Copyright © 2019 by National Institute of Fashion Technology. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording and scanning or otherwise in any form without the written permission of the copyright owners/student authors. SHIVANGI BARWAR & SHASHWAT VEDANT SEMESTER-VII FASHION COMMUNICATION 2016-20 Printed in Raebareli, India.
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EXPONENTS OF GOOD LIVING
JOINING LETTER
RELIEVING LETTER
CERTIFICATE This is to certify that Mr Shashwat Vedant & Ms Shivangi Barwar of Fashion Communication Department at National Institute of Fashion Technology – Rae Bareli, has been evaluated for his/her Industry Internship Report titled “EXPONENTS OF GOOD LIVING” and have fulfilled the requirements set by the institute and the evaluation jury. His/Her work has been found satisfactory.
SHASHWAT VEDANT
SHIVANGI BARWAR
MR. AJAI KUMAR (FACULTY MENTOR)
MR. SHOAIB ANSARI (FACULTY MENTOR)
MR. AKHILENDRA P SONKAR (CENTRE COORDINATOR)
PREFACE
As a part of our curriculum of Bachelor of Design, National Institute of Fashion Technology, we were asked to attend an internship and gain industry experience. To this, we decided to join Reliance Brands Limited. The internship refers to the work experience that complements and accentuates our professional development. During this internship, we had worked as Visual Merchandiser/Visual Designers and have known the multi-disciplinaries involved in this field. This document is a concise report of the eight-week internship starting from 3rd of June 2019 to 27th of July 2019.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Growth is always a part of life but various factors and people around us help us in this growth. The eight weeks of internship at RBL as a part of Genesis Luxury and Mothercare team wouldn’t have been a smooth ride without the help of many people. We feel highly obliged of the entire Reliance Brands family for their cooperation and giving us the opportunity. At the very outset, our heartiest gratitude extends to Ms Aditi Anand, Senior Visual Merchandiser, Genesis Luxury and Ms Aimen Israr, Human Capital Division Manager, Genesis Luxury, Reliance Brands Limited, who gave us the opportunity to work with one of the largest multinational conglomerate & parent of multiple brands in India. Their belief in us made us hire as interns for these eight weeks. Our gratitude also extends to our mentor at RBL Ms Garima Agarwal, Visual Merchandiser (India), Mothercare who guided us throughout the work-culture of Reliance Brands Limited and Mothercare and make us get acquainted in no time. Her contribution to making our internship successful is maximum. I would also like to thank Ms Cheden Lepcha, Regional Visual Merchandiser, Mothercare, Reliance Brands Limited for her undivided attention at us and being an eye-opener, giving demonstrations and making us learn the details of the industry. Also, their combined belief in us kept us motivated throughout the internship. Also, thanks for confiding in us and adding flair to our experience. We would also like to express our profound gratitude towards National Institute of Fashion Technology for giving us an opportunity to work in the industry through a twomonth internship program. Guidance is something which can do wonders. We would like to express our gratitude towards our mentor Mr Ajay Kumar & Mr Shoaib Ansari who have been a backbone to this compilation. Our endearing gratitude also extends to our course coordinator Mr Akhilendra Pratap Sonker for helping us keeping our facts and figures clear and guiding us at each step.
ABSTRACT
Industry based internships enrich education by connecting theory and practice. It deepens understanding of analytical concepts and tools, builds confidence in use, and hones skills essential for a successful application. It enables Immersion in demanding real-world projects which help in developing interpersonal skills. This document is a sum-up of two months (eight weeks) internship at Reliance Brands Limited as a part of Genesis Luxury & Mothercare departments as a part of the mandatory internship programme by NIFT after the completion of the sixth semester. During our internship, we as students were expected to learn the tricks of our trade with an industry mentor, which is pertinent to the course of Fashion Communication. Eight weeks of on-the-job learning was to develop a practical orientation towards the functioning of the industry. This document is an extension to that learning, as a part of which we were required to maintain a daily journal which will be a record of all the work done during the projects. This document is a record of not just the learnings and assignments but also the experience brought from the industry.
CONTENT
01
OBJECTIVE
02
RELIANCE GROUP
03
RELIANCE INDUSTRIES LIMITED
04
BRANDS PORTFOLIO
05
RELIANCE RETAIL
06
RELIANCE BRANDS LIMITED
07
GENESIS LUXURY
08
MOTHERCARE
09
ORGANISATION STRUCTURE
10
HIERARCHY
11
VISUAL MERCHANDISER
12
ROLE OF VISUAL MERCHANDISER
13
RELATIONSHIP OF VISUAL MERCHANDISER
14
PROJECTS
OBJECTIVE
The Industry Internship Report is designed to ensure that the students are able to apply and analyze information to communicate significant knowledge regarding how a company meets up the demand of the brand it caters to. • Understand the overall functioning of an organization and the role of a visual merchandiser. • To use our gained skills and knowledge and add to it with the help of hands-on experience in an environment unknown to us. • To ease students into the routine of a proper work environment. • Understand the functioning of the respective industries. • To enhance our communication skills and build a network, and gain an in-depth understanding of the entire process, various kinds of visual merchandising and the back-end procedures. • Gain knowledge through real-life experience in the industry and the multi-disciplinaries of your role as a Visual Merchandiser.
