Maria, Author at HMY - Page 3 of 6

Author: Maria

The future of health and beauty store design

Posted on by Maria

More people are shopping for beauty products than ever before, and the majority are still doing it in store – unlike many other sectors. As one of the most competitive retail industries there is, it’s imperative that the health and beauty sector remains one of the most cutting edge when it comes to user experience. In a world where image is everything, beauty brands have the unique opportunity to create an entertaining and engaging shopping experience to align with the changing expectations of buyers and the increasingly tech-centric shopping environment.

Personalisation

Personalisation is the buzzword on all brands and retailers’ lips at the moment. The typical ‘bricks and mortar’ health and beauty store is evolving, and in-order to keep up and complement the customised on-line experience, retail brands must use data capture to provide personalisation, better interactions and a more streamlined, offline shopping process. Smart technology is helping to deliver this.

Whilst the growth of personalisation has been facilitated by advances in technology, a big driver has been the collection and use of big data. Retailers can harness data collected in-store to better understand customers’ preferences and tailor their offerings accordingly. Digital advances are key in helping shoppers feel like the setup of physical stores is designed with their specific needs in mind.

For example, Skincare brand NUDE created the Skin Nutrition Bar in the Selfridges Beauty Hall, in order to help customers understand their skin type, and recommend appropriate products based on this. This involved a questionnaire on a counter mounted tablet, as well as a mini facial, and customers were encouraged to share their results on social media with a photo and hashtag. Finally, in order to increase customer loyalty, their personal skincare programme was then emailed to them, promoting lasting usage and extending the experience outside the store.

Augmented Reality

It’s been predicted that by 2020 as many as 100 million consumers will shop in AR. So, what makes it worthwhile for beauty brands? Unique technology allows customers to come in store and virtually try on make-up via apps, such as Modiface, which gives shoppers a quick and hygienic ‘try before you buy’ solution through a digital screen. Now that so much of the beauty industry is influenced by tech-savvy vloggers and filter-loving bloggers, AR is helping to bring the in-store experience to a whole new level, and one that a new generation of customers can get on board with.

Global beauty brand, Sephora, is one of the most well-known companies embracing AR in its stores. Sephora implemented a ‘virtual artist’ app back in 2016 and since then more than 200 million shades have been tried on in store. It doesn’t stop there as similar technology can do everything from step-by-step make-up tutorials to colour matching products for individual consumers.

Social media

With more than one billion users, Instagram is fast becoming a new home for brands looking to make an impact on social media – something which is increasingly important in a world where consumers demand an omni-channel shopping experience. It’s vital that the online and offline channels complement and add value to each other – offering a consistent and seamless experience, no matter how the customer wants to shop.

With the distinction between online and offline shopping experiences diminishing, it’s definitely worth investing in technology to merge the in-store experience with the world of social. This can be as simple as integrating screens and tablets in store, so that user-generated content can be brought to life. For example, tablets can be placed at make up counters, allowing for customers to access product reviews, tutorials and to encourage shoppers to take pictures and share on their own social accounts.

Frictionless shopping

The need for a frictionless shopping experience is arguably most important at the point of sale. Today’s consumers are much less patient – queues and long checkout times are unacceptable and can even result in the loss of a sale.

Therefore, contactless payments and mobile payments, which are quicker than conventional card transactions, benefit health and beauty retailers by reducing queue times and increasing customer satisfaction and, ultimately, revenue. Not only this, but due to the speed of transactions, fewer staff may be needed at checkouts during peak times.

Moving forward, in order to make the buying process as seamless as possible, sensors that monitor your purchases could soon be introduced to your favourite health and beauty store. A smartphone app will track your purchases and even tell you if you’ve forgotten something. There will be no need to queue or physically pay a cashier – when you exit through a barrier, your account will be automatically charged.

Would you like to improve your health and beauty store design? Get in touch to find out how we can assist.

Retail trends 2020: SmartECO

Posted on by Maria

We know that the world has been increasingly aware of the care of the environment for several years. This trend has been translated into actions aimed at saving energy, reusing materials, etc.

