1. COMPARATIVE SHOPPING
Flo Smith
1. Choose a store to visit and explain the reason behind your choice.
I chose Uneeka Lifestyle & Home wear, already having been a customer I wanted to explore more
into the