DDi - April/May 2013 - (Page 160)

160 | Shopping with Paco Beach towners T he company’s name is Barrows. Their offices sit above their factory floor, in the suburbs of Durban, South Africa’s third-largest city, and also a beach town. In the distance over the Indian Ocean, ships line up for the privilege of dock space, like customers might at a Starbucks during rush hour. It is the gateway to the world; much of the mineral and agricultural riches of sub-Saharan Africa are channeled through this city. Like so many emerging market centers, it is a cultural crossroads of skin tones and backgrounds, especially on Durban’s beaches, which are as varied and interesting as Rio’s. There is strong evidence that this location has been occupied for more than 100,000 years—even the first human hunters and gatherers liked the weather, not to mention the beach. Barrows’ roots are in the point-of-purchase business, but like so much of the developing world, the paradigm of where they came from and where they are going is a conceptual leap from the cardboard cutouts of yesterday to a sophisticated appreciation of possibilities that small innovations offer. In short, it is a retail services company with a focus on emerging markets, and a deep appreciation for the new meaning of “green.” The company’s answer to the single-sided cardboard visual merchandising of yesterday? A new two-sided cardboard cutout offering. The previously blank side now has maps, arithmetic tables and other related graphics printed on the inside, so that every display, once outdated in-store, can be recycled into hungry school systems across Africa. The company that funded the display has their logo on both sides. In addition to having updated educational visuals, African schoolchildren are introduced to global CPG companies. (Brand marketing at its finest.) One of the simple but major challenges for food manufacturers and retailers across Africa has been refrigeration. Recognizing this opportunity, Barrows harnessed the power of small-scale solar panels to solve problems where the electrical grid can be unreliable, if not inaccessible, but where sunshine is abundant. Even a small solar panel can do the job, such as powering several casements of chocolate, at the optimum temperature, opening confection sales possibilities in new markets. In addition, the company has applied the solar panel application to a simple pushcart. As the overhead solar panels provide shade, the independent food/beverage salesperson also can run a small refrigerator that keeps cans and bottled beverages cold. African customers may have a cellphone, but not reliable power in their domiciles. So, the panels can also power a mobile phone-charging offering. Add advertising space to the side of the pushcart, and you have three potential income sources. Think of it as a building block for entrepreneurship. In the first world, our technology focus is breathtakingly different. We talk about high-resolution and high-definition, play with flatscreens on our iPads and smartphones, and have blogs covering every tech topic under the sun. Our solar and wind applications are all based on the realities of our firstworld lives. Our wind generators are elephantine; our solar panels line roofs the size of stadiums. Can I power my house or heat the water for my family’s bathing needs? Our culture presupposes access to reliable power. The beauty of Barrows’ work is its immediate small scale. It carves out a modest need and solves it. The engineers look out on a factory floor where the prototyping process can happen today, versus outsourced over weeks. | April/May 2013 They realize that for small tech to work, it has to be cheap to manufacture and tough enough to last in unforgiving Africa. What makes Barrows interesting is that it is a POP-focused company that has grown beyond those roots. It is an agency that favors long-term relationships over short-term flings. It does not give away its creative efforts to get the order. It intersects with its clients on a senior management level. An active interest in consumer marketing, paired with decades studying the world of POP, seems to have a direct relationship to the success of their efforts. In a new global marketplace, emerging market experience has taken on new meaning as a new generation of senior management enters the executive suite. Whether for CPG companies, technology firms or merchant empires, the fast track to that “chief something” job has included time served on the ground in emerging markets. Winning victories in Africa, Asia and Latin America enhances almost anyone’s résumé. Those young tigers remember the tools that helped them get to where they are. Barrows has been in Africa, China, Brazil and the Middle East. It’s the one thing that has stayed with ladderclimbing clients. The best part? It’s now open for business in the United States. Our beaches may not be quite as stunning, but we make up for it with C-suite access. —Paco Underhill is the founder of Envirosell and author of the books “Why We Buy,” “Call of the Mall” and “What Women Want.” He shares his retail and consumer insights with DDI in a bi-issue column. www.ddionline.com http://www.ddionline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - April/May 2013

DDi - April/May 2013
Table of Contents
From the Editor
From the Show Director
Newsworthy
Shopper Insights
Visual Perspectives
Editor’s Choice
Design Snapshot
Design Snapshot
Markopoulos Award
Tazo Tea
Tiffany & Co.
Experience Makers
Piperlime
Mattel Experience
CookHouse
Aéropostale
Paris Kids Department
Technology & Customer Engagement Section
Technology Trends
Big Data Column
In-Store Technology
Product Spotlight
Design Leaders 2013
Right Light
GlobalShop Coverage
Special Events
Conference Schedule
Chicago Retail
Exhibitor Products
Calendar
Advertisers
Classifieds
Shopping with Paco

DDi - April/May 2013