At HMY we have spent many years betting on sustainability and SmartECO. This philosophy is not something that is only written in our values but is reflected in the way we do the things and the services we provide to our clients.

All design will be EcoDesign

At HMY we think about the future and know that for a sustainable future, we must create a new store model that is committed to the use of 100% recycled or controlled origin materials and that minimizes carbon footprints.

This is not only important for the future of the planet, citizens are increasingly aware of sustainability and seek to buy in stores and companies that also have this philosophy.

In this sense, from HMY we work in different ways to make stores as sustainable as possible:

Recyclable material

The materials we choose for our designs are carefully selected. We bet on recyclable or controlled origin material to favor the circular economy.

Energy saving

At HMY, we bet on technology, but we know the importance of energy savings that can be provided.

Zero waste

The accumulation of waste is a big problem in today’s world. That is why we offer our clients solutions that avoid this problem by minimizing or completely reducing waste.

Reusable materials

At HMY, we are committed to the use of reusable materials that are easy to recycle and that can be given various uses to favor the circular economy.

Towards sustainable development by 2030

At HMY, we are committed to the 10 principles of the United Nations global pact, through an action plan linked to the 17 objectives that have been set for sustainable development by 2030.

Generating a positive impact on society

At HMY, we want to generate a positive impact on society. For this, we develop projects and sponsorships that help us to be more involved with our environment.

In addition, we are also very scrupulous in our agreements to ensure that the raw material we use, such as wood, is of legal origin.

Join the SmartECO

If you want to know more about how we can help you from HMY to make your stores more sustainable, visit us at EuroShop or contact us.

Retail trends 2020: Unmanned stores. HMY Grab & Go

Posted on by Maria

More and more, a shopping experience is sought with less friction and less waiting, in which the purchase process is as natural as possible and reduces its difficulty to a minimum.

What are unmanned stores?

In this sense, it is experimenting with concepts of stores in which the customer only must enter, take what they need and leave. Making the payment automatically, without human interaction.

These types of stores are known as unmanned stores and is one of the strongest and most ambitious trends that we can find today in the world of retail.

HMY Grab & Go

HMY Grab & Go is a solution based on visual recognition and artificial intelligence. Thanks to this technology, we can create “unmanned stores” Amazon Go style.

These types of stores that are becoming popular in China and Japan, are an ideal solution for many stores, such as those in the food sectors, where customer visits are frequent and waiting in queues can be a nuisance to them.

How do unmanned stores work?

HMY Grab & Go works by means of cameras that are placed shelves and ceilings where images are analyzed by an artificial intelligence system. From this analysis, data that is useful for the operation of the store are extracted: completed purchases, unpurchased items, stock level, consumer behavior and the customer journey.

HMY Grab & Go technology has a very high accuracy rate of 99.7%, which together, with its easy-to-replicate and install model anywhere in the world, makes it the reference solution for unmanned stores.

The customer accesses the store via identification in the application where they had to register themselves and their debit card. This allows a quick purchase in which the payment is made automatically when leaving the store, without any friction and without waiting.

In addition, this type of purchase facilitates customer loyalty thanks to the ease of use and facilities offered.

Advantages of unmanned stores

The unmanned store offers great advantages for brands and retailers, but also for customers. In addition, HMY Grab & Go has a high image recognition rate.

  • Better customer shopping experience
  • Improves customer loyalty
  • Easy to use for the customer: you only need to register as a member with your phone
  • Simple model to replicate
  • Able to recognize possible thefts
  • Integrated automatic alert to replenish stock
  • Detailed analysis of consumers with data such as sex and age
  • Track the trajectory and behavior of the consumer in the store
  • High accuracy in image recognition. The system performs a product recognition every 0.02 seconds with an accuracy of 99.7%.

In addition, HMY Grab & Go does not require that we use RFID technology or weight scales in our store, except for very small items for double checking.

Develop your own concept of unmanned stores

At HMY we help you create your first Unmanned stores anywhere in the world. Find out by visiting our EuroShop booth in Frankfurt during the next days from February 16 to 20. Get your ticket to see it at EuroShop or contact us.

Retail trends 2020: Creating new experiences in physical stores

Posted on by Maria

Despite the increase in online shopping, we begin a stage in which service and experience in physical stores are increasingly important.

