Notonthehighstreet.com steps offline to prove it’s ‘much more than a gifting business'
Online marketplace Notonthehightstreet.com aimed to hit the sweet spot of 'customer experience' - a phrase that pops up multiple times in conversation with its chief executive Simon Belsham - with a new approach in London last weekend (6-8 May).
Dubbed Open Door, its first physical retail experience was a huge installation showcasing the work of its partners and comprising several experiential zones, including eight interactive 'doorways' designed to surprise and delight consumers, live workshops and live demonstrations.
For Belsham, any commercial success derived from the activation is, apparently, qualitative. "My belief is this isn’t just about sales," he said – rather: "The success of today is going to be about the smiles of people on their faces when they come and take part in the workshops, or take part in the demonstrations and leave with a sense of what they hadn’t realised we did before."
While Open Door in Old Spitalfields Market was designed primarily to celebrate Notonthehighstreet.com's tenth year in business, the event notably fell outside any busy gifting seasons – when the company website receives the most traffic from shoppers looking for unique gifts that are, as the name would suggest, not available on the high street.
Belsham noted: "This is one of those events that we know will help people reappraise what we do - we’re predominantly a gifting business, we’re well known for gifting occasions - but we’re so much more than that and for the first time ever we're able to showcase all of the categories that we’re able to sell."
Notonthehighstreet.com further proved its customer experience focus earlier this year by swapping its marketing director role out from a customer director."You’ve got to put customers at the heart of your business and you’ve got to create experiences for them at all stand points," Belsham explained. "Marketing is not just a transactional channel anymore."
Meanwhile a continuing tie-up with Transport for London (TfL) sees the brand engage with new and expectant mums on the London transport network.
Belsham would not give any more details on the series of train station-based pop-up shops originally announced when the TfL deal was revealed, however did add that live is going to be a "really important part of our marketing mix looking forward to the future. "
He also hinted that more joint ventures are on the way, stating: "Partnerships are an important part of any business’ future. It's one part of the marketing mix that we're absolutely going to be taking forward."
Other episodes in the series
Episode 1
Cadbury unleashes the moo of its animatronic cow to promote bovine adoption promo
Cadbury Dairy Milk took to the ever-popular activation spot of the Southbank this week with an animatronic cow in order to promote its Buttons brand’s bovine adoption scheme.
Episode 2
‘Alexa, order me a cocktail’: Diageo and Dentsu Aegis test voice activation in the connected bar
Connected devices, the internet of things and voice activation: all innovations the modern marketer usually confines to the bounds of the home. But in Cannes this year Diageo has teamed up with Dentsu Aegis agencies Isobar and iProspect to bring these technologies into a new consumer market: the bar.
Episode 3
Welcome to the mind of Mark Denton: a look at the work in his Art Mart gallery
The extraordinary creative mind that is Mark Denton has his own art gallery – a grocery shop styled show in Shoreditch, London.
Episode 4
Inside the San Miguel Experience: why the brand is investing in immersive events
San Miguel launched its Rich List campaign earlier this year in a bid to celebrate individuals who have dedicated their lives to seeking our new experiences. Now the beer purveyor is turning to live events to help recruit applicants.
Episode 5
‘It’s not a political statement’: why Publicis is celebrating immigration through artwork
Visit Publicis’ London office on Baker Street throughout August and you’ll find yourself in the midst of an art gallery curated to celebrate the creative lifeblood that immigrants – and the children of immigrants – bring to British culture. However the show should not be read as a political statement, according to the agency’s chief executive.
Episode 6
New York's window displays reviewed by Deutsch head of design Roger Bova
Holiday window displays by big retailers make the season sparkle, with shoppers mesmerized by the shiny details that go into each exhibit.
Episode 7
Behind the scenes of EasyJet's last minute Christmas campaign
On a snowy December morning outside of Terminal One of Gatwick Airport, Santa was seen clambering up and down an escalator without a reindeer close by.
Episode 8
ABB on why its title sponsorship of Formula E is as much about brand reputation as awareness
Tech company ABB hopes its title sponsorship of Formula E will finally make it a global name. But the deal is also fuelled by an authentic support of the race’s underlying philosophy – in spite of its political and sporting controversies.
Episode 9
#TrumpBaby takes flight – and proves the brand-building case for crowdfunding
Today (13 July) saw a rotund orange pocket of air fly above London’s Parliament Square in protest of Donald Trump’s visit to the UK. The huge media interest in the event has proven that crowdfunding a creative idea can not only work but can build a solid brand for the project in the process.
Episode 10
Panasonic wants consumers to adopt a ‘buy less, respect more’ approach to tech
Panasonic Design’s dark but calming installation at the London Design Biennale encapsulates the brand’s refreshed approach to tech – one that connects less with 20th century consumerism and more with the Japanese approach to care and respect.