invidis Annual Commentary 2022/ 2023: Loek Wermenbol | First Impression Audiovisual

In 2022, Dutch integrator First Impression Audiovisual has set the foundation for its expansion to Germany – equipped with a strategy and knowledge about the top trends, that will touch ground this year, as Retail Strategy Director Loek Wermenbol explains in the invidis Annual Commentary.

For First Impression, named Integrator of the Year 2022 at the AV Awards, this year was all about the international expansion to France. With the opening of the third office in Paris – next to Amsterdam and the HQ in Tilburg – First Impression can serve the increasing number of customers in the French region. Next up is the expansion to Germany. With the recent appointment of Daniel Glück as new business manager Germany, this expansion got a great boost already, with a digital signage assignment for KIA Germany.

Our customers dared to invest in the opening of new shops worldwide and our loyal customer Basic-Fit even expanded to the German market with the first (of many) fitness clubs in Oldenburg and Hagen. You can bump in our award-winning digital signage solutions while working out in the gym in Germany in the coming years, as Basic-Fit is planning to open 600 clubs, which is a great, positive challenge for First Impression.

The Magic Word of 2023 Is ‘Purpose’

Looking forward to 2023, we will be talking more about purpose with our customers. To be more precise, facilitating purposeful digital solutions to physical spaces. Too many solutions are implemented as just a ‘cool’ ad-on. Without a purpose and a good strategy, it’s hard to measure – or even achieve – the ROI. We notice that retailers too often look at what the competitor has in its store in terms of technology, and then copy it. Starting from technology is always the wrong choice and costs more money than it yields. Only implement technical experiences based on the purpose: what is the benefit to the customer? The chance on success increases immediately if you follow this order. The best thing to do is to think big in terms of instore tech strategy and start small by implementing one solution at a time. Constantly measure effects and adjust your installation. Then implement the next part in your strategy to create the ultimate phygital experience for your customer.

Downsizing shop floors

Another important trend for 2023, is the size of the shops. We will see more large brands and retailers in the center of urban shopping environments. This means retailers are going to resize and reconfigure store designs. To be present in the heart of the shopping streets, means you have less shop surface. Less shop surface means less footprint and less investment in terms of rent or mortgage. It also means less inventory, but this can easily be solved with technology presenting your entire collection in a digital way. This way, brands are present in busy shopping environments. A good example is IKEA Décoration in Paris, where IKEA only sells the products that are most popular with Parisians, such as bedding, household linen, crockery and lighting. Mainly to get closer to the consumer.
Volvo is another good example of bringing a large retail brand to urban environments. Where most car brand showrooms can be found on industrial estates, far outside the city centers, the Volvo Studio concept brings the automotive experience to the center of Rotterdam. This city store has much fewer square meters, but just as much experience and Volvo to show as a big showroom. This video gives a good impression of the City Store:

Customer at the Center of Every Strategy

Where our customers in retail dared to look in the future positive and bold, they will be a bit more cautious in 2023, due to the decreased consumer confidence. This already has a big impact on organizations, that must consider which investments they are going to make and which they have to postpone or skip entirely. At the same time, companies feel the need to keep up with the competition and decide to follow them or overtake them to gain market share.

In our opinion, you can never lean back. And we are glad we see that the market also sees that the innovation in physical stores is necessary to make a difference in the shopping streets. The type of projects is becoming more diverse, out of the box, creative and interactive. We constantly need to keep up with the changing needs and trends.

At First Impression, we are looking forward to what 2023 will bring. We are convinced that purpose, customer centricity and personal experiences will be of great importance. The customer and his needs are the center of all retail innovations that are upcoming.