INTRODUCTION
RELIANCE GROUP
Reliance Group was founded by Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani(1932-2002) and is India’s one of the largest conglomerate headquartered at Mumbai, India. Reliance was headed by his sons after his death until they decide to split Reliance Industries in December 2005. This is when the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) was formed headed by Anil Ambani who got the responsibility of Reliance Infocomm, Reliance Energy, Reliance Power, Reliance Infrastructure, Reliance Communications, Reliance Capital, Reliance Naval & Engineering, Reliance Defence, Reliance Entertainment, Reliance Capital, Reliance Health Insurance Limited and Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. Mukesh Ambani took up the responsibility of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) which was co-founded in 1960 as Reliance Commercial Corporation by his father, Dhirubhai Ambani and his cousin Champaklal Damini & Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Ltd. As of current, RIL has more than 123 subsidiary companies and more than 10 associate companies. RIL majorly branches out as Reliance Retail, Reliance Life Sciences, Reliance Institute of Life Sciences(RILS), Reliance Logistics, Reliance Clinical Research Services(RCRS), Reliance Solar, Relicord, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited(RJIL), Reliance Industrial Infrastructure Limited(RIIL), LYF, Network-18, Reliance Eros Productions LLP.
RELIANCE INDUSTRIES LIMITED (RIL)
RIL has a long profile of brands associated with and is the first Indian retailer to cross US$10 billion in revenue. Reliance Industries Limited is a Fortune 500 company and the largest private-sector corporation in India. Their motto “Growth is Life” aptly captures the ever-evolving spirit of Reliance. They have evolved from being a textiles and polyester company to an integrated player across energy, materials, retail, entertainment and digital services. They have achieved global leadership in many of their businesses. Reliance’s products and services portfolio touches almost all Indians on a daily basis, across economic and social spectrums and they aim at building platforms that will herald the Fourth Industrial Revolution and will create opportunities and avenues for India and all its citizens to realise their true potential.
6 VALUES OF
BRANDS PORTFOLIO
&
RELIANCE RETAIL
Reliance Retail is a subsidiary company of Reliance Industries Limited and is central to its consumer-facing businesses. It has in a short time forged strong and enduring bonds with millions of consumers by providing them with the unlimited choice, outstanding value proposition, superior quality and unmatched experience across all its stores. Reliance Retail has adopted a multi-prong strategy and operates a chain of neighbourhood stores, supermarkets, wholesale cash & carry stores, speciality stores, and online stores and has democratized access to a variety of products and services across diverse segments for Indian consumers. Serving the food and grocery category Reliance Retail operates Reliance Fresh, Reliance Smart and Reliance Market stores. In the consumer electronics category Reliance Retail operates Reliance Digital, Reliance Digital Express Mini stores and Jio stores, and in fashion & lifestyle category it operates Reliance Trends, Trends Women, Project Eve, Reliance Footprint, Reliance Jewels and AJIO.com in addition to a large number of partner brand stores across the country. Reliance Retail has the distinction of being the largest retailer in India. Reliance Retail’s commitment to “bettering the lives” has been embodied in its pursuit to make a difference in social socio-economic issues in India. The initiative has brought millions of farmers and small producers to the forefront of the retail revolution by partnering with them for growth.
Deep insight into India’s economic, cultural and consumption diversity drives Reliance Retail’s vision in the retail universe. The operating model is based on customer-centricity while leveraging common centres of excellence in technology, business processes, and supply chain. More importantly, it has built a strong and unwavering foundation through its extraordinary people. Our nationwide network of retail stores offers a world-class shopping environment and unmatched customer experience. Reliance Retail has emerged as the partner of choice for international brands and has established exclusive partnerships with many revered international brands as a Joint Venture under Reliance Brands Limited(RBL) since 25 Sep 2007 & it’s a public unlisted company and is classified as ‘company limited by shares’. Reliance Brands Limited has a portfolio of 44 international brands that span across the entire spectrum of luxury, bridge to luxury, high–premium and high–street lifestyle, which operate over 661 stores for international brands and continues to partner with new and revered international brands regularly. The strong brand portfolio reinforces Reliance Retail as a partner of choice for best international brands. Also, leveraging on to Reliance Retail’s deep market understanding, unwavering focus and strong operating capabilities, many International brands from the portfolio have made India a significant market outside of their home countries and have the largest store presence in India, than any country. This reflects the trust and optimism which Reliance Retail and its partner brands share with each other.
