Mintel - Department Store Retailing

I found this poster to be extremely helpful in explaining the consumers attitude to department store shopping. This reinforces how the consumer feel when browsing and the department store within the different product area departments. This pointed out that some consumers may have no intention of buying but they want to go and browse in the store anyway. This means that my job is to make the service stand out so much that they feel the need to then want to make a purchase due to the product being so powerfully pleasing on the eye. This needs to include persuasive points to make this happen.

Additionally, this implies that some consumers go straight to what they have came for without even browsing whilst others have a look around and then get to their item. This identified that there is every kind of shopper and again it is my job to allow the flower service to be that special that they feel the need to purchase seomething and cannot leave the store empty handed.

Mintel - Digital Trends

With the increase in mobile devices this supports how the consumers feel as thought they can wine down whenever they feel like it. This chart shows the interaction between consumers and the use of technology today. This reinforces how popular this has become showing an increase in digital means. This can link in with my new service as I am hoping to ext rend the we site as well as creating an app which means the consumers would use this due to the statistic shown here.

Mintel - Flowers and Plants

Flowers and plants are aesthetically pleasing, yet difficult to maintain - 7th September 2012

http://academic.mintel.com/display/635967/?highlight

I found this study to be extremely beneficial and better than all other mintel reports I have placed onto this blog as forms of research, this is because this is completely relevant to my topic and supports the flower and plant industry in a strong way. This also portrays consumers opinions on flowers and plants which will be extremely beneficial because it is giving me an insight into what the consumers think of the industry and indicates what direction they are most likely to go in when selecting plants.

Three key points from this study are:

• 46% of those who were surveyed say that they find it difficult to make fresh flowers and plants last a long time.
• More than 3 in 10 survey respondents say having flowers/plants in the home requires too much maintenance.
• More than one-quarter of those who were surveyed say they think buying fresh flowers is a waste of money.

With these being quite high percentage to overcome this issue arising with my service would be the option of buying synthetic/fake flowers and replacing these when they feel that they need to. This would mean that no maintenance, or a very low percentage would be needed, this would not be a waste of money due to lasting as long as the consumer sans and this would ensure that they last a lifetime. However, this would not have the same effect as aha a fresh, live bouquet or arrangement would which is a shame.

Alternative uses for flowers may increase purchases

Seeing as flowers and plants are not purchased very often, retailers have the opportunity to promote flowers not just as décor but also for other uses such as air freshening. Some 35% of those who have bought flowers for themselves say they have done so to update the look and feel of their homes. Additionally, some 14% say they only buy fresh flowers when they are having guests over. Consumers appear to be more inclined to buy flowers when guests are visiting as well as to freshen up their homes.

This was another key section of the report as this indicates the reason why flowers are bought by some people. This supports that they are acted upon as a home decoration and to add bait of colour and life to the room which again is what my service for Selfridges can offer the consumer. Additionally, this would allow the consumers to show off the flowers and then speak word of mouth about the brand to allow this idea to spread. 

Flowers are bought for man reasons, each person that buys flowers may have a different reason for this which means that there does not always need to be an occasion, they could be spontaneously bought or just generally bought as a gift, a token or an act of appreciation, either way this supports how they are popular which helps again to support how they could be beneficial for my service.

'In order to improve the purchase incidence of flowers of plants, retailers can promote the functionality of floral products such as home products' This is a key quote from the report and I find this is very interesting as this is feedback given from the study which indicates that the consumers of today do not just want flowers they want more from the brands. This is something that I knew I wanted to create already but not this has been certified that this is something that I will need to create and reinforces massively due to wanting the designs and the products to stand out. Also, i want consumers to shop at Selfridges rather than going to their normal supermarket or their normal online orders. I want to change the way flowers are looked at making them more personalised, being a work of art, a decoration around the home.

Mintel - The emergence of Social Shopping

The emergence of ‘social shopping’ - 20th September 2011

Convenience and saving money the biggest factors

· The main motivation for online shopping is convenience, as half (48%) of adults shop online to save time.

