SHOPLINE waltzes onto the vast Australian market, ready to sweep shoppers off their feet with innovation and style!
THE COMPANY:
Launching into the Australian market, SHOPLINE stands as Asia’s largest and most rapidly expanding commerce SaaS platform (Software-as-a-service) and solutions provider which includes inventory and sales management, logistics and payment integrations, CRM, marketing and data analytics tools, and social commerce solutions. It furnishes merchants with an abundant ecosystem of technologies, resources, and partners, allowing brands to easily build their online store and deliver a seamless omnichannel experience.
THE EVENT:
Online Retailer 2023 hosted at the International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney stands as the number one event for the e-commerce sector showcasing new industry benchmarks, solutions, technologies, access to relevant strategic insights, and connections that make a positive difference to every business. This exhibition event gave SHOPLINE the perfect opportunity to introduce itself to the Australian market and forge meaningful connections in person. The opportunity helped foster trust and credibility for the brand by showcasing products and services in order to tap into new markets, gain insights from competitors and industry trends.
THE BRIEF:
At Online Retailer 2023, SHOPLINE wanted to introduce their brand to the Australian market, conveying their identity and culture which was developed from years of excellence operating in South East Asia. As it was their first experience presenting in an Australian exhibition, they engaged the Expo Centric team for their support, including their strategy to engage people on their stand for as long as possible. Their exhibition gave them the perfect opportunity to showcase their commerce platform to merchants who they believe would benefit from their product. Their brief spoke to supporting their marketing team with creating a ripe brand message that would resonate with attendees. This is where Expo Centric is engaged.
For the exhibit, SHOPLINE wanted to avoid looking overly corporate and stuffy. They wanted to see things from the perspective of humanising retail e.g., people buying from people. So the point of difference applied to the stand is personalisation. Their messaging was to also highlight their price differentiation and inclusive ethos against their direct competitors. The brief detailed that whilst there are no clear brand guidelines developed for the AU business, the look and feel should include a clean but not clinical feel, and include the use of greenery.
To achieve these guidelines, an engagement function was prioritised with focus on personalisation and lead generation. A 6 x 6m stand was purchased within a floor plan that has 3 open sides. The initial brand awareness piece developed was a rigged banner, haloing the stand. The purpose of the banner was to drive strong brand awareness, being easily visible even if prospects are far from the stand. The client also requested an AV section with laptops connected to screens to help support their brand awareness campaign.
Beyond the structure of the design, the client also requested engagement ideas to help maintain the attendees presence within the stand. Beyond engagement, the activation was to also support driving leads.
SHOPLINE detailed that their target market are mid-market ecommerce companies, and an example of the brand’s competitor is shopify. In order to compete and stand out, the look and feel of the stand was prioritised. SHOPLINE wanted white colourways but without looking clinical. Greenery accents were mixed in with the design.
THE BUILD:
SHOPLINE’s stand was impactful from the moment an attendee entered the exhibition hall, with the support of the circular rigged banner haloing their stand. The banner showcased SHOPLINE’s logo being a strong brand presence to the hall.
For the stand itself the overall structure was constructed using Expo Centric’s Aluvision modular frame system. After the frame system was set up, astroturf flooring was placed on the floor made of artificial grass tiles with subfloor wood, creating a warmer space.
To continue the brand awareness and messaging SHOPLINE’s printed graphics lined the back wall of the stand, in addition to an AV wall and giveaway shelving. Behind the shelving hosted an inconspicuous storage room for the staff members.
Within the stand space were free standing iPad stands supporting the used giveaway customisation, the collection desk, and 3 demonstration stations to support the three key areas of their business. Amongst this saw bright colourways aligned with SHOPLINE’s branding.
THE CHALLENGES:
Whilst this was SHOPLINE’s first time exhibiting within the Australian market their challenges were very minimal. The Expo Centric and SHOPLINE teams worked side by side ensuring they were supported through the entire process. Despite brand guidelines still being created, both teams created a look and feel that worked to capture the attention of attendees at the event.
THE FEATURES:
There were a number of key features within the SHOPLINE stand. The rigged banner made the stand easy viewable and elegantly elevated the space. No matter where attendees were within the exhibition hall, the signage propelled their stand presence.
The giveaway station was a success for both the brand and attendees. The allure of receiving something for free taped into the inherent enjoyment of gaining value without spending money. The giveaway not only supported many attendees to spend time on SHOPLINE’s stand, but also worked to successfully generate a number of leads for the company.
SHOPLINE’s stand included cladding combinations of aluminium composite panels, printed pvc panels for infill panels, SAV (self adhesive vinyl) and CCV (computer cut vinyl) graphics. These were both functional and ornamental which helped highlight SHOPLINE’s brand identity.
The interior of the stand was very simplistic yet impactful. A cosy and welcoming space was supported by hired furniture to facilitate conversations among staff and attendees, in addition to ensuring the attendees stayed on the stand.
The AV included within the stand also played a strong role to demonstrate and illustrate SHOPLINE’s brand messaging. The stand utilised a number of TV’s and iPads to successfully showcase their video content to their audience.
THE RESULTS:
SHOPLINE’s first appearance in the Australian market was a big hit. Working together with their Australian team of three, the Expo Centric team turned a 6 x 6m space into a standout display at Online Retailer 2023. The booth attracted a steady flow of visitors throughout the event, marking a successful debut.
What did SHOPLINE have to say? The client was thrilled, noting they experienced two full days of attendees engaging with their stand, the strongest number of leads gained amongst other exhibitors, and congratulated for their stunning design. Moreover, the client was thrilled to be working with the Expo Centric team.