A new generation of consumers shows preference for physical stores and value ​​the experience. Therefore, the retail sector must take advantage of it and know how to attract this type of audience. These are the users known as ROPO (Research Online, Purchase Offline) who, despite buying in the physical store, seek a homogeneous experience in all the channels of the brand.

For this reason, it is vital that physical stores offer a frictionless purchase, like the online store that eliminates queues and waiting, but with the wealth of experience that only physical stores can offer.

At Euroshop, HMY presents different solutions that will allow to create memorable experiences for your customers.

Unmanned stores

HMY launches HMY Grab & Go, a solution based on visual recognition and artificial intelligence that allows a frictionless experience while capturing data with the highest market accuracy.

It is a solution for Unmanned stores. This new store concept is achieving the objective of improving the user experience as well as reducing waiting times and friction in the purchase process. In addition, these stores are equipped with artificial intelligence via cameras and sensors that monitor the activity of the buyers, obtaining information of great value for the stores.

Interactive showcase

It is a powerful tool to highlight the product at the exact point at which the purchase decision is made, at the same time when the customer shows interest in it.

In addition, it helps to develop the customer journey for the product.

Through this solution, we join digital content to physical products, giving rise to an experience without barriers.

Digital Assistant

Having the advice of an expert to accompany us throughout the purchase process is a factor that people value very much when they visit a store.

The digital assistant fulfills this function by seeking the appropriate staff and allowing advice that can be done both in person and by videoconference.

Interactive shelving

The shelves of our stores can be more than a place for products to live. They can also be a point of connection and interaction with our customers.

Interactive shelving detects the specific position of the customer journey, where the user is showing interest and associates a specific message, product or event. Thus, the store becomes an experiential zone for the user and a point of data collection on consumer behavior for the retailer.

Live a new shopping experience at EuroShop

As you can see, one of the most powerful trends in the retail world is to convert the shopping process in physical stores into multisensory experiences for the consumer, moving more and more away from traditional ways of buying.

If you want to know more about how we can help you from HMY, we invite you to see it yourself and meet us at EuroShop, in Pavilion 13 Stand A47 or you can get in touch with us.

The Human Project

Posted on by Maria

It is evident that, at times, we forget that those who enter our stores are not just visitors and that those who buy from stores are not just customers. They are all people like you who read this article, or like me who wrote it.

Each person is unique, and not by their ID (identification number) or their account number, but by their emotions, thoughts and desires.

HMY is a group of people who make stores for people. We want every experience that is created in the spaces we design to be as unique as the people who visit them. We know that when two people enter a store, the intentions and desires of one can be (and surely are) very different from those of the other. That is why we create spaces in which all intentions and desires fit. We create spaces not for our clients, but for the people who will visit them.

The Human Project: humanizing the store experience

At HMY, we launched The Human Project, a new concept to humanize retail and remember that stores are a space for interaction between people where wishes and desires are fulfilled.

It is a vision in which we want to put people in the center. Not only to the client, not only to visitors, not only to our audience as abstract entities, but to people in a unique and individual way.

Discover a new experience in EuroShop

At EuroShop 2020 we want to take this opportunity to introduce each and every one of you this concept. You can visit the different spaces that we have created with different solutions adapted to the diverse needs that people have when they enter a store.

Find out firsthand by visiting us in Hall 13 Stand A47. We will be waiting for you and looking forward to speaking with you to get to know you better.

Setting the pace on retail in EuroShop 2020

Posted on by Maria

After EuroShop 2020, we can say that this has been one of the best events to date. At HMY, we have been able to share how we see retail and the trends that are already being implemented worldwide.

Marking the evolution of retail

Consumers are changing the way they buy and consume at breakneck speed and our stores must be adapted to these changes. Today, technology marks our routine and the way we interact with each other and even with the objects around us.

At HMY we have modernized not only our products and solutions, but also our factories and processes to offer the best service by integrating automated processes and elements that help us have greater control over production and quality.

Not only have we improved our processes to incorporate technology, we have also worked on creating more environmentally friendly and more inclusive retail spaces. This has been achieved by creating barrier-free designs that make life easier for both customers and store staff.