· A similar number (47%) like to look online for ideas and inspiration.

· Some 43% like to check the availability of stock before going to the shops and over a third (35%) want to check and reserve an item to collect at a store. So multichannel retailing is hugely important in the marketplace for household goods.

· Two thirds of shoppers think that prices are better online. The perception of better prices is enhanced by price-comparison websites (used by four in ten) and discount voucher sites (used by 23%). Shoppers are becoming more aware of how to seek out bargains; brand or retailer loyalty is becoming less important and shopping around will increase.

Looking for assurances

The voice of ‘real customers’ is an important feature of online shopping these days and four in ten online shoppers like to read customer reviews before deciding what to buy. Retailers are responding by integrating customer ratings into their own websites, while specialist review sites also give customers the opportunity to comment on their purchases. Often these have links to Facebook and other social media.

In our research on shopping for the home we have found that consumers like to read reviews online. When thinking about buying goods for the home 42% of internet users claimed that they look at customer reviews online before deciding what to buy.

This illustrates that social interaction with other real customers is already important to online shoppers, who trust the experiences and opinions of others.

Non-internet users would shop online

According to Office of Fair Trading’s Attitudes to Online Markets report, 9% of non-internet users surveyed would like to use the internet for social networking. But a fairly high number of non-users would shop online. Over a third would use the internet to search for product information (34%), while a similar number would make purchases online (30%).

Facebook leads the way in social networking

Social shopping embraces a range of ideas, from shopping within social networks, to using specific search-engines that use friends recommendations to group buying sites, or allow you to simply sign up, such as Groupon.

Mintel’s report, Social Media and Networking, May 2011, found that Facebook takes the top spot in social networking in the UK, in terms of both total unique visitors and average time spent on the website. Mintel’s research shows that 73% of internet users have used Facebook, and 57% are regular users who visit Facebook at least once a week.

Social media, such as Groupon, are building consumer interest by offering discounts on goods that can only be found via their networks. This helps them to grow consumer interest in their sites as well as providing a reason for consumers to visit them more regularly.

Facebook is already a hot spot for advertising and it is a logical extension that it could also become a hub for online shopping. It claims that already 25 of the UK’s top retailers use the site, although the level of integration is in its infancy. Some simply see it as a way to gain fans for their brand, whereas others, like Asos allow shoppers to make purchases via the social network. Furthermore, Facebook can help users to connect to brands that they care about.

Plenty of companies are making steps towards providing a combination of social network and shopping. For example ChoozOn is built around personalised deals, Shopow (Shopper Power) is a shopping search engine where you can interact with friends and rate your recent purchases. It, like other price comparison sites, allows shoppers to compare goods as well as displaying reviews deals.

What it means

In reality the choices that people make when they buy goods for the home is not about loyalty to any particular store format - it is about the best and simplest way to acquire the goods that they want. And in many cases it is about getting the very best deal possible and shoppingabout for a cheaper price. However, our research has highlighted that the advantages of social media are not simply to gain discounts – it is also a way of tapping into real consumer experiences.

In the future we foresee that new internet users will participate in social networking, and social media in general, particularly once they discover the social and economic benefits. For example, as social media and e-commerce converge, consumers will be able to uncover discounts available exclusively through social networks to apply to their online shopping experience.

Retailers will continue to build more sophisticated websites, where customers can not only post ratings, but will begin to form a true social forum where they learn from each other, listen to experiences and that help them take more informed decisions about what to buy.

But for many major household goods, a trip to the shops remains a hugely important part of the decision process. A lot of home goods are difficult to describe online and consumers still want the hands-on experience of touching and feeling the products and seeing the colours for themselves. So for the future, retailers need to try harder to enhance this experience, with products that consumers can try out for themselves before they decide what to buy.

This is another report from Mintel that supports the effect that social shopping has on consumers and how they feel comfortable placing orders over the internet or on their mobile phones. This also supports how online consumers look for inspiration online so this would be the perfect place to advertise the new service of the Flower Service for Selfridges as they would see this and hopefully become intrigued and want to know about what it is they are offering and look to this as another luxury service that they are now going to be branching out into.

