Cable & Wireless Communications

PROJECT

FLOW

CLIENT

CWC

Shikatani Lacroix Design was brought on board to reinvent Cable & Wireless Communications’ consumer-facing retail brand FLOW. The design of the new flagship stores introduces an entirely new retail experience to the Caribbean, featuring state-of-the-art technology, high-end fixtures and top quality finishing. SLD improved customer service and increased sales by seamlessly integrating digital experiences into the customer journey.

Related Services

Brand Engagement
Digital Experiences
Environmental Design

BACKGROUND

Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) is a full service Telecommunications provider operating in 16 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. CWC has four leading brands: LIME and FLOW in the Caribbean, BTC in The Bahamas, and Mas Movil in Panama. Serving over six million customers, CWC’s offerings include mobile, broadband, TV, domestic and international fixed line services. Following CWC’s acquisition of Columbus International Inc., FLOW now offers a world-class portfolio of services including mobile, home phone, cable and internet. To achieve a more coherent brand presence, CWC wanted to rebrand existing LIME locations under the FLOW banner as well as roll out new FLOW retail flagships across the Caribbean. Shikatani Lacroix Design was brought on board to reinvent the customer experience at FLOW.

The Challenge

The design of the existing FLOW locations did not allow staff to provide the level of customer service they desired. The existing store layouts were plagued with long wait lines and service areas that lacked privacy. There was an opportunity to change the customer journey from a functional bill payment and customer service store to one with a vibrant, immersive store experience that reflected the nuances of each market. In order to deliver a consistent branded experience, FLOW needed a centralized communications system to consolidate messaging across all regions. Shikatani Lacroix Design also had to design an in-store experience that allowed customers to shop the way they desired, guided or self-directed, in a retail environment that delivered tiered service and privacy. The new retail design had to entertain and engage customers while addressing security measures and long queues.

Creating engaging and interactive customer experiences by delivering innovative retail designs

Define

Working in partnership with CWC to modernize the FLOW brand and bring its design standards and level of service in line with the progressive telecoms of North America and the U.K., Shikatani Lacroix Design had to remain cognizant of the needs of the Caribbean market. SLD had to marry the objectives of the client with the expectations of Caribbean customers and be respectful of their culture and customs. Throughout the rollout, SLD had to balance the application of the latest innovations in retail design with budgets that would remain obtainable for FLOW’s different markets across the Caribbean.

Design

PROJECT

CZ Bank

CLIENT

CZ Bank

Shikatani Lacroix partnered with MetaThink to leverage its new positioning and identity design for China Zheshang Bank by designing new flagship and community branch formats.

Related Services

Brand Delivery
Design Innovation
Digital Experiences
Environmental Design

BACKGROUND

Headquartered in Hangzhou, China, China Zheshang Bank has a network of 300 branches in major Chinese cities across the country. In 2014, UK-based Banker magazine ranked CZ Bank 208 in its “Global Banking 1000″ list. CZ Bank was formerly Zhejiang Commercial Bank, which was formed in 1993 in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province of China. The Zhejiang Commercial Bank was a Sino-foreign bank jointly owned by Bank of China, Hong Kong Nanyang Commercial Bank, Bank of Communications, and the Zhejiang International Trust and Investment Co.

On June 30, 2004, the China Banking Regulatory Commission approved the restructuring, renaming and relocation of Zhejiang Commercial Bank and on August 18, 2004, China Zheshang Bank officially opened as a new bank in Hangzhou. In 2015, CZ Bank, headed by the President of the company, Mr. Liu, initiated a repositioning and rebranding program to better meet the needs of its current and future customers. MetaThink, a leading Chinese strategy and brand identity firm, was retained to develop the bank’s new position and identity, laying the foundation for the design of a new channel strategy and branch experience. Shikatani Lacroix, a leading global design firm, partnered with MetaThink to leverage the new identity and position as part of new flagship and community branch formats.

The Challenge

CZ Bank launched 12 years ago to provide customers with convenient and reliable banking services, while competing with larger and more established financial institutions. The banking industry in China is very competitive with both national and regional companies all competing to meet customers’ financial needs. With customers becoming more digital savvy, more financial transactions are occurring online and challenging the purpose of physical branches.

A comfortable banking experience that provides confidence

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Our Process

Define

Shikatani Lacroix, in partnership with MetaThink, explored three potential concepts for CZ Bank management to review, which resulted in a single contemporary design being selected.