In the field of sustainability, we have opted for EcoDesign in our concepts, increasing the use of reusable and recyclable materials. In addition, we are changing the way we work to minimize and offset our carbon footprint.

Our challenge is to fulfill the 2030 agenda of the United Nations in 2025. We want to be the retail transformation engine of the future, and we know that we will achieve it.

Retail trends in EuroShop

Retail adapts to the way of life and the interaction of the population. Our systems allow the collection of data that help us to know our customers better, to know their tastes and how they move in our store. In this way we learn more about them and we can adapt quickly to changes.

Beyond the data, we know that consumers in different retail sectors have different objectives and behaviors. That is why we have presented different solutions in the different spaces of our 800m2 stand, among which we highlight the following:

Digital mannequin

With the digital mannequin, anyone can learn exactly what the clothes look like. The digital mannequin shows clothes and accessories in a real customizable model by sex and age that can also be seen on the move.

In-store beacon experience

Beacons are small bluetooth devices that can send information and start experiences with any Smartphone in the surrounding area that has this technology activated.

HMY Grab & Go

A solution based on visual recognition and artificial intelligence that transforms stores into unmanned stores, helping to optimize processes, customer experience and data capture, all through a 100% frictionless shopping experience.

Photo Studio

Mobile phones are a product of great demand in which the camera is one of the most important elements. To help customers decide between one device or another, we have created this solution that allows you to test cameras and thus be able to assess their behavior in different scenarios.

Beauty Station

The Beauty Station allows you to record a makeup session in the store and reference the items used. This recording is not only valuable information for the customer, but also content that can be disseminated on social networks, increasing the visibility of the products on them.

Perfume Wall

The perfume wall allows us to recommend our perfume in a personalized way through a different and attractive shopping experience.

AR car configurator

Through the augmented reality a three-dimensional image of the vehicle that the customer wants is created, being able to customize it to your liking.

Where The Human Project came true

This edition of EuroShop 2020 has also been in which our new concept The Human Project was presented to the sector and the world, thus sharing our vision of people-centered retail, because in the end HMY is a company formed by people who work for people . Each member of our team has different preferences, hobbies and dedications. In HMY there are architects, industrial designers, carpenters, engineers, etc. each of them with their own vision, but always with the aim of helping to create attractive and experiential spaces for consumers.

Because we know that the ultimate goal is that, surprise people and meet their needs. And in that we are experts.

We are human.

We are HMY.

Reactivating retail post coronavirus

Posted on by Maria

Covid-19 have marked a before and after in the way people interact each other and in the shopping habits. For this reason, brands and retailers have to adapt forced marches to adapt their point of sales to this new reality.

In this new step, the retail is focused in protect the consumer and staff health so it’s implementing solutions focused in consumer safety, staff protection and product and point of sales disinfection.

Consumer safety

One of the top consumer concerns are their safety. Now, the consumer is raising questions such as the quantity of people who have touched a product, the establishment less crowded hours or last time the store was cleaned.
HMY have developed solutions to answer in the most reassured way to all these questions, the solutions highlighted are the following: gel and wipes dispensers, capacity control managers, thermal cameras temperature control, automatic systems to collect the shipment (Click&Collect) or unmanned store models (HMY Grab & Go).

Staff protection

For brands and retailers, staff protection is key and this is especially important in the store areas where the customer proximity make them more exposed such as counters or checkout areas. For this reason, one of the first product we lunch were the methacrylate screens in different configurations and shapes to adapt to client needs.
Other of the key solutions to staff protection giving guarantees to the client are the temperate control bracelets. This solution show in a visual way the people health.

Product and installations cleaning

In this new post-coronavirus reality, the most important is the point of sales will be a safe place so the solutions focus in space and product disinfection take absolute prominence.
UV light and ozone technologies play a leading role in clothes racks and store areas (fitting rooms) cleaning.
Our key product in this range is the Clean Tunnel, a hermetically closed tunnel with unidirectional handling to avoid cross contamination. This solution cleans a clothes rack full of clothes with ozone in 10 minutes.

