Before too long, Bonds will be 100 years old — Australians have been wearing the same brand of T-shirts and undies for nearly a century. Now, medium-sized littlies can join in the fun, with the recent launch of Bonds Kids.
Until now, only babies up to Size 2 were catered for. Now, Bonds is making products for Size 3 to Size 7 (only available in Bonds stores and online at this stage), and have launched a new store concept to celebrate. The first Bonds Kids store, in the black-label Westfield Doncaster, stocks clothing and underwear for both babies and kids.

The brand teamed up with Design Clarity for the store concept and worked on the project for around five months before the store opening. Belinda Barlow, the general manager at Bonds, Underwear — Retail, says that the look and feel of the store are just a bit whimsical. “It almost has a sort of fairytale-esque kind of feel,” she explains. “There’s lots of yarn, and wall buttons that flow right through; from mini-size mirrors on the walls for the littlies to look at themselves, right through to fitting room hooks where mums can hand products on, for trying on their little ones.”

PRAM TURNING CIRCLE
A key part of the finished design is the dedicated ‘Kids’ Cafe’ space, with a mini table and Acapulco chairs in the play area. This is a favourite of the team at Design Clarity — Kristina Hetherington, Danielle Lloyd and Vici Schneyer — who say that their finished product draws on the best aspects of existing Bonds store designs, but adds “colour, fun, a child-like influence, a touch of theatre and joy”, as well as some space for prams.

“It’s kept the essence of our Bonds store concept by having a clean/white backdrop but overlays some bright and fun colour, to really bring the essence of the Bonds brand to life,” Barlow continues. “We really wanted to create an environment which was pretty fresh and new in the kid’s space, and also give our customers a wonderful experience and make a bit of an impact in that first store.”

Barlow explains that Bonds’ status as an iconic Australian brand means that its enthusiasts feel strongly about the brand and freely publicise positive as well as negative experiences. Therefore, the new store concept was designed to appeal broadly to parents and kids. “We really wanted the store to appeal to everyone because we think Bonds does have a product for everyone,” she explains. “But we wanted the store to take customers on a journey as well. So we tried not to hark too much on the heritage; we felt it was really important to create a fresh environment that would take the brand forward.”

PRODUCT IS THE HERO
The designers say that their challenges included balancing product density with ample space for customers, as well as “making certain the store remains the backdrop, and the product is the hero.” Another challenge comes in the form of creating a rewarding customer experience. “It’s all about the customer journey, now more than ever,” says Hetherington. “We may like the convenience of shopping online, but we also love finding beautiful stores to explore — where tactility, accessibility and effortlessness are all keys. We still want to see the product in our hands, feel it, stretch it, smell it, try it on. Our main aim is to make that experience stand out.”

The Australian retail industry has been facing tough times in recent years, but Barlow says that Bonds is fortunate to have largely weathered the storm, and is confident that Bonds Kids stores are giving buyers what they want — citing many repeat customers at the Doncaster store in its first two months. But putting effort into creating an enjoyable shopping experience is a worthwhile investment, in any case. “People do expect a lot from Bonds,” Barlow says. “So to be able to take them on that journey and to have them leave feeling even happier about Bonds than when they walked into the store, is a really positive thing.”

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Retail technology design is a pivotal part of the business tech revolution. Pioneering solutions that once existed only in the most progressive business minds are now fast becoming commercial necessities to remaining buoyant in the modern climate. Retail technology design innovators are continually crafting emerging tech capabilities that break new ground in business operations, tracking and performance. A shining example of the power retail technology design holds is provided by Decathlon, a major global retailer of sporting goods and equipment.

Decathlon: reimagining customer experience

Technology design is a vanguard of the overall Decathlon business strategy. Decathlon invests significantly in digital capabilities to enhance customer experiences in bold exciting new ways. At Decathlon, retail technology design is much more than just a bid to achieve a more contemporary look and feel to store interiors. Rather, digital capabilities enhance the efficiency of customer pathways and expand service offerings that improve their shopping experiences.

Decathlon is particularly adept at leveraging retail technology at point of sale. Accelerated check-out experiences are one example of this. Here, digital technologies assist in building the Decathlon brand and crafting interactions that customers return to experience again and share with family, friends and others.

Staff empowerment revolutionised by retail technology design

Retail technology design does not just enhance the experience for customers. Staff members also stand to gain plenty, like liberation from low-value tasks and optimum efficiency. In the case of Decathlon, staff members enjoy greater ease and empowerment as enhanced digital capabilities let salespeople:

– access valuable integrated product information

– get current real-time product availability and order statuses

– plan deliveries with far greater efficiency

– tap into the CRM database

– leverage exceptional ease of payment through digital capabilities and self-service options

Retail technology design does not always have to be of Decathlon-style scale. One of Design Clarity’s clients, NRMA, embraces retail technology in their insurance hub. Their brand journey towards an agile, digital-first and customer-led business is just as impressively pioneering in today’s retail space.

No matter what the size, scope and goals of your retail business, Design Clarity specialise is crafting retail technology design to ensure you break new ground. Speak to this leading team today.