RELIANCE BRANDS LIMITED (RBL)
Reliance Brands Limited comprises of Reliance Retail Brands and Reliance Joint Venture Brands. Genesis Luxury was acquired by Reliance Brands Limited (RBL) in 2018 and it became the part of RBL. The total number of brands hence calculate to be 56 as of 27.07.2019 namely, Armani Exchange, Burberry, Bally, Brooks Brother, Bottega Veneta, Canali, Cherokee Global Brands, Droors Clothing, Diesel, Dune London, Emporio Armani, Emenegildo Zegna, Flormar, Furla, Gas, Giorgio Armani, G-star Raw, Hamleys, Boss, Hunkemoller, Iconix, Jimmy Choo, Kate Spade, Marks & Spencers, Michael Kors, Mothercare, Muji, Paul & Shark, Paul Smith, Payless Shoesource, Pink, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Quiksilver, Replay, Roxy, Salvatore Ferragamo, Scotch & Soda, Steve Madden, Superdry, Tumi, Villeroy & Boch, Vision Express and West Elm. RBL is all set to bring Tiffany & Co. retail stores in India soon and further plans to acquire an 87.6% stake in Shopsense Retail Technologies, also known as Fynd. RBL has its headquarters at Mumbai, whereas its tail office is in Gurgaon.
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EXPONENTS OF GOOD LIVING
GENESIS LUXURY
A leading platform for luxury and premium brands in India, Genesis Luxury pioneered the concept of luxury retailing in India by acquiring distribution rights for leading international luxury brands which would be appealing to Indian luxury consumers. The essence of Genesis Luxury lies in their philosophy that luxury brands are an experience above all. Their splendid mix of designer labels from across the globe ensures that the Indian market is spoilt for choice, from opulent to effervescent, by brands par excellence, both in quality and design. Genesis Luxury fashion was established in the year 2007 for marketing and distribution of international Luxury Labels within India by India’s leading fashion conglomerate, Genesis Colors – the fashion house behind premium designer labels Satya Paul and Bwitch. As India’s leading international luxury conglomerate Genesis Luxury has redefined fashion retailing with innovative strategies that transcend borders. Genesis Luxury was acquired by Reliance Brands Limited (RBL) in 2018 and since then the brands of Genesis Luxury group along with other brands of RBL group formed a Luxe Club. The Luxe Club is quintessentially a customer rewards program designed especially for premier clients to offer them the ultimate shopping experience. The essence of Luxe Club lies in experiencing luxury with style and ease whilst benefiting from shopping within our extensive portfolio of leading international brands and the luxury designer labels. By bringing the finest of luxury brands from across the globe to India, this is an effort to offer a one-of-a-kind experience to shoppers through a single platform making it easy to earn rewards, track usage and make the most of the many benefits offered. An in-house loyalty program combining the RBL group’s & Genesis Luxury Fashion brands, the Luxe Club offers unique privileges; ensuring that our customers are spoilt for choice. Genesis Luxury was acquired stakes by stakes in stages by RIL and then was fully acquired by January 2019 and it became a part of Reliance Brands Limited [Exponents of Good Living].
MOTHERCARE
Mothercare plc is a British retailer which specialises in products for expectant mothers and in general merchandise for children up to 8 years old. It targets the upper-middle class families looking for quality baby care products. Mothercare offers a plethora of products and a wide range of accessories, having a presence in over 40 countries with more than 1,000 exclusive stores. The company was founded by Selim Zilkha and Sir James Goldsmith in 1961. It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1972. In 1982, it merged with Habitat to form Habitat Mothercare plc. In 1986, Habitat Mothercare plc merged with British Home Stores, to form Storehouse plc. In January 1996, it bought Children’s World from Boots, and rebranded all of their superstores Mothercare World stores. In May 2000, the Bhs stores were sold to Philip Green, and Storehouse reverted to the Mothercare brand. Mothercare was brought in India by DLF in 2009, where DLF held the 70% of the stakes of the brand. DLF aimed to open 140 stores of Mothercare across India by 2015 but since its sales were even decreasing, DLF decided to sell off the brand ownership to Reliance in early 2018 as the baby care segment was also booming in the country, thus Reliance bought it at higher stakes. Currently, Mothercare has 84 stores in India as of 28.07.2019, and new stores are on the way for the Indian market. Their brand mission is to capture that warmth and the touching support that exists between the mums, and that all-important sense of togetherness. They unite mums (and dads) to take on parenting together and welcome them to the club. THE 6 PILLAR STRATEGY OF MOTHERCARE
ORGANISATION STRUCTURE
An organizational structure is a system that outlines how certain activities are directed in order to achieve the goals of an organization. These activities can include rules, roles, and responsibilities. The organizational structure also determines how information flows between levels within the company. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is a conglomerate which seeks to hold subsidiary corporations across many different industries. RBL has its headquarters in Mumbai and Gurgaon, and hence the partnered brands are divided amongst two offices. RBL has 15 departments in its organisation out of which few are divided for different brands according to the number of stores and amount of sale. For example- All the Luxury brands excluding Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani & Armani Xchange were under the same group and hence shared their teams whilst stores like Hamleys which have a large number of stores across the nation had their separate team because of a greater number of stores across when summed up. Each department has its own function to perform. OPERATION: Make sure the company is running with a smooth efficient service that meets the expectations and needs of customers and clients. ADMINISTRATION: Provides support to our managers and employees, assisting in daily office needs and managing the company’s general administrative activities. CRM: Manage the company’s interaction with current and potential customers. It uses data analysis about customers’ history with the company to improve business relationships with customers. DESIGN: Oversees various creative and design projects for an organization. E-COMMERCE: Look after a website that focuses on the buying, trading, and selling of products and services to the public or for business purposes. MERCHANDISING: Plans product ranges and preparing sales and stock plans in conjunction with buyers and also predicting and monitoring sales trends and accurately controlling stock levels. FINANCE: Manages company’s money. The functions of the finance department included planning, organizing, auditing, accounting for and controlling the company’s finances.
