Budder has had the fortune of working with some of the biggest and best cannabis brands, dosist being one of them. We first started working with dosist a few years ago and we truly appreciate their commitment to great branding and intentional design. At the beginning of the year we completed a series of branded shop-in-shop installations which included a visual merchandising kit of parts program. The following is a short case study of that project.
A "shop-in-shop" or "store-in-store" is a retail installation that allows brands to put forth a very intentional and branded store experience within a larger retail environment. This gives the brand the opportunity to control customer experience and drive brand recognition, while providing the hosting retailer access to a brands' novel customer base and leveling up the overall retail experience of the store or dispensary. This model is not new and has existed in many department stores like Bloomingdales, Saks, etc.
THE PROJECT SCOPE:
Part 1: Shop-in-Shop To create a branded modular shop-in-shop (SIS) retail experience that could be scalable from a small 3' wall domain to large 20'+. It also needed to fit within site specific architecture and varying parameters such as against the wall vs free standing. The system is intended to be a set of modular components to simplify production, keep costs down, and allow customization for each location.
Part 2: Merchandising Kit of Parts
To create a visual merchandising kit of parts (KOP) to fit within a dosist branded shop-in-shop. The merchandising kit of parts was also intended to function outside this shop-in-shop as a modular customizable solution that can live both on shelf and under counter in other dispensaries. Kit to include product risers, trays, pen holders, signage, etc.
OUR APPROACH:
Starting with established brand equity, we looked to the elements of the brand that make it unique in the market place. One differentiator for dosist is the brand's reputation for high quality products as well as the efficacy and delivery of precise dosages. The idea of precision is visually represented in the brand by the thin line that appears on the product packaging and some supporting branded collateral elements. Taking a cue from that design detail, Budder began to work on concepts that incorporate that thin line as a reveal element in the physical components. This was achieved by allowing negative space between elements to create a floating effect. The reveal and floating elements play well with the concept of precision and nods to the effect of the product itself. These elements became tentpoles for design of the SIS and merchandising KOP and is intentionally carried throughout the systems.
This reveal detail is apparent in the space between the slats on the modular wall units, between the tray and riser, on the pen holder, and the space between the floating riser and tray. It's a subtle detail that visually connects components to the overall brand identity and helps reinforce the brand distinction of precision.
MATERIALS:
Wood, Metal, and Magnets. We love the use of magnets as a simple way to connect elements together. Often in retail settings it is easy for pieces to go missing, so by incorporating magnetic connections we were able to minimize the amount of hardware needed to connect pieces together. Fewer pieces means lower cost and less need for replacement.
Magnets are also an affordable and simple way for updating messaging and collateral as seen with the sign holders, which can be easily flipped around to lay under counter or stand upright for on shelf presentations.
The "matchbook" (or pen holder) was designed to be something that a budtender can pass to a customer/patient, but we also wanted to make sure there was a way to fix it to the display to ensure clean and consistent merchandising.
Flexibility in merchandising for on-shelf and under-counter is a common need for most cannabis brands as conditions can vary greatly from one dispensary to the next. We aim for our designs to create the opportunity for adaptable merchandising in these scenarios in ways that are intentional and help establish a consistent brand experience that will make a brand stand apart.
Overall this was a great project to work on with a first-rate brand and team. Dosist continues to be a true leader in the space with a commitment to intentional design. Stay tuned for more Budder retail experiences.