'When thinking about buying goods for the home 42% of internet users claimed that they look at customer reviews online before deciding what to buy.' This was a key quote for me when reading this study as it again supports my service with a posit attitude implying that orders would be placed more so for this product due to this being a home decoration. This then means that they would like the good to be delivered to themselves as they can feature this in their home seeing what it looks like online.

Mintel - E-Commerce Study

E-Commerce - UK - July 2013

Key points

export

• The web has become the tool of choice to help consumers select according to their own particular needs and preferences. Some 80% of adults browse the internet in order to secure the best deals.
• Some 53% of consumers shop online so that we can do so at times that suit us and 51% of us use the online channel to save time travelling to the shops.
• Saving time matters to people so retailers would do well to develop tools and tactics that can shave off even a few moments in the shopping journey.
• User generated content has become an important marketing tool. Some 43% of adults like to read customer reviews before making their decisions and 22% of consumers have posted reviews of their purchases online.
• However only 19% of people say they trust customer reviews. Research suggests that consumers are more trusting of companies that host and face their critics and act upon their opinion so all retailers need to take this on board.
• Young people and men are less likely to read, post or trust customer reviews. Companies could use social media to promote the worthiness of sharing views with a wider audience.
• Smarter marketing messages that speak to a multidimensional man could encourage male shoppers to engage more with customer reviews and share opinion on less traditionally male oriented categories like grooming and fashion.
• Social media is becoming a more influential part of the retail landscape. Some 11% of adults follow brands and retailers on Twitter and/or Facebook and 9% have clicked the ‘like’ button on Facebook and/or tweeted about products bought.
• Retailers would do well to court the most influential people on social media as this vehicle empowers them with a much wider reach than they once had and many more incentives.
  
  

  Saving time matters

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  Some 53% of people shop online so they can do so when it suits them and 51% spend this way to save having to travel to the shops.

  Key analysis: people are more time-pressed than ever so the internet appeals because it can be quicker and less hassle so freeing ourselves up for other things. Techniques to maximize our time and productivity are popping up all around so retailers would do well to develop tools and tactics that can shave off even a few moments in the shopping journey.Amazon’s fantastic ‘one click’ option is a great example of this in action.

  Interestingly respondents in our discussion group commented more on the time saving advantages of online shopping than lower prices (often cited in the past groups). We wonder if this is because the differences between offline and online prices have narrowed in recent years. But a number of people did mention the petrol saving angle (see The Consumer – OnlineShopping Channels) perhaps because pump prices have risen so sharply in the last few years.

  “Online shopping is just easier and cheaper. I don’t have to go up town to get stuff. If there was a local collect service or a free service to deliver at specific times of the day I would shop online more.”

  – 25-34, C1, male

  “I shop from home because it saves me time, and up to now I have had no bad experiences.”

  – 45-54-year old, C1, female

  “I shop from home because it’s easy and convenient to do so. I don't drive so I don't have to worry about getting the products home and sometimes when it comes to clothing, they don’t have them in the shop but do have them online.”

  – 35-44, E, male

  “It's easy to compare the market, whatever you're buying. It saves a lot of time. I live in a small town so there aren’t many stores available here in the first place. But even when I used to live in a city it just takes forever to go around all the stores. It can take a lot of time to do it online too if you're really researching something but at least you don't have to do it all in one sitting.”

  – 25-34-year-old, C1, female

  Turning negative user generated content into a positive

  
  

  
  

  Courting the influential

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  Social media is becoming a more influential part of the retail landscape. 11% of adults follow brands and retailers on Twitter and/or Facebook and 9% have clicked the like button on Facebook and/or tweeted about products bought.

  Key analysis: today we pay as much if not more attention to what our peers say as what marketers say. Social media, which over the last decade has become downright ubiquitous, have played their part in this and some peers have become more influential than others. For instance a study by ExactTarget found that consumers who are active on Twitter are three times more likely to impact a brand’s online reputation through syndicated Tweets, blog posts, articles and product reviews than the average consumer. Retailers would do well to court the most powerful as we may be coming full circle from influence in the hands of a few, to everyone-as-influencer, and back to some more influential than others. But the difference today is that the influential have a much wider reach than they once had and many more incentives.