LEGAL: Legal department worked to maintain and prevent any legal issues that arise. They play critical roles in reviewing and drafting contracts, employee policies, and handling court cases. SALES & MARKETING: Plans Product, Pricing and its Distribution Planning. Basically, a sales and marketing department has the responsibility for deciding where the company should sell and what its prices should be. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Oversees the installation and maintenance of computer network systems within a company. Its primary function is to ensure that the network runs smoothly. VISUAL MERCHANDISING: Responsible for in-store displays of goods for a retail store, preparing mocks for the upcoming season. HUMAN RESOURCE: Responsible for hiring and firing employees, training workers, maintaining interoffice relationships and interpreting employment laws. LOGISTICS: The logistics department is entrusted with the responsibilities of ensuring that the entire process of logistics is maintained and developed in accordance with the goals of the business at an economical cost. PROJECTS: This department defines the standards for project management. And it can do a whole lot more than that too. Their main purpose is to make sure that projects and programs are run in a repeatable, standardized way. DISTRIBUTION: The distribution department had the responsibility for different modes of selling. This team is responsible to deal with small retailers at all tiers of cities in the country. Along with this, they ensure that good quality products are being produced and consistently distributed on a timely basis. BUYING & PRODUCTS: Buying department also referred as purchasing department, its role is to procure all necessary materials needed for the operation of the company (stock of the stores) and oversees all of the vendors that supply a company with the items it needs to operate properly. They are responsible for planning, selecting and purchasing quantities of goods and merchandise that are sold in stores. They source new and review existing goods to ensure their products remain competitive. The Finance team and legal team worked so closely that they were merged as one under Finance & Legal Team.
HIERARCHY
Reliance is one of the largest employers in the country & has around 1,20,000 employees working for Reliance Brands Limited. Proper care is taken to make every worker familiar with the product and be an expert about it. Headed by Mukesh Ambani, the hierarchy structure of the company is very long. This is because they are at every corner of cities appointing numerous workers who are familiar with the local language and sales methods for particular regions. We worked with the LUXE Club Brands such as Hugo Boss, Tumi, Canali, Luxe bridge & Mothercare. Our major brand was Mothercare and we secondarily reported for luxury brands (Genesis Luxury). We served two mentors Ms Garima Agarwal, Head Visual Merchandiser (Pan India, Mothercare) and Ms Aditi Anand (Senior Visual Merchandiser, Genesis Luxury Brands).
{BOARD OF M.DIRECTORS} Ashwin Ahamendra Khasgiwala, Hetal Jignesh Rathod, Timothy Ralph Wheeler, Samirbhai Rameshbhai Sheth, Venkatachalam Subramaniam, Mayank Jayantilal Shah, .
VISUAL MERCHANDISER
Visual Merchandising is the art of displaying merchandise in a manner that is appealing to the eyes of the customer. It sets the context of the merchandise in an aesthetically pleasing fashion, presenting them in a way that would convert the window shoppers into prospects and ultimately buyers of the product. A creative and talented retailer can use this upcoming art to breathe in new life into the store’s products. Passion for design and creativity are essential to be a good visual merchandiser. A perfect design process and the ability to create ideas that are different are required. Awareness of happenings in fashion world is needed so as to keep up-to-date with the dynamics of the market constantly. Visual merchandising is a retail strategy that maximizes the aesthetics of a product with the intent to increase sales. Visual merchandising can also play a role in the look, feel and culture of a brand. Done well, it can create awareness while simultaneously increasing brand loyalty. Most importantly, it can draw customers in and close the sale – all based on the aesthetic quality of your retail display. Visual Merchandisers create the in-store environment that supports the retailer’s marketing and merchandising strategies. They set the mood; highlight the merchandise, and invite, attract, welcome and inform the shoppers. It is their job to make the advertised promise of a pleasant and productive shopping experience come true. They make the store a wonderful, joyous place to be in a subtle way.
