We had an interesting opportunity to help Baffin, Inc. address its footwear and apparel point-of-purchase display and merchandising challenges and opportunities within multiple channels of distribution in North America and potentially in Europe. Baffin Inc. is a privately-held Canadian company with a core competence in technically advanced, high-quality, innovative, and fashionable outdoor footwear and performance apparel. The Company designs and manufactures some of the world’s best-performing cold-weather and full-season footwear and apparel products marketed under a variety of Baffin® brands (Baffin® Polar Proven, PUR®, and PACKables®) for the outdoor and industrial market segments.
Baffin Inc.’s objective is to become the global leader in high-performance cold-, wet-, and all-weather footwear and cold-weather apparel and accessories by combining quality, comfort, aesthetics, fashion, and value to customers. Baffin sells its product lines through a diverse set of distribution channels in the outdoor and industrial market segments.
Baffin Inc. was aware that its approach to POP displays and in-store merchandising was ineffective and in need of a major overhaul to help the Company achieve its global leadership aspirations. After analyzing Baffin Inc’s product line and the competitive landscape in the outdoor footwear, outdoor apparel, outdoor apparel accessories (such as cold-weather gloves and socks), and industrial footwear markets, RICH LTD. designed a comprehensive retail store display solution that would help to create a distinctive competitive advantage for Baffin Inc.
Keeping in mind the wide range of retail settings and distribution channels, as well as the distinct characteristics of the outdoor vs. the industrial markets, RICH LTD. created a menu of store fixture solutions that could meet almost any need. We began with a wall fixture for the industrial footwear market. We designed an 8-ft. section which incorporated back panel graphics, curved PVC header sign graphics, die-cut side flag signs, and custom-branded shoe shelves- all elements of which were designed to build the Baffin Inc. name as the global brand leader.
We then designed two different variations of an industrial footwear tower that could complement the wall fixture. Both fixtures were designed with a metal base and frame and, like the wall fixture, featured prominent Baffin Inc. graphics. These footwear glorifiers also utilized the same branded shoe shelves as the wall fixture.
An important element of the design was the interchangeability of the shoe shelves since we believed it was important to share as many components across fixtures as possible. A close-up of the multi-material industrial shoe shelf is shown below.
Part of our design strategy was to use the freestanding shoe tower as a complementary fixture to the wall fixture to help draw in customers. You can see below how the two fixtures create synergy.
For the outdoor market, we wanted to keep a similar look and feel as the footwear displays we designed for the industrial market, but we needed to incorporate design elements that would appeal to a different shopper and meet the needs of a wide variety of outdoor retailers. We began with the wall display as the anchor fixture in the outdoor fixture set. Our design for the 8-ft. outdoor wall fixture was graphic intensive but also incorporated reclaimed wood features to create a rustic feel. The header, for example, was designed with a reclaimed wood panel and dimensional letters to draw attention to the Baffin Inc. brand. We added reclaimed wood benches not only for functionality but also to help keep the stock boxes organized. The branded shoe shelf was similar in structure to the industrial shoe shelf but had distinctive design features of its own.
Similar to our fixture strategy for the outdoor market, we designed a complementary shoe tower which acted as a product glorifier. The shoe tower featured a metal base and frame with branded reclaimed wood accents , back panel graphics, and branded shoe shelves.
As in the case of the industrial market, the outdoor shoe shelf could be used with the shoe tower and the wall fixture.
The wood bench was designed to work independently as a functional seat and also as a part of the overall fixture set.
As shown below the shoe tower, bench seating and the wall fixture presented a unifying merchandising approach to the outdoor market customer.
For stores that might not be able to devote 8 feet of wall space to Baffin Inc., we designed two different freestanding shoe bunkers that could display footwear, merchandise accessories, build the brand, and also hold footwear inventory.
We created a variation of the above shoe bunker by changing the design features of the header sign.
As a part of the fixture set, we also designed a counter glorifier display to build the brand, educate the customer, and create awareness of the other Baffin Inc. fixtures in the store. This point-of-purchase counter display incorporated a lot of the same design elements as the floor fixtures we designed for the outdoor market.
Finally, we designed a few different versions of freestanding mobile panel displays that could be used as 1-sided or 2-sided fixtures. These fixtures not only incorporated many of the design elements of the other outdoor fixtures we have discussed, but they included accessories such as waterfall arms for Baffin Inc. apparel accessories as well as incorporating the universal shoe shelves we designed. These mobile fixtures were an important part of the overall fixture mix since they could meet the diverse needs of many retailers.
This comprehensive POP display and store fixture program provided all of the elements to enable Baffin Inc. to address its display and merchandising challenges in both the industrial and outdoor market.
Jim Hollen is the owner and President of RICH LTD. (www.richltd.com), a 35+ year-old California-based point-of-purchase display, retail store fixture, and merchandising solutions firm which has been named among the Top 50 U.S. POP display companies for 9 consecutive years. A former management consultant with McKinsey & Co. and graduate of Stanford Business School, Jim Hollen has served more than 3000 brands and retailers over more than 20 years and has authored nearly 500 blogs and e-Books on a wide range of topics related to POP displays, store fixtures, and retail merchandising.
Jim has been to China more than 50 times and has worked directly with more than 30 factories in Asia across a broad range of material categories, including metal, wood, acrylic, injection molded and vacuum formed plastic, corrugated, glass, LED lighting, digital media player, and more. Jim Hollen also oversees RICH LTD.’s domestic manufacturing operation and has experience manufacturing, sourcing, and importing from numerous Asian countries as well as Vietnam and Mexico.
His experience working with brands and retailers spans more than 25 industries such as food and beverage, apparel, consumer electronics, cosmetics/beauty, sporting goods, automotive, pet, gifts and souvenirs, toys, wine and spirits, home improvement, jewelry, eyewear, footwear, consumer products, mass market retail, specialty retail, convenience stores, and numerous other product/retailer categories.