  
  

  Overall, this Mintel study reinforces how the use of the internet is a very powerful tool and is able to sway consumers into making purchases this way rather than visiting a store. This has made me aware that I will most definitely need the website up and running along with an app too to allow consumers to make orders from the comfort of wherever they are. This is more convenience than anything else. Also, I  have become aware that it is all about saving the consumer time, they might not always want to travel to a store which means that if there was nothing available online the profit may not be as high due to majority of orders being placed online.

  Another key point that I found interesting when reading this was finding out that social is becoming the new massive scale to advertise on. With this being so, i will allow the service to be placed on Facebook, Twitter and instagram to show clips of what will be coming soon and how they layout and presentation will be set within the service. This is going to be a massive service so with the help of the mintel reports I am finding hopefully this will allow the service to take off and be presented in a clear, professional manner.

Mintel Study - Garden Products Retailing

Garden Products Retailing - UK - July 2013 I found this mintel report to be extremely useful as this taught me a lot about garden retail and the way in which flowers and plants are bought by society. This report also signifies how highly demanding and volatile this product area are. This is a really big market and many companies and brands are prepared to run the risk and compete for a bit of the action within this area. With competition being so high, this means that the goods are bought from other retailers and sold on for a dearer price. This is what this report concludes.

This concludes how often consumers shop online and what they tend to buy when browsing the internet. This means that the prime age for shopping online is the age of 25-44. This is significant for my service as this is what my target audience is which is perfect as this also shows that although they enjoy shopping in store, they also enjoy shopping on line which means that this would be beneficial for me to create an app or another tab onto the original website.

This shows that the same consumer shop at least once a month which would be a perfect time to bring out new goods on a monthly basis targeting the consumers when they are looking online.

This reinforces how the plant market is a very competitive market than is always being reached out to. This means that for Selfridges to add themselves to this manic stress means that this then needs to be innovative and out them to then make them want to shop there over any other place.

Mintel Study - Online and mobile retailing

July 05, 2013

This indicates the age that is most likely to shop online or on their mobile device. I found this to be extremely useful with my targeting the 31-40 and the 18-30 this reinforces how this is common for these age ranges. This means that by making this service for the flower service available online this would allow consumers to process their order this way. This will be due to them having a busy schedule and possibly not being able to visit the store.
This also portrays that this will be a key form of promotion for my product and if this is true, then this will be successful for the consumers both new and existing.

WGSN Research - Print trend Analysis

S/S 15: Première Vision Preview print trend analysis

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By Sandra Keating, WGSN, 27 January 2014

Abstract florals, hyper mixes and painterly stripes drive lively print directions from the spring/summer 2015 Première Vision Preview show.

http://www.wgsn.com.ezproxy.uclan.ac.uk/content/report/Trade_Shows/Full_Report/2014/January/Trends/ss_15_pv_preview_print_trend_analysis.html

This reinforces how in 2015 floral patterns within the spring/summer collections are going to be key. This is significant information to hear due to this being the date that the campaign will launch. This displays how the prints will create an energetic feel adding hints of vibrance with the touch of daring darker colours  to cause a blend in tones. This is something that I should consider when it comes to photographing my own flowers to allow these colours to be dominant through the bouquets and within the hone decorations.

Within this it also stated that garden florals along with hints of tropical nature are also going to be key and represent the spring summer or 2015. With the blossoming, romantic styles along with the floaty feel allows this to be supported in a powerful sense. This is again another area that I need to consider with the design process and when creating my own visuals.

WGSN Research - Mothers day UK 2014

Mother's Day UK 2014: gift round up

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By Laura Reynolds, WGSN-homebuildlife, 04 March 2014

This supports how flowers and plants are key ideas for gifts and they help to express emotion and act as a good present.