IMPORTANCE OF VISUAL MERCHANDISING
Visual merchandising is a retail strategy that maximizes the aesthetics of a product with the intent to increase sales. Visual merchandising can also play a role in the look, feel and culture of a brand. Done well, it can create awareness while simultaneously increasing brand loyalty. Most importantly, it can draw customers in and close the sale – all based on the aesthetic quality of your retail display. • COMPONENTS Success factors of visual merchandising include the store’s appearance, signage, lighting, uniforms, menus, point of sale material, colour, shapes, textures, packaging, ticketing and the presentation, each of these elements come together in a retail setting. When these elements come together to showcase a brand, it enriches the customer experience, leading to a positive shopping experience and increased sales. • THEMES Brands can better execute visual merchandising strategies by implementing themes into their displays. Themes tell a story and create customer buy-in. They generally accompany a new product launch. Most importantly, themes allow a brand to reinvent itself with new colours, layouts, fonts, design, pictures and photographs at the time of a new product launch. These ideas can range anywhere from coordinating colours to grouping products to individual motifs and anything in between. There are no rules when it comes to themes but it is a good idea to consider the store, season, new product, overall look and feel of the brand, and how the theme will tie into any current in-store promotion. • TONALITY Tonality refers to the brand’s consistency throughout all marketing materials. It also can be referred to as a brand personality or voice. It means conveying the look, feel and completeness of your brand within all existing marketing elements. That means visual merchandising must be consistent across all platforms including in-store displays, website and on third-party websites. This ensures customer brand loyalty and also ensures that brand is going to deliver.
ROLE OF VISUAL MERCHANDISER
1. Display merchandise with visual appeals to attract customers. 2. Integrate brand images in visual presentations throughout the stores. 3. Innovate and implement seasonal merchandising presentations. 4. Initiate unique visual presentations. 5. Monitor merchandise inventories. 6. Ensure replenishment of fast-selling items. 7. Coordinate with stores manager on key visual merchandising efforts. 8. Design and implement key visual elements including styling of bust forms, leg forms and Henry hangers. 9. Organize and adjust lighting systems to enhance visual elements. 10. Ensure compliance of brand standards in visual merchandising efforts. 11. Define, design and implement a creative visual merchandising strategy 12. Create appealing and eye-catching visual displays that lead the customer through the entire store 13. Produce window displays, signs, interior displays, floor plans and special promotions displays 14. Identify key messages and set a clear image of the end result 15. Come up with, revise and present design ideas with assistant merchandisers 16. Act in alignment to the organization’s culture, products, image and target market 17. Monitor costs and work within budget 18. Oversee the production and brief staff on arranging displays 19. Change displays to promote new product launches and reflect festive or seasonal themes 20. Liaise with suppliers and source elements 21. Research lifestyle, demographics and design trends
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE VM DEPARTMENT AT GENESIS LUXURY
WINDOW DISPLAYS The window displays come directly from the brands for installation in India. Only a few displays are customised according to the region and are then later sent to the brand communicator for approval. IN-STORE SETUPS The in-store setups are of two kinds. First, commercial which is based on the sales report and second which is done according to the brand reports. VISUALS Visuals refer to the artwork that the brand sends. The artwork is usually images from the season’s photoshoot. MUSIC AND VIDEOS The music and videos that play at the store are decided and sent over by the brand itself. SIGNAGES AND STICKERS There are three kinds of signages and stickers on display at the stores: New Season Collection- These are used during a new season launch and are displayed in-store as well as on the store windows Sale signages and stickers Promotional or Offer signages and stickers LAUNCHES Look up for VM launch of a new store or newly added brand. Also, designing the mall installations.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE VM DEPARTMENT AT MOTHERCARE
WINDOW DISPLAYS The window displays imagery and conceptualisation come from the brand directly and it has to be customised according to the regional customer and on the basis of the type of window. IN-STORE SETUPS The in-store setups of a newly launched store, arranging the merchandise, keeping the store inviting, and setting up the store. The basic guidelines come from the brand itself, rest according to the merchandise stock has to customise in the region/store. VISUALS Visuals refer to the artwork that in a raw form is provided by the brand. The artwork is either a seasonal asset or a non-seasonal asset; usually, images from the season’s photoshoot are used for creating visuals or displays or POSs. The artworks are since provided by the brand in the raw form, these have to be edited according to the brief and brand guideline provided. MUSIC AND VIDEOS The videos played at the store are provided by the brand whereas, the music has been composed locally in India for its retail stores. SIGNAGES AND STICKERS There are various signages and stickers on display at the window or inside the stores: New Season Collection- These are used during a new season launch and are displayed in-store as well as on the store windows Sale signages and stickers Promotional or Offer signages and stickers Departmental Signage: Indicating the department inside the store. POS Signages at the Cash Counters Infographic Signage for innovative products inside the store demonstrating its features and benefits. LAUNCHES Look up for the launch of a new store. Also, designing and putting up the mall installations. REGULATION OF AMBIENCE Making all of the branching stores in each city similar by checking up on the ambience of the store (5 senses), along with the visual merchandising guidelines which has to be followed in each store of the brand to give the customer a familiar feel in each store.
