Concept Designs

CHALLENGE

Shimano makes top of the line bike shoes and pedals, but more often than not, they are displayed in separate areas of stores. To bridge that gap and to promote their new “click-in, twist-out” Click'R system, Shimano asked us to create a display that would make the logical connection and promote sales of shoes and pedals together.

This powdercoated steel and acrylic wall or countertop display has an interchangeable backer graphic. The acrylic front plate is screen printed with feature benefit information. A pedal mounts to a custom nut that attaches through both layers. A sample shoe rests on two protruding posts.

MARKET RESULTS

This logical presentation of shoes and pedals makes a strong case for purchasing both together. The display is flexible, takes up little room, and presents the ClickR story clearly. Retailers welcome this silent assistant, as it helps drive sales of these high margin products.

CHALLENGE

Shimano bicycle components are widely respected for their superior design and engineering.

Bicycle wheels are a high ticket/high profit item for independent bicycle dealers. But differences between them are not always visible and easily discerned. They asked us to design a “playground” that would help explain those differences and present Shimano’s unique technology. 

We designed a compact display that could sit on a countertop or be mounted to slat wall. Separate modules incorporate actual wheel sections and bullet point graphics that explain the products. The modules are easily interchanged. The displays can accommodate 3 or 4 modules, depending on the retailer’s inventory.

MARKET RESULTS

These “silent salespeople” help the retailer direct customers to the right wheel to meet their individual needs. They appreciate the flexibility that the interchangeable modules afford. And they welcome the compact design that can be used either on a counter or on their wall.

CHALLENGE

Shimano bicycle components are widely respected for their superior design and engineering.

Bicycle wheels are a high ticket/high profit item for independent bicycle dealers. Shimano requested a floor standing display that would dispense and display their wheels. They also asked that the displays include an interchangeable graphic component to keep the displays current.

A two-part rectangular steel frame is slotted to accept Wheel Arms that extend out at an angle. The angled design allows the wheels to overlap, saving space. The Tower can be merchandised on 1 or 2 sides. All the panels are interchangeable, providing Shimano flexibility in how their message is delivered.

MARKET RESULTS

Retailers welcomed the new Towers. They appreciate the small footprint and the flexibility the Tower provides. The simple, elegant form reinforces Shimano’s quality image and presents their wheels as an attractive upgrade.

CHALLENGE

Shimano bicycle components are widely respected for their superior design and engineering. Shimano sought to reinforce its dominant presence in the specialty bicycle retail market with a family of in-store marketing tools.

To help elevate the brand and the perceived value of their components, they asked Concept Designs to design a Countertop Case that offered a flexible platform within which to present a variety of products.

MARKET RESULTS

The lockable steel and acrylic case features four adjustable blue edged acrylic shelves. The Case is illuminated by 2 LED strips hidden in the top hood. A Shimano “mouse pad” provides a secure platform on the bottom shelf. An optional pedestal was also designed to allow the Case to be adapted as a floor standing display.

Retailers appreciate the small footprint, the flexible merchandising options, and the dramatic lighting effects. 

The Case truly sets Shimano components apart.

CHALLENGE

Shimano sought to reinforce its dominant presence in the specialty bicycle retail market. By firmly establishing the Shimano name with mechanics in the service area of a bike shop, they expected that these experts would then recommend Shimano components (and other Shimano products) to their customers.

They requested a Service Cart that would be the centerpiece of a Service Center program that included new logo signage, lightboxes, counter mats, and banners.

MARKET RESULTS

This sturdy steel Service Cart provides the bike shop’s service department with a useful tool that also serves as a constant reminder of the Shimano brand. It organizes and dispenses product, as well as serving as a fully functional tool cart.

An initial run of these impressive carts was met with universal enthusiasm. Shimano has used the Carts to increase sales of parts and components to their core retailers and to open new doors.