If you need to adapt your point of sales to this new post-covid19 situation please contact us and we will make a personalize proposal adapted to your needs and space particularities.

Know the solutions

Digital Transformation in Retail: 3 key aspects and applications

Posted on by Maria
·         Digital transformation is not a goal, but a means to achieve omnichannel retailing in the point of sale. 
·         Corporate culture, understanding our customers and choosing a partner who knows how to guide us through the implementation of technologies in the Retail field are the key elements required for successful digitalisation.
·         Digital signage is just one of the possibilities of digitalisation in retailing. This tool, if used correctly, gives rise to new possibilities and dimensions to communicate with customers in our shop. 

The State of the Art in the digitalisation in retailing

Digitalisation does not consist in installing screens, even if they are connected to a computer and open a window to a browser within the brand/retailer e-commerce platform.

Adopting this approach is only scratching the surface, which often results in spaces full of screens with generic messages, without storytelling that conveys a global experience for customers or, in the worst-case scenario, switched off.

Is it mandatory to digitalise points of sale?

No, it is not mandatory. There are analogue ways that are perfectly valid, such as lightboxes. However, the problem is that only a few of those who want or need to digitalise their stores are aware of how they can digitalise their point of sale and, especially, how to measure the ROI of such technological integration at the point of sale. 

‘Retailers with extensive experience measure digitalisation based on their ROI (Return on Investment). Any investment made (which can scare those who are unaware of these solutions) must be measurable against objectives. These objectives are not only sales targets, but also conversions of products which are not available at the store, a service improvement (such as self-checkout machines), creating databases, etc.

Annja Mostrup, Sales and Marketing Manager at HMY.

 
The purpose: achieving omnichannel integration in retail

As everything in the Retail industry, digitalisation starts and ends with consumers: 

·         For the customer, the experience is more then ever an attraction and plays a part in the purchase decision.
·         Experience means interaction, content, information, and of course: technology Technology as a driver of integration,
·         An integration that leads to omnichannel retailing, which is a reality in consumers’ habits.

We must remember that consumers do not seek to interact with points of sale, but with brands. However, they want to interact with brands capable of turning the purchase into an integrated experience with multiple channels.

There are many tools we can use to achieve this purpose, such as digital signage, which is one of the multiple elements of digitalisation. Although this does not necessarily turn it into a way of omnichannel retailing. Omnichannel retailing does not consist in grouping elements or products, but in ensuring the convergence of experiences and services.

This brings to light the 3 main challenges of digitalisation:

1.- We must define the objectives and possibilities of our business 

In many cases (although fewer and fewer), not being aware of what can be achieved through a correct omnichannel integration in retail, the technologies required and how to outline and implement this strategy, makes some points of sale limited to this basic layer where visual communication is replaced by digital signage.

What are our business goals?
Which type of customer will use the different technologies available?
Which products and families are most suitable to start a pilot?

These and many other questions should be part of the analysis preceding the creation of the strategy, design and implementation of products and technologies.

2.- What is the real degree of digitisation of our consumers? Customers

By digitalising a point of sale, we can:

·         Optimise sale and back-office processes 
·         Obtain real-time data through Retail Analytics
·         And, of course, improve the customer experience. 

This improvement is based, among other factors, on consumers’ interaction with space and with the experiences proposed by the brand. 

No matter how advanced and developed an omnichannel integration strategy may be, it would achieve nothing if customers are not considered as the starting point. 

·         Are they used to technology at the point of sale? 
·         What do they expect from points of sale? 
·         How much effort does it take to interact with the sales space?

Designing an experience that consumers understand, making it accessible without effort or even having to think about it and correctly defining their Customer Journey, is the second step in preparing the digitalisation strategy or designing an omnichannel retailing consulting project.

3.- Who can develop a comprehensive project? The 360º shopfitting supplier

Omnichannel integration requires the support of an expert supplier, not only for the installation, adaptation of standard solutions, scalability, etc., but also to initially develop a retail consulting process needed to define the digitalisation strategy, experience and design of the point of sale.

We must not forget that no matter how important technology is, it is one more factor of the relationship with customers and the brand, but not the only one.