The branch concepts leverage the new brand positioning and corporate identity created by MetaThink, and reflect consumers’ growing appetite for digital services. They also highlight the bank’s new strategy to focus on cutting-edge internet and financial technologies, innovative products, and improved efficiencies.

CZ Bank’s new branch experience allows it to connect with consumers on an emotional level, instead of competing on size or price.

Design

The new branch concept features a vibrant building exterior with strong signing located over the entrance and the 24-hour service area. In addition, a corner of the building doubles as an architectural sign detail emblazoned with the company symbol, ensuring the branch is highly visible within the community. Digital signs promoting its latest services and banking rates are located in key exterior windows to catch the attention of pedestrians and showcase what makes CZ Bank unique.

As you enter the branch, you are greeted by a large and inviting reception desk and glass identity wall with an easy-to-use queuing computer. The use of warm wood finishes and contemporary materials creates a modern and innovative atmosphere. The cash and non-cash areas feature unique, architectural privacy elements with built-in queuing signs and highly visible numbers that make it easy to find the right service counter. Comfortable benches are located throughout and include tablets so that waiting customers can browse the internet and explore the wide range of banking knowledge services being offered by CZ Bank.

An electronic learning zone with a curved screen and comfortable seating is available to help customers find answers to their questions or improve their banking knowledge. Semi-private business pods offer a great place to have informal discussions with CZ Bank employees, complete online forms or conduct banking. An innovative virtual reality zone lets customers experience a virtual banking concierge or relax in a beautiful park setting. The new branch design also features a VIP banking and wealth management area with premium finishes and seating for customers who want to explore the wide range of investment services offered by CZ Bank.

Deliver

Two prototype branches opened in Chengdu and Hangzhou in August 2016 reflecting elements of the new design, while the flagship prototype branch is scheduled to open in Bejing in November 2016. The new design will form the foundation for a branch revitalization of more than 150 branches, which is scheduled to begin in late 2016.

The new store design embodies the essence of the islands, awash in the calming blue tones of the brand colour, reminiscent of the sea, with the touch of natural wood tones. SLD redesigned the original word mark by enhancing the blue colour and adding a wave that gives the store an ultramodern, hi-tech appearance. The digital experience at the new FLOW stores is woven into the customer journey. Before entering, customers are exposed to large digital signage screens that attract and draw them into the stores. Upon entering, customers are greeted by a FLOW interactive touch screen queuing system. The queuing screen engages customers through a series of qualifying questions to assess their needs for this visit and then directs them to relevant departments so they can shop while they wait to be served. FLOW staff members receive a notification on their mobile devices or terminals with the customer’s name and needs in order to best serve them. The digital signage screens around the store include a queue spot that plays within a mix of content to show customers their place in line. The digital experience is further carried throughout the store in the form of dynamic department signage, which delivers a mix of brand, promotional, seasonal and lifestyle messaging. All screens in the store are interrupted every 15 minutes to broadcast a branded FLOW wave that rushes across the screens, surrounding the customers in the FLOW brand and tying the store’s brand experience together. This dynamic visual creates disruption to passing traffic 24/7, which helps drive traffic into the store and creates a soothing and energizing mood in the store environment. To create deeper engagement, all mobile devices on display contain a branded FLOW interactive experience that integrates brand content from each manufacturer but still delivers a blend of FLOW plans, promotions, services and benefits that allows the mobile devices to sell themselves. Tablet experiences provide an even deeper level of engagement, allowing customers to compare products and services side by side and help store staff better engage with customers.

Deliver

SLD integrated immersive digital experiences into FLOW’s brand strategy to showcase the features and benefits of the products and services it offers. The interactive experiences all contain a robust cloud-based CMS portal, allowing for easy updates remotely without the need for staff support. A detailed metrics and analytics back-end allows FLOW to know how many users interacted with each phone and tablet, the choices they made and the information they where interested in. This allows FLOW to better plan its merchandising strategy and refine the content to better engage with customers. All of the digital experiences immerse customers within the FLOW brand. They are enabled by a centralized control, which allows local, regional and nuanced content to be deployed or updated easily across all markets. The digital experiences have replaced all static P.O.P. material in the store, reducing printing and distribution costs and ensuring a consistent branded experience is delivered across all of the islands’ markets throughout the Caribbean.

PROJECT

CLIENT

Related Services

BACKGROUND

The Challenge

Our Process

Define

Design

PROJECT

CLIENT

Related Services

BACKGROUND

The Challenge

Our Process

Define

Design

Deliver

Deliver

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