By afaqs! news bureau
OOH

In-Store Asia 2009 probed retailers and marketers to 'Think Like a Shopper'

The fifth edition of In-Store Asia 2009 took place at the Bangalore International Exhibition Center (BIEC) from 16-18 July, marking its entry into the technology city

Slowdown blues and dampened spirits led In-Store Asia 2009 to sport an interesting theme, 'Think like a shopper'. This theme put the shopper on centre-stage.

The event was inaugurated by keynote speaker, Bhaskar Bhat, managing director, Titan Industries. Harish Bijoor, founder, Harish Bijoor Consults and chairman-steering committee, In-Store Asia 2009, started the conference with a problem-solving session that proved that "Every marketing problem has a shopper-centric solution".

In-Store Asia 2009 probed retailers and marketers to 'Think Like a Shopper'
Sandeep Kaul, SBU, chief executive, personal care products business, ITC gave the audience a taste of shopper marketing and its role in the success of a brand, providing the case study of Vivel.

Brands like Hindustan Unilever emphasized on the importance of traditional retail and how the science of shopper marketing could be applied there.

Anand Singh, director, knowledge and insights, Coca-Cola Inc and Indivar Kushari, general manager, shopper insights, The Coca-Cola Company etched the difference between a shopper and a consumer.

In-Store Asia 2009 probed retailers and marketers to 'Think Like a Shopper'
In-Store Asia 2009 probed retailers and marketers to 'Think Like a Shopper'
International speakers like Giorgio Borruso, founder – Giorgio Borruso Design; Ken Nisch, chairman, JGA; and Jose Maria Bustos, president/creative director, Visual Merchandising Asia were also present. Bustos compelled the audience to think on the significance of visual merchandising (VM), with his simple statement, "If the store is already built, it's too late for Visual Merchandising".

Representing the retail fraternity were speakers from brands such as Spencer Retail, Reliance Retail and Mahindra Retail.

The conference came to a close with an absorbing panel discussion between the retail design community and retailers, on the topic, "Is Retail Design getting its due?"

In-Store Asia 2009 also comprised an exhibition, which showcased innovation and creativity. For instance, understanding the visibility limitations of traditional retail, Glue Design created a simple but effective solution called 'Titch-pich' plastic clamps, which can hug any corner of shelves or soft plastic lengths with Velcro or Magnet. This creates a framework, on which any brand imagery can be presented.

On the other extreme, there was Outdu, a comprehensive portal of digital signage that took the brought engagement through multi-touch functionality to static digital signage. The exhibition was flooded with many such innovative solutions.

In-Store Asia 2009 ended on a high note with the VMRD awards that recognized the best work in the field of VM and Store Design in India. The three-day event had witnessed 65 exhibitors and 2,500 visitors.

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