Flowers & plants

Flowers are fail-safe gift ideas, and for Mother's Day there are a variety of creative new florists offering beautiful bouquets.

• Letterbox florist Bloom & Wild deliver flat-pack bouquets through the nation's doors. For Mother's Day, a selection of delicate pastel flowers, which last up to 10 days, will be delivered. The service prides itself on being a 'luxurious convenience' – with no more 'undelivered' receipts and trips to parcel depots to collect bouquets
• Florist Wildabout has collaborated with Lindt for an edible Mother's Day gift. Accompanying the sumptuous Orange bouquet is a box of luxury Swiss chocolates for an indulgent treat
• London-based indie florists Jam Jar send seasonal bouquets around the capital. Jam Jar sends its blooms in jam, pickle or kilner jars or enamel buckets, and for Mother's Day the bouquet is asumptuous display of ranunculus, eucalyptus and Gilda roses
• Alternatives to fresh flowers are also offered as options for Mother's Day gifts, including faux single-stemmed flowers in glass test tubes, or packets of heart-shaped seed paper for a floral gift which will grow with time

This source supports how flowers are now being presented in innovative ways and this is a key trend for 2014 which support how Selfridges will then be keeping up with the modern trends which supports how the expansion is necessary for then to be on top of their game and allow them to be one step ahead of their competitors. I will keep looking back at this is as a source of inspiration.

Margaret and Mason Imagery

When I was in town I wanted to take a look at the famous store of Margaret and Mason so I went in and they allowed me to take a few images that were able to reinforce how flowers are placed together. They also kindly pointed out popular ones to allow myself to become aware of what is being highly demanded by the public today. Here are some images that I took from the store;

This gives an idea of colour, popular flowers, and the arrangement and how this has been done. This will allow myself to try and select flowers that will be engaging and aesthetically pleasing.

The Real Flower Company Link

http://ladysarahinlondon.wordpress.com/2014/02/14/happy-valentines-day-from-london-the-real-flower-company-selfridges/

The Real Flower Company

When carrying out research into the luxury florists that are popular to date one that came up was ' The Real Flower Company'. This is a high end florist that provides the consumers with sophisticated pieces. The Real Flower Company's mission is to bring natural, scented, fresh, garden roses, perfumed flowers, cut herbs and usual foilahe back to the market that had lost touch with the beauty of real flowers.

The Real Flower Company is part of a concession within Selfridges which was unknown to myself. With this being so, this would be where my idea would come into place by the brand having their own florist counter. However, this would not just be a counter, this would support flowers, decorations, works of art, fashionable accessories, home accessories and a general change in the way flowers are viewed to date. This would allow you to hand pick the bouquet you want to make and this would then be done for you by a member of staff. This is how the service would work.

The Real Flower Company offers pre made flower bouquets, gifts such as hampers, candles and spirits along with plant pots and a blog that shows the updates for each seasonal trend. This support a good service however, this does not offer an open florist section, a counter, decoration or anything homely which is where my service comes to use and would allow this new service along with a separate bouquet section to be placed into Selfridges.

In a nutshell this is what the company/concession provide for Selfridges;

With this being so, this is what I will work on and try and develop and ensure that I do not however create the same outcomes for the new service that will be in each Selfridges store.

Bloom Magazine Research

Bloom magazine is a lifestyle and culture magazine that holds strong imagery of all products that a home based. These help to emphasise the environmental feel within society. These are placed in exciting and innovative ways to help portray them in a powerful sense. With this journal. Bloom displays high quality production values, exquisite graphic design and photography and writing that is sharp as well as entertaining. There are many reasons as to why consumers buy this.
Each issue has a main focus which contains thought provoking, relevant editorials about the area's people, art, culture, entertainment, homes, gardens, food, wine, health, fitness and family life. This is an extremely powerful and impactful magazine.
My tutor was intact the person who told me to look into these as he explained I would be able to use the garden/home images as inspiration for my own collection and theories so this is why I began looking into these.