RELATIONSHIP OF A VISUAL MERCHANDISER
VENDORS, RETAIL TEAM, FINANCE TEAM & BRAND
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE VENDORS 1. The VM team connects with the vendors which are pre-approved by the procurement department. 2. They contact the vendors for the estimate costing before giving any orders. 3. After approval, they place the order along with all details of the work to be done. 4. On completion, the vendor will send the bill to the registered office. 5. The bills are then submitted to the Finance Department. RELATIONSHIP WITH THE RETAIL TEAM 1. It is very important for the VM team to have a healthy relationship with the Retail team as it ensures that the coordination between the has a smooth flow. 2. The coordination between the two is very important for store setups, window setups as their team is required at odd timings and for knowing who will be available on the day of the setup. 3. The communication between the VM and Retail team has a two-way flow. The VM team requires their help during setups and they require support from the VM team when, for example, a VM tool isn’t functioning. In that case, the VM team has to coordinate with the vendors as well as the store to fix the situation. RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FINANCE TEAM 1. Before the bills are submitted to the Finance team, they are approved by the Marketing and Creative Director and the Brand Retail Heads along with which pictures of the work done have to be attached in the approval mail. 2. All operational expenses are approved by the Marketing and Creative Director (OPEX). 3. All capital expenses are approved by the Brand Retail Heads (CAPEX). 4. For CAPEX payments, you need to have PO (Purchase Order) made in advance. 5. On fulfilling all the procedures, the bills are sent over to the registered office by the vendors. 6. The Finance team then releases the payment of the vendors. RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BRAND 1. The VM team is responsible to coordinate with brands for brands report and information flow from and to the brand. 2. The VM team also attends brand training which are held at various locations and the brand makes various visits at their stores.
PROJECTS
Reliance Brands Limited has a welcoming environment. The organisation is a family. Here equal work opportunity is provided to every employee and intern. Each individual in this organisation works in sync. As a part of the team of Mothercare & Genesis Luxury, we got to work on various projects during the span of two months. Each project alotted to us by our mentor was a great learning experience. The projects varied from designing mall installations, window displays, store audits, manuals to POSs.
MOTHERCARE
• STORE AUDITS • COMMUNICTION CHANNEL • POS & DEMO FOR CRANE HUMIDIFIERS • HEADER FOR CHICCO PRODUCTS • GRAPHICAL SIGNAGE FOR NAP NAP MAT • VISUAL MERCHANDISING MANUAL FOR INDIAN STORES • WINDOW MODIFICATIONS FOR SALE • GRAPHICAL SIGNAGE FOR HOSPITAL BAG CHECKLIST • HEADER STRIPES FOR FARLIN, AVENT & MUNCHKINS • HEADER STRIPES FOR FOOD • DEMONSTRATION PROP FOR CRANE HUMIDIFIERS
01 STORE AUDITS
Store Audits for VM refers to the examination of guidelines forwarded by the head office is either being followed by the stores or not. BRIEF: To visit all the stores of Mothercare in Gurgaon Region and prepare a report of the problematic situations inside the store in terms of Visual Merchandising guidelines provided by the brand. DESCRIPTION: We went to the stores of Mothercare in Ambience Mall, DT City Centre Mall, MGF Metropolis, CK Birla Hospital and Ardee City Mall, and mde a note of all the good points vs bad points of each store. This was followed by collection of pictures and then their compilation in the form of a powerpoint presentation. During this process, we noticed a lack of similarity amongst stores and this has been a constant challenge for Mothercare, to maintain standards within 84 stores in India. There is a lack of communication channel which needed to be bridged for a similar VM, and feel of the stores all across the India. Moreover, several points on how cn the store be made more familiar were noted.
The presentation led to another assignment- ‘Communication Channel’.
02 COMMUNICATION CHANNEL
During our store audits, we found a major problem between the stores of Mothercare, which was ‘Communication’. BRIEF: To devise a plan for communication or a strategy for an effective communication throughout all the stores across India. DESCRIPTION: During the visits to the stores of Mothercare in Ambience Mall, DT City Centre Mall, MGF Metropolis, CK Birla Hospital and Ardee City Mall, all the good points vs bad points of each store were duly noted. This was followed by collection of pictures and then their compilation in the form of a powerpoint presentation. During this process, we noticed a lack of similarity amongst stores and this has been a constant challenge for Mothercare, to maintain standards within 84 stores in India. There is a lack of communication channel which needed to be bridged for a similar VM, and feel of the stores all across the India. Moreover, several points on how can the store be made more familiar were noted.
