We mean, who really benefits from hearing Jingle Bells and Silent Night?

In our opinion it’s everyone. It’s all about creating an experience for your customers. That magical sound, that one song that gives your customers ALL the festive feels and evokes a memory. You know, the one that plays on the heartstrings and then, makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. THAT ONE.

And with that, comes the feeling to make the day as special as they remember, pulling on the purse strings and in turn helping your tills sing a positive tune.

In fact, even if you don’t have a full-on winter wonderland or grotto, the music is enough to get all those Christmas feelings straight into play.

Don’t believe it any more than you believe in Santa? Here’s a challenge. To see how important music is to your environment, simply remove it, and observe it with, and without, its music. There’s no better example than in a mall. This Christmas when you’re shopping, stop and notice what is being played, and what the ambience would be without it?

Oh, and let’s not forget your staff. With busy Christmas periods, they’re going to need to be in the mood. That means making sure they aren’t listening to the same songs on repeat over and over… an idea? Why not ask them to pick a tune they like? Send them to us and we’ll put a bespoke list into play… #justsaying

Convinced you? Ok now comes the other Christmas conundrum…

When?

The trick to effective delivery of Christmas music is to slowly introduce the theme and the music – don’t rush to put 100% Christmas music on the 1st of November or for that matter even the 1st December – slowly introduce your music into the mix of the other music playing up till Christmas Day.

Or, take an example from us and our current shopping centre clients…

For the many we work with, festive music begins on, or around, the Christmas Light Switch on, a defining day in the launch of the Christmas shopping season. Most malls will begin their Christmas music at this point, which usually starts around 15th November. From here on in, the music plays right up till the 25th and for some onto the New Year.

And when it ends? Well, there may be the age old tradition of everything coming to an end on the 6^th January, but, we dare you to start the New Year with that Christmas playlist… New Year, New Music is our motto, and we can always give you a helping hand as to what your shoppers will be delighted to hear on a depressing January…

So, there’s the toughie out of the way… we’ll leave picking what to buy your fussy Aunt Mabel for Christmas down to you… #sorrynotsorry.

Shop ‘Til You Drop! 5 reasons to visit your local shopping centre and detox from digital for an afternoon.

Digital is here to stay, but the High Street has a special place in the heart of Britain’s shoppers. According to the Office for National Statistics, online shopping accounts for just over 18% of all retail sales which means that over 80% of you are hitting the shops.

We took a look at 5 reasons to take a digital detox and visit the shops:

1. Exercise

We’re always being told we need more and the easiest way to stay fit and healthy is to fit exercise into our daily lives. So what better way to hit that step target than to plan a trip to the shops?

The average shopping trip burns around 200 calories, so it’s a great added extra to an active lifestyle. Statistics say that women, who are still the most avid shoppers, walk, on average, around 70 miles per week while shopping.

2. Feel-good factor

Our sense of touch is the one we are most likely to take for granted but it’s actually the most important of all our senses. Touch provides us with a huge amount of information on a daily basis and touching certain textures can even calm us down or change our mood.

Nothing replaces the ability to feel the things you like the look of – whether it’s soft clothing, shiny shoes or comfortable bedding, get out there and get a feel for what you’re buying.

3. Try before you buy

These days, research on different products is easy with internet reviews immediately at hand. But what about getting some experience of your purchase before you commit?

Shops are continually looking at the ‘customer experience’ these days, with much more focus on creating a fun environment in which to shop. With the evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI), this is one to watch for high street shoppers as stores have ever more innovative ideas to entertain us while we spend. The added bonus in being able to try things out before you commit? No need to trek to the post office for returns; you can simply choose something else or walk away.

4. Blitz it – all in one place

With our hectic schedules and juggling of home, work, family and socialising, it’s no wonder we sometimes crave some peace and quiet. Browsing the shops can be a great way to close your mind from its daily stresses and focus on yourself for a while.

Plus, by visiting the shopping centre, you can achieve the “whole outfit in one trip” smugness. Oh, and there’s an opportunity to treat yourself to coffee or even a manicure as part of your trip. Go on, you deserve it.

5. Be inspired

One thing the internet can’t compete with is the impact of looking around a brightly lit and colourful shopping centre. Window displays continue to amaze us as well as providing inspiration for that special outfit or kitchen colour scheme. Who knows, you might even come home with something you didn’t know you needed!

So, head out and soak up the atmosphere, gasp at the glitz and glamour and immerse yourself in a truly great British pastime.

The Great British high street is not dead. In fact, it’s undergoing something of an evolution with new technology influencing how we shop. Hopefully, we’ve inspired you to give yourself a bit of a digital detox and experience shopping, the traditional way.

OnBrand | Smart marketing using customer knowledge for digital, audio, social and events

Shopping centre marketing and management teams never have a dull moment!  Between face to face customer queries, instant social media conversations and regular CRM communications, there are any number of messages being delivered at the same time.

A smart move can be to centralise your channels to ensure a joined up marketing strategy, delivered by either an in-house team or an outsourced marketing agency.

Your shoppers get one consistent message, with all channels being managed to deliver a universal view, and as centre managers, you get to reduce costs, limit time spent briefing multiple parties, and the result should be a marketing strategy that works for you.

you need to ensure your marketing agency are specialists in your industry

At OnBrand we did just that, bringing five companies under one roof to make things simpler for both ourselves and our clients.

However, it should be clear that this isn’t a “one size fits all” type of deal, and that you need to ensure your marketing agency are specialists in your industry, otherwise the content they provide can be wide of the mark as far as your customers are concerned.

At OnBrand we ensure we maintain regular local contact with both shoppers and centre managers.  We even like to be in touch with store managers, too.  Why? Because by having local boots on the ground, we see opportunities that create local news and messaging that matter to local people.

Customer knowledge is key when it comes to engaging with your shoppers and retailers. Knowing how your customers experience your centre helps us meet the needs of both locally-owned independent stores, as well as multi-national names, generally running offers through their head offices.

ask us to do the heavy lifting for you, and you’ll soon reap the rewards

If you personally find it a challenge to get around, talk, or engage with your retailers, it can sometimes work better to have a third party doing it on your behalf. A new face isn’t going to be saddled with the gripes of tenants in the same way, and the focus can be on positive opportunities, such as retailer participation with marketing, sourcing prizes for competitions, and quantifying ways to drive real tangible results back into your stores.

And that’s where OnBrand can make a real difference: ask us to do the heavy lifting for you, and you’ll soon reap the rewards.

We’ll manage your offers, make sense of the data you collect, and join up marketing across all of your channels, connecting shoppers and retailers and giving new life to your mall. Contact us today and sayhello@onbrand.co.uk

OnBrand | Smart marketing using customer knowledge for digital, audio, social and events