Therefore, it is critical to go beyond a solution installer. If possible, the technology partner should also be an expert in retail, so that they understand retail from all perspectives. The goal is to truly integrate omnichannel retailing into the brand experience, and not just to install technology at the points of sale.

Success cases

For your inspiration: 3 implementations of a correct omnichannel transformation we have carried out in recent years

Success case1: Forum Sport

https://youtu.be/iEQi1vVICpw   

Success case2: Vodafone
https://youtu.be/aPpCp2EahaU  

Success case 3: Adopt’ 
https://youtu.be/HaieD8Xvf94

Do you have a digitalisation project for your points of sale? We are sure we can help you! Contact link.

Digital signage: the (not so new) way to connect with customers in retail

Posted on by Maria

Main points:

 

  • What is digital signage and what do you need to implement it successfully, ensuring the maximisation of your ROI.
  • How to outline a digital signage strategy for your points of sale and avoid switched off screens, additional workloads for your store staff or a bad investment.

Digital signage is a content, technology and integration at the point of sale system that allows us to interact with consumers. This definition includes the three elements we must take into account for our investment to be effective and have a positive return.

As we mentioned in our article on the evolution of visual communication towards digital signage, the following key aspects must be taken into account in the projects consisting in the integration of visual communication strategies at the point of sale:

  1.  The ultimate goal is to build a relationship with customers, not to create confusion due to excessive promotion or information. 
  2. The displays we install in our stores will only attract consumers if they positively add to their experience at the point of sale.
  3.  You do not modernize your point of sale just by placing LCD or LED displays. Without a professional strategy behind that defines goals in terms of business and customer experience, the ROI of our digital signage will only be signage. 

 

What do you need to implement digital signage in your points of sale?

Digital signage is one of the most consolidated aspects of digital transformation in retail. Integrating digital signage in your points of sale requires:

1. Strategy and content

  • Understanding how to merge in-store customer experience with your business goals. 
  • Drawing’ the traffic map for the sales area, the hot spots, the spaces where customers stay longest, where will a display add value and how can this be used in the general strategy of your business
  • Having the capacity to enter valuable content into our system. 

Obviously, placing a display on the shop window helps to attract customers inside, but what about once they get inside the store? As we said, ‘making it look more modern’ is OK, but this is something basic, especially when digital signage could not only ‘modernise’ our environment, but also become a means of communication with direct and remote control.

2. Content management platform

A display with a USB input cannot be considered as digital signage. In most cases where the retailer believes that a USB with 2 or 3 videos is ‘enough’, these displays end up switched off, becoming black boxes in the middle of the store, thus not getting value from the money invested.

Priority should be given to providing the system with ‘autonomy’. This means integrating a content management platform that allows uploading and programming videos, images or dynamic promotions remotely and in just a few clicks, avoiding dependence on store staff, whose main duties are not to remember to ‘turn on and connect USBs’.

If you have more than one point of sale or multiple displays, you will need to have centralised control over the same online platform, to manage offers and messages based on sections and centres.

Platform screenshots

 3. Let’s talk about displays

 

Displays purchased from a consumer electronics store for private use are unlikely to be switched on all day without suffering a breakdown after a few months, mainly because not all displays are ready for this type of use. 

In a professional digital signage environment, we find a range of displays and technologies that involve a higher initial cost, but offer a higher return over time, since they do not breakdown as a result of their daily use. 

How to choose a digital poster, digital technology and digital signage

The most common variables we must consider are:

  • LED or LCD

The two most established technologies. LED is the most common option if more brightness or large format signage is required. 

LCD allows for greater definition and realism at a lower cost and distance.

  • Brightness and glare

Regardless of whether you use LED or LCD displays, the second aspect thanks to which professional displays stand out, besides the technology of the panel itself, is that they offer MUCH more brightness than private displays. This aspect should be taken into account, not only when thinking about their use outdoors but because the higher the brightness and the better the response to glare (from interior lighting, for instance), the easier it will be to see the content.

  • Touch screens?

This decision will obviously depend on the content available, but if we want users to interact with the point of sale, touch screens will be the best option. We will need guaranteed lifespans and facilitated integrations.