03 POS & DEMO FOR CRANE HUMIDIFIERS
Crane USA is a brand headquartered in Itasca with an office in Hong Kong. Crane is dedicated to environment both inside and outside the home. Crane has recently launched its ‘Cool Mist Humidifiers’ in India through Mothercare. There is a subtle difference between the two humidifers of Crane- Cool Mist & Warm Mist. To promote this newly launched product, a POS was to be designed which also gave the necessary informations such as the benefits of using the ‘Cool Mist Humidifiers’. BRIEF: Design a POS (Graphic Signage) for Crane Humidifiers. DESCRIPTION: The primary step involved empathising, i.e., the testing of the product by us itself. Then, its features were noted down. The secondary step involved an in-depth understanding of the humidifiers and the differences between the temperature of the mist. Then, came the designing. After reviewing the design, further rectifications were made and the POS was launched along side the product, demonstrating its mist.
04 HEADER FOR CHICCO PRODUCTS
Chicco is an Italian brand of children’s clothing, toys and accessories with outlets worldwide. It is one of the brands that has also collaborated with Mothercare as a Shopin-Shop relation where it sells its feeding and nursing products. BRIEF: Design a Header (Graphic Signage) for Chicco products to highlight them. DESCRIPTION: Chicco designs are non-cluttered and without noise, hence a header was to be designed complying the same values. The first step involved the studying of dimensions of the shelves and gondolas where the chicco products were to be displayed. Next, a header was to be designed which enclosed the products inside it yet gave it maximum exposure on the same time.
06 GRAPHICAL SIGNAGE FOR NAP NAP MAT
NapNap is a portable vibrating Mat that mimics the mother’s womb and lulls the baby to sleep. The NapNap mat is a soft, beautiful mat that works like magic when it comes to putting the baby to sleep. It emits rhythmic vibrations and a dull white noise to emulate the environment just like in the womb. This product at Mothercare faces problem in getting sold, as the product is not self explanatory and often it needs a store staff to make the customers understand the features of the product. Hence, a small graphical signage was to be designed that shows the features of the product. BRIEF: Design a small graphical signage which has information as well for NapNap Mat. DESCRIPTION: The designing initiated with the interaction with the product, its features and its qualities. Then came the brain storming and collection of data from secondary resources and testimonials of the consumers of this product. Next, the design execution took place.
06 VISUAL MERCHANDISING MANUAL (INDIA)
While comprehending the communication gap and lack of similarity in terms of VM throughout the stores of Mothercare, the issue of absence of VM Manual for Indian stores came into light. BRIEF: Create Visual Merchandising Manual complying the rules of Mothercare according to the brand Identity and Indian stores, which can be accessible in electronic form as well as printed format. DESCRIPTION: When started, we just had few pictures of store and VM guidelines in a word document, alongwith a brand identity manual. It involved curation of content and pictures of Mothercare stores, live examples of rightly and wrong done VM. Further, it also aimed to give retailers and store staff knowledge about aesthetics, it had to be simple and informative without being mundane and monotonous. This involved making up illustrations to give it a quirky feel and prevent the manual from becoming boring, a little play of words as it is done by Mothercare too. A colorful planogram that illustrates the whereabouts and picture in the staff’s mind clearly.
BEFORE
AFTER
07 WINDOW MODIFICATIONS FOR SALE
A new store was launched mid-season, hence couldn’t be given an old window or an upcoming window display, therefore the window needed a twist for the sale which included garments and accessories of kids. BRIEF: To modify the existing window’s setting and mannequins according to the ‘Sale’ DESCRIPTION: During the sale, the windows and mannequin of Mothercare don an entire red ensemble to make the customers aware of the ongoing sale period. Hence, this included search of 4 garments that were in harmony with each other and on the same time displayed different varieties available in the store, then styling the garments.
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
Guidelines for the artwork
Color Palette
08 GRAPHICAL SIGNAGE FOR HOSPITAL BAG CHECKLIST
Mothercare offers a checklist for the expecting mothers informing them about the products that they would need during thhe time of parturition while in hospital. Mothercare assists them in preparing themselves for their motherhood by providing everything in their store, all at one place. This section of Mothercare had a POS which with time has become dull, and needed a redesign. BRIEF: To redesign the graphical signage for Hospital Bag Checklist. DESCRIPTION: During the sale, the windows and mannequin of Mothercare don an entire red ensemble to make the customers aware of the ongoing sale period. Hence, this included search of 4 garments that were in harmony with each other and on the same time displayed different varieties available in the store, then styling the garments.
09 HEADER STRIPES MARKING BRANDS IN FEEDING SECTION
Mothercare offers a variety of brands under its roof and the products of these brands get mixed due to absence of demarcation between the brands. BRIEF: Design a header stripes for brands Avent, Munchkin and Farlin. DESCRIPTION: The header stripes serve the purpose of demarcating the products of different brands on gondolas and shelves efficiently, making the purchase of the customer hassle-free. Key points to be noted were that the minimum height should be 2.5 inches and the distance between logos should not be less than half width of logo.