The first issue I looked into was; Bloom - a horticultural view   CELEBRATION
Issue 11

Within this issue I was drawn to the different kind, the different sized and the colours within the flowers. these act as a pleasing viewing point and draw you into each image. The blend in flowers along with the whole aesthetic is what is so pleasing and engaging. This makes me want to look into flowers in more depth. I found that these images were extremely powerful and help to support the whole aspect of what the service will be about as this is innovative and they have been photographed in a different manner allowing focus upon certain areas or patterns to then be made. With being so intrigued by this issue this then made me want to go and research into this further and look at other issues and see what they can offer to my service and my planning of my designs.

Bloom - a horti cultural view  UNIQUE
issue 13

 This is the second issue i came across. I was draw to this issue for a completely different reason this is because of the bright colours, the high saturation and the unique presentation of the flowers. This allows them to be presented through the use of inks, real life flowers, imagery and in their own habitat of a vase which makes this more engaging and modern which is exactly what I hope for with my service that I am providing. This issue has allowed me to become aware of what colours stand out from the crowd and what makes the consumer tick and how they can be drawn in through the use of colour. This is a key technique that i will maintain and research into at a later stage to ensure that I select the right colours and flowers.
With this issue, i have also found that this allowed the imagery to speak out and allow the audience to become engaged and intrigued by the unique and creative layout and the way they present themselves with this power. This is what I want to also add to my service. As this is so, i will bare this style in mind and continue to browse through more issues.

Bloom - a horti cultural view  BLOOMSBURY
issue 12

This is yet another set from another journal issue that stood out to me. With this set of images i found that these were extremely powerful due to the unusual presentation and set up of the flowers. This makes this extremely intriguing and exciting whilst also holding that hint of confusion as the audience tries to picture how they have been placed together and portrayed in such an innovative way. This set is exactly what I would like to offer Selfridges as a brand. These flowers are exciting, they are modern, they are also very different to the normal flowers that can be found within a florist which would allow the brands name along with their products to stand out from the crowd. This would make them a one off and allow the consumers to be drawn in to the unusual display of the flowers. The images and how they have been taken makes the flowers come to life, they are more than just a flower, they have a story and depth behind them which makes them even more intriguing and new. With the angle shots also being unusual this makes the audience question which part of the flower this is which makes them more involved and get them talking and thinking about the flower which makes them stand out. This is something I would really like the Selfridges flower service to hold. The contrast from the background to the hints of colour is another technique which makes these so successful and current which could boost sales. This has been my favourite so far so when it comes to planning my own photoshoot and hand selecting the flowers to take the images of, i will try and think of the most appealing and modernised ones.

I will now still continue to look into other issues of Bloom magazine to try and find more inspiration that will be able to motivation and add drive behind my idea and boost me along to make more progress.

Bloom - a horti cultural view  TICTORIAL

Issue 20

This issue stood out to me when browsing through due to the blurred effect of the paintings. I know my service is not going to specialise in the painting section however, i found that the blend in all the colour is aesthetically pleasing. Within this a palette has been used and stuck to which means that they all coincide and compliment one another. This is something that I need to focus on so that they look as though they are then meant to act as a unit.

Bloom - a horti cultural view   SYMBOLISM
Issue 08

This is the last Bloom journal of the day. This again stood out for me for another reason. This was due to the simplicity behind the images yet they still contain a lot of depth and substance portraying them in a separate way. This presents them in their content, presenting them in a powerfully pleasing way which draws the consumer in. This identifies the textures and the creases in the flowers and makes these more appealing and engaging making the consumer know more about the flower. This makes the depth seem more interesting and intriguing becoming more pleasing and aesthetically pleasing. The colours are the main point of focus within this issue.

As a whole, I am happy with the findings from these journals as they have allowed me to become more aware of colour palettes within the flower industry, to identify the flowers in their creative presentation and to also define what it is i wish to get from my own set of images which I am still yet to take. This has allowed me to gain an understanding and a lot of inspiration for my own ideas which I will now try and go into.

One major issue that has come from this that they could also be placed onto canvas, they would look slightly 3D but this is again something I will consider.