  • Time of continuous use

‘Commercial’ or professional displays must guarantee a minimum of 12 hours of continuous use with no risk of breakdown. 24 hours of continuous use is also a standard.

  • Low power consumption

With sustainability at the point of sale and retail and energy efficiency as a hallmark, there are more and more options for commercial displays that consume less energy than those for private use.

One of the best digital signage integration success stories we have developed at HMY is that of Clapés. Check this link to find out more about it.

 Can digital signage be an option to increase revenue at your points of sale? 

We are sure we can help you! Contact link.

Lightboxes: Why is an analogue format succeeding in Retail in the digital age?

Posted on by Maria
  • What is a lightbox and what is it for?
  • Faced with the challenge of attracting customers, lightboxes are one of the most profitable communication formats. Why?
  • 4 uses or strategies where lightboxes shine with their light due to their effectiveness. 

What is a lightbox?

Lightboxes are one of the visual communication formats that have taken over retail in all sectors thanks to their impact-cost ratio: they are a type of device that allows a printed PET (PET is a type of polyethene) canvas or panel to be backlit with LEDs.

 The aim is to ensure that the signage or signboards create a space of high visual impact and appeal that also gives rise to endless creative possibilities.

      They are technically made up of: 

  • An aluminium framework. 
  • A network of light points (usually LED) with different shapes and in different quantities depending on their size, the type of canvas and printing.
  • The canvas or polyethene panel which, together with the printing quality, determines the quality perceived. 

 

What are lightboxes used for and where are they used?

Lightboxes, as any other visual communication element, are used to interact with consumers. However, as they emit light, they can be used in a wider range of areas that go beyond a simple eye-catching printed banner, like neon or LED signs to stand out from those that are not illuminated.

 Our expert in lightboxes recommends:

 “If the lightbox is more illuminated than its environment and it is printed with a high resolution, it will seem even more real than the environment itself, since it will be easier to better appreciate its textures, the hair, the brightness, etc. This will always help to give more credibility to the message. The larger and brighter the lightbox, within reasonable limits, the better. Also, their price is very reasonable, so the ROI will be very high. Consumers will see them without trying because they will be attracted by the light.”

Germán Marín. Head of electrical and lighting systems at HMY.

As lightboxes stand out above the environment where they are placed, they are used in points of sale:

At shop windows

Their brightness, from 800 to 2,000 Cd/m2, easily counteracts the effect of the glare of the sun in the shop window, making our store stand out in the middle of the day. Moreover, they are a great advertising claim at night. They are a very subtle way of attracting those who were not originally interested. 

 

To stand out from competitors in a multi-brand environment

This is the case of stands, pop-up stores or shop-in-shops. These environments are especially saturated with impacts, options, elements, products, etc. The light emitted by the lightbox helps the point of sale to catch consumers’ attention over the rest of the visual stimuli. 

As ambient lighting

The amount of light each of the led points emits, twice as much as a domestic light bulb, distributed along the printed surface, can be used as a background for an exhibition or to decorate the ceiling.

For example, a lightbox where a sky with clouds is printed to create a sense of natural light coming from the ceiling. Thus, the message, which can be of nature or a feeling of fresh air, for instance in an organic food area, or introducing a summer collection, is much more direct thanks to the image. This message reaches consumers in a non-explicit way and can be more credible as they get to the conclusion by themselves, through signals.

To delimit sections within our point of sale

They are very useful when we have multiple sections with a distribution that does not vary visually.

For example, a multi-brand sports shop: some lightboxes can be used as a title for each section and replace or complement the classic signs. Lightboxes are very useful for customers: as they catch their attention immediately, customers will know how to move throughout the exhibition area. 

 

Do lightboxes replace digital screens?

Light or led lightboxes do not replace screens. They fulfil different purposes, needs, operations and budgets.

 When does HMY recommend using this type of elements instead of a digital screen?

  • The content does not need to be (or cannot be) dynamic.
  • The printing quality and design are more important than dynamic content.
  • There is a need for high-format and low-cost communication.
  • Decoration elements are not intended to saturate consumers with messages.

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