10 HEADER STRIPES FOR FOOD
Mothercare’s recently added gem in their collection is the food section. BRIEF: Design a generic header stripe for food. DESCRIPTION: The header stripe should be generic and introduce food as a new addition at Mothercare stores. The height of the header was to be kept at a minimum 2.5 inches. The guideline informed that the header should comprise of mothercare logo either in full or m-dolly minimally involving shapes.
COLOR PALETTE OF THE ARTWORK
11 DEMONSTRATION PROP FOR CRANE HUMIDIFIERS
Crane humidifier promises a lot of potential, hence a prop needed to be designed for its demonstration. BRIEF: Design a prop for demonstration of Crane Humidifier for A-tier stores. DESCRIPTION: Demonstration prop is designed to be cylindrical Acrylic molded structure that could provide space to display the humidifier in a working position so that it could grab the attention of the customers passing by or inside the store and the structure has a dim light which would highlight the mist to make it look more attractive.
GENESIS LUXURY
• HUGO BOSS INSTALLATION • CANALI A/W 19-20 WINDOWS • TUMI (UB CITY) VISUALS & WINDOW MOCK UPS
IDEA 1
01 HUGO BOSS INSTALLATION
Hugo Boss is a German luxury fashion house founded in 1924, headquartered in Metzingen. It is often styled as BOSS. Hugo Boss is opening a new store soon in Ambience Mall, and a mall installation was to be designed for the launch. BRIEF: Design a Mall installation for Hugo Boss’ Launch. DESCRIPTION: After receiving the brief and guidelines, a thorough research was done on previously done installations of Hugo Boss and its merchandise. A keypoint was noted, to emphasize ‘BOSS’. Subsequently, various 3-D explorations were made, a few were selected later by the VM head and were asked to rectified.
IDEA 2
Light emitting cylinder which is opque and boasts the BOSS logo on its top.
IDEA 3
FINALISED IDEA
A life size installation, which features 3 go through cubes, which features exclusive collection in the three categories namely Athleisure (Red), Formal (Black), and Polo (Green). These 3 cubes have open faces facing each other as a triangle. The customers can go inside and have a look. Along with this, theres a Podium which boasts about the BOSS logo, announcing the grand arrival of the new Hugo Boss Store. The box dimensions are: 8X8X8 (all in ft). On the left side is the top view of the installation.
WINDOW 1
WINDOW 2
02 CANALI WINDOW DESIGN
Canali is an Italian luxury brand exhibiting a tailor made tradition of men’s elegance. Canali in association with India has launched its Bandhgala rendition as Nawab Collection. A window had to be designed keeping the same in mind along with Autumn-Winter and Diwali profusement in its aesthetic sense. BRIEF: Design a window for Canali A/W 19/20 featuring its Nawab Collection for launch before Diwali. DESCRIPTION: After receiving the brief and guidelines, a thorough research was done on the Nawab Collection and Italian tailoring, after which certin elements like light, ethnic motif were picked out to work with and design explorations.
BRAND GUIDELINES
03 TUMI VISUALS AND WINDOW MOCKUPS
Founded in 1975, TUMI is not just a luggage product brand but an experience design brand that sells luggage products. During the 1980’s, TUMI’s innovative introduction of soft, ultra-functional, black-on-black ballistic nylon travel bags catapulted the company to its current leadership position. BRIEF: Design visuals and window mockups for TUMI. DESCRIPTION: After receiving the brief and guidelines, visuals were created for TUMI on Photoshop and then window mockups.
VISUALS CREATED
WINDOW MOCKUPS
LEARNING & CONCLUSION
Working with RBL has enabled us to recognise the thinking, execution and timeline process of a design. This internship has taught us how to function in a professional environment. It gave us an experience of how such a large Indian conglomerate worked. Before this, we would seldom find ourselves in doubt of how this large brands would work and then these two months, we were there, on our very own experiencing all of it. We will forever be grateful for this opportunity and learning experience. Apart from this, we learned to cooperate in a team and appreciate fellow colleagues’ perspectives and work in accordance with them. We became familiar with the roles and key responsibilities of a visual merchandiser. As a part of Mothercare, we were given the entire responsibility related to VM of one store, that was really an eye opener where you can clearly see, the changes made in the store aesthetics can affect the sale from 0 to 100 if done right or 100 to 0 in no time if done wrong. This entire journey involved the transfusion of our academic learning into practical applications.
REFERENCES
https://ril.com/OurCompany/ProductsAndBrands.aspx http://www.genesisluxury.com/ https://ril.com/TheRelianceStory.aspx https://www.relianceada.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/reliance-brands-ltd-/?originalSubdomain=in