23 September – 23 October 2011:
It’s Art & About’s 10th anniversary this year as the City of Sydney’s annual celebration of public art. During the next four weeks we can enjoy art installations, performances and exhibitions in our streets and public spaces.

Friday Night’s Free Festival Launch at Martin Place, CBD: 23 September 2011, 5.00pm-9.00pm
See Info

Feature Exhibtions include “Laneways“, curated to inject a fresh dose of inspiration an magic into our city’s backstreets. Take a wander and discover seven of the most exciting projects to date by Australian and International artists and curators for this, the fifth instalment of Laneway Art.
http://www.artandabout.com.au/projects/laneways

Flying high above the heart of the city, Tsunami 1.26. is a gigantic arerial net installation by acclaimed American artist Janet Echelman. This spectacular vision is one of the works from the Powerhouse Museum’s new Love Lace exhibition, and combines ancient craft practice with cutting-edge technology to create an oasis of sculpture delicate enough to be choreographed by the wind. Netted with a high tensile rope, 15 times stronger than steel in weight, and lit by changing coloured lights, Tsunami is inspired by the events that unfolded following the 2010 Chile earthquake. Using a 3D model of the 2010 tsunami, and software to create an outline of the model’s higher amplitude area, Echelman created her sculptural form, with machine-knotted mesh revealing the intricacy of traditional netting.
http://www.artandabout.com.au/projects/tsunami-janet-echelman

Unguarded Moments at makes faces from the past were visible again, watching us in our streets and laneways. Sourced from archival documentary footage, intimate portraits of past residents and workers are projected onto the walls and buildings of Millers Point, capturing the fleeting nature of life and the dramatic changes that have occurred to this historic precinct.
http://www.unguardedmoments.com.au/

See all info about exhibitions online at: www.artandabout.com.au
or get the free iPhone App: http://bit.ly/nBdcbK

If you are looking for a new venue next time you’re feeling peckish, why not make it a bit of an experience? The following food haunts have successfully extended their brand image into their spaces, menus and packaging by injecting some fun into food on the run.

Restaurants such as Leon in the UK focus on the ever changing and artisanal nature of the brand using a playful and approachable style, whereas an energetic youthful narrative has been injected into the identity for Story in a Cup – a new self serve frozen yogurt concept store – on the other side of the world – in Melbourne, Australia.

Poncho No. 8 is all about the food but equally it is as much about the brand experience. The example shown below is located in the buzzing Spitalfields Market in London, where the graphic language and vivid colour palette is successfully carried through from the website to the wall and floor treatment within the space.

Interior graphics, signage and promotional material for Gino Gelato in London use a strong graphic approach to communicate their offer while Grill’d in Sydney commissioned several artists to decorate its new Sydney outlets. Grill’d founder Simon Crowe said of The Grill’d Collective, “We love the idea of turning the restaurant into an evolving canvas for young Australian artists to showcase their talents while also creating a fresh, bright space for our customers to hang out and enjoy their favourite Grill’d burger. From the very beginning we’ve featured illustrations on our restaurant walls – this project takes it to the next level.”

Links –
Leon Restaurants – www.leonrestaurants.co.uk
Story in a Cup – www.storyinacup.com.au
Poncho8 – www.poncho8.com
Gino Gelato – www.ginogelato.com
Grill’d – www.grilld.com.au

Well there is never a dull moment in the banking industry. Move over Millennials, Gen Z is about to step things up another notch. Digital technologies and fintech start-ups are among the industry game-changers of Millennial vintage. Gen Z banking is a whole new bag all over again. Let’s take a closer look.

Unique character of Gen Z banking

Gen Z shares many habits and proclivities with Millennials. Yet this generation certainly has financial habits and motivators that are all their own. Gen Z banking will be driven by a generation that is:

• Powerfully inclined towards saving
• Highly debt-averse
• Looking for a financial partner/bank that is in their corner
• Stability

So what does it look like?

Millennials swooned over digital technology and drove this to incredible new heights in the banking space. Yet Gen Z banking must look beyond the digital frontier to impress this upcoming generation. For Gen Z, digital technologies are the norm and generally fail to thrill. What stokes Gen Z in a financial space is access to timely personalised accurate banking information through existing digital channels. So, it’s less about being tech-savvy and more about gaining trust. 

Consider this: Gen Z commonly have the most negative outlook on their financial future and tend to trust digital technology over banks. What they want, however, is for banks to prove their trustworthiness and dependability so Gen Z have a reliable partner to support them in transitioning into adulthood and financial independence. To establish themselves as such, banks must use chat bots, mobile apps, voice assistant platforms and more to provide Gen Z with reliable relevant advice.

Gen Z banking products that support patrons of this vintage to live within their budget will also be strongly received. Gen Z already favour pre-paid cards and no-overdraft accounts, with many already having well-established savings habits.

Ready to meet and excel in Gen Z requirements? Speak to the experts with experience, creativity and vision in this field. Call Design Clarity today or take a look at their portfolio of recent projects, including work for:

• Bankwest
• Westpac
• People’s Choice Credit Union