Holman, a leader in designing, fabricating and installing exhibits, branded experiences and more for the attractions industry, is celebrating the success of a recent project that it worked on in partnership with world-renowned entertainment brand Hasbro. The company has created a unique Nerf experience in a Toys R Us location in London, Ontario, Canada.
Hasbro wanted to create an exclusive in-store experience that would drive traffic and increase customer engagement with Nerf products at a flagship Toys R Us location, so Holman reimagined the space, creating an interactive showroom where customers could interact with products. NFC tags allow customers to dive deeper with exclusive content, creating a unique in-store experience with multiple touchpoints.
Boosting customer engagement in retail store
This design required the removal of all merchandised products from a total of 28 feet of shelf space, in order to convert the area into a showroom where customers could touch and feel the product.
Featured products were showcased on gravity hinges that automatically rotate back to their original positions when customers let go, ensuring a clean and consistent profile view and presentation of the products. Custom-made bunkers were installed at the back end of the centre gondolas, which also allowed customers to interact with additional products.
Looking down the centre of the showroom, additional premium products are exhibited in a 4 ft custom back wall section, allowing customers to touch and feel them as well as viewing them.
After the introduction of this brand experience showroom, the Toys R Us location is up 30% in sales. Nerf sales have risen by 11% and the store ranking climbed to #2 from #13 in performance.
Bringing the brand to life
Every space tells a story. This experiential marketing project demonstrates how Holman is able to help brands figure out what that story should be and then deliver it.
“This program is one example of how our experience helping brands craft and present their customer stories greatly benefits all parties,” says AJ Sparkes, partner. “Positive customer experience, positive retailer results, positive brand results. It’s a win, win, win.
“Working with Hasbro allowed us to lean on our history of creating engaging experiences in this new era of retail, where customers’ expectations are more than purely transactional. As with our museum programs, creating a sense of excitement and an opportunity to interact with the product increases customer engagement and sales.”
“We love seeing how pleasantly surprised clients are when a proposed reduction in boxed merchandise on-shelf has such a positive sales lift, as it allows for a much deeper customer connection with the brand.”
Jenn Pau, customer strategic marketing manager, adds: “The Holman team took the time to understand our vision, project parameters and retail challenges. They brought our vision and the Nerf brand to life in a way that draws the customer in. This innovative retail experience elevated the overall customer shopping experience and drives strong conversion.”
Holman is a design and manufacturing agency that specializes in environments that tell stories. High-profile branded environments like retail spaces and trade shows, as well as experiential environments like museums, have been at the core of Holman’s expertise for almost 60 years. Last year, the company announced that it was part of the team working on the restoration of the iconic Massey Hall in Toronto, Canada.
