Show me your floor and I’ll tell you what you’re selling!
Timo Michalik, CEO of visuals united AG, explains how the sales area below us can be effectively staged.
Mr. Michalik, sales promotion starts underfoot. What effects can flooring have on a store’s success?
In reality, sales promotion underfoot starts long before we actually stand on the sales floor. The floor is always in a person’s field of vision as the basis for orientation. If customers can already spot and recognize a product from afar, it attracts them like a magnet. Until now, large floor spaces have rarely been integrated into brand communication. Our FOTOBODEN makes it possible to boost sales of swimwear thanks to a unique beach look or by staging Star Wars toys against a lunar landscape. Strong products must subsequently convert this increased customer frequency at the POS into sales. I have illustrated the effects of floor design in more than 100 projects in my book “Boden gut machen” (English: Covering a lot of Ground).
From order to finished installation: How long does it take to install a Fotoboden (photo flooring)?
Each order is a custom creation and we usually make the flooring within a few days. The installation is easy because it is a temporary floor advertising space that is simply applied and secured with double-sided adhesive tape. On-site staff can easily install the flooring. In store windows, the floor is simply rolled out without adhesive.
We also feature a brand-new product fit for usage class 43 (EU standard, called Nutzungsklasse) and a 15-year warranty, permitting use for long-term designs in departments or entire stores. This material is installed by professional flooring installers.
From a sustainability perspective, what happens if I want to dispose of the Fotoboden at some point?
Our FOTOBODEN is 100 percent recyclable, making it comparable to the nearly 25 million m² of vinyl flooring installed in Germany each year. The material can be returned to us and we complete the process. That being said, most customers dispose of the FOTOBODEN through their normal household waste collection service, which subsequently separates the recyclables and transports them to the respective recycling plants. Needless to say, it’s best to reuse the flooring in different ways. After all, many motifs are multifunctional and versatile. For example, you can use a grass motif to accommodate football, Easter or Golf-themed vignettes.
Interview: EuroShop.mag
