On June 8th, 2022, an industry first took place: the launch of Sustainable Irish Retail Action (SIRA) and the SIRA e-Guide publication. The brand identity and naming of this initiative were created by TapCreative, who also designed and contributed to the e-Guide, which is co-sponsored by Vodafone, SuperValu and AIB.
The initiative is the brainchild of Sharon Yourell Lawlor, Retail Marketing Strategist at Think Plan Do Consulting, and Claire Cogan, Behavioural Scientist/Researcher at BehaviourWise
The purpose of the SIRA e-Guide is threefold:
- to upgrade standards around ‘Sustainability Understanding and Practice’ within the Irish retail industry;
- to empower and enable SMEs to include more sustainable solutions in their business models by providing access to education, tools and support;
- to develop a community of retailers, whose collective goal is to assist each other through best practice sharing on their sustainability journey within the industry.
Gemma Ni Maoltuile, Business Development Director, TapCreative, said that supporting Irish retailers on their sustainability journey “is truly close to our hearts. With TapCreative’s background in retail design, we are committed to supporting Irish retailers. With Irish partners such as Vodafone, AIB, and one of our clients, Musgrave – as well as support from Champion Green and Retail Excellence - the e-Guide will contribute significantly to delivering comprehensive and practical information on sustainability in an accessible way for retailers to implement.”
The SIRA Purpose
This e-Guide really is an exceptional resource and provides all the practical solutions required to support retailers on their sustainable journey. All sections of the e-Guide have live links to practical supports and third-party websites, as well as over 20 case studies to tap into.
A Practical Guide
The role of design and the creation of not only the identity and name, but content that is visually appealing and unambiguous should not be ignored. In the case of the SIRA e-Guide, design partners TapCreative presented conceptual clarity and explanation via suggestions for websites to visit and over 20 case studies to read. Ensuring that the guide can be accessed when needed, in bite sized chunks, is an essential for the user experience.
‘The TapCreative team are true leaders in their field”
Sharon Yourell Lawlor, Retail Marketing Strategist at Think Plan Do Consulting
‘77% of retailers will increase store design budgets over the next two years”
Source: Retail touchpoints Inside the new Era of Store Design 2022
Did you know: 81% of retailers intend communicating to their customers over the coming year about what their business is doing to become more sustainable.
As for the physical retail space, design strategy is pivotal in making sure that the brand experience tangibly materialise in front of customers. Recent research carried out by Retail Touchpoints has shown that over 70% of respondents now state that design, as well as the visual component of design and retail strategy, are much more important to them than they were in 2020. With 80% of brand impressions based on the first ten seconds (or less) of a customer walking into a retail space or store, design is key to not only establishing a visual experience of the brand but also to brand recall itself. In turn, this creates something crucial yet achievable: customer-retail connection.
To download the free e-guide, visit What is Sustainable Irish Retail Action (SIRA)? - Retail Excellence Ireland
For everything retail design, from brand creation right the way through to communications, journey mapping and customer experience, be sure to reach out to TapCreative
Gemma Ní Maoltuile is the Business Development Director of TapCreative.
She helps brands realise their ambition by understanding their needs and identifying opportunities. Let’s make something great together Get in touch.