CHALLENGE

Shimano is the leading manufacturer of high end bicycle components, but their products have typically been spread all over a bike shop, with no unifying branding or display consistency. They sought a display system to bring the diverse elements together, or to provide an immediately identifiable look to the displays, if separated. The list of required elements included Logo Signs, Category Signs, "Tent Signs," Shoe Shelves, "Sole-Out" Shoe Holders, Component Platforms (Large & Small), Pedal Brackets, and an Interactive Pedal Platform. All the pieces needed to share common materials, shapes, and color scheme. All components needed to be strongly branded.

MARKET RESULTS

Bicycle dealers are often faced with the problem of visual chaos and the OEM's are challenged to make their brand stand out. The simple set of displays that we have provided has noticeably increased Shimano's brand presence in the stores. The range of these displays allows retailers to provide special stages for Shimano components while emphasizing Shimano's strong brand presence in the bicycle industry. The displays are compact and help organize what is normally a cluttered retail environment. This display system has not only elevated the Shimano brand, but increased the overall visual appeal of the bicycle stores as well.

CHALLENGE

Create a unique POP display that would work not only as a shoe fitting bench, but also feature numerous Shimano Clipless Pedals. The bench should be highly durable for shop and retail environments and occupy minimal floor space. A sizing chart for Shimano shoes should be highly visible. Shimano branding must be prominent. The bench should work as both a selling tool and a utilitarian fitting bench for retailers to help customers with product selection. The bench should also accommodate “take-away” product literature.

MARKET RESULTS

This unique design gives retailers not only a POP, but also a valuable selling tool to assist their customers. Shimano branding is prominently placed in multiple locations to reinforce the leading brand of the bicycle industry. The bench allows retailers to select which pedals to place on the display, depending on their individual inventory. Slatwall slots on the rear panel allow accessory attachments (i.e. literature holder) to be placed on the unit within easy reach of the retailer or customer.

CHALLENGE

• Introduce a new, lightweight crankset to high-end bicycle enthusiasts. The crankset will have a cutaway view featuring Shimano's Hollowtech™ technology.
• The display needed to allow the customer or retail associate to easily remove and replace the cutaway crankset.
• The bottom bracket should also be featured and secured to the display with a security cable.
• The display had to support interchangeable, manufacturer-supplied graphics that conveyed product features and benefits.
• The crankset gear will be replaced by a plastic printed gear ring for safety, cost, and theft considerations.

Bicycle shops are typically very crowded and space is at a premium. So the display had to invite interactivity and supply technical information in a compact design. To give the retailer as much flexibility as possible, the display needed to be adaptable to both slat wall and countertop environments.

MARKET RESULTS

This display provides bicycle retailers with another tool to help sell world-renowned Shimano technology.   The versatility of fitting slat wall and countertop environments makes this display effective in all retail environments.   The Shimano sales staff is excited to have this additional "silent salesman" work in their numerous retail channels. The display furthers Shimano's reputation as a technical and performance leader in the bicycle industry.

CHALLENGE

Shimano USA is the leading provider of high quality bicycle components to the cycling enthusiast. They sought to leverage that leadership position with a new display to showcase their line of performance bicycle wheels. Displaying wheels has been an on-going challenge for OEM's and retailers alike. Because they can take up a lot of room, wheels often get hung from the ceiling of bike shops. This makes it almost impossible for customers to touch the wheels, learn about their features, or make intelligent purchase choices.

The requirements for the display were numerous. The centerpiece of the displays had to be a tower that could accommodate up to 10 wheels. Since independent bicycle dealers have limited floor space, the tower needed to have as small a footprint as possible. In order to make the displays flexible, the individual mounting brackets needed to be removable and had to function on slat wall as well as on the tower. Because many bicycle wheels look alike, the individual wheel brackets needed to incorporate interchangeable Feature Benefit cards. Shimano's story of high quality and industry-leading technology needed to be told on an integrated panel which could also function as part of a wall display. Finally, a strongly branded header needed to mount to the top of the tower, or serve as the headpiece of a wall system.

MARKET RESULTS

Bicycle dealers praised the towers' functionality and small footprint. The brackets were a hit as well; leading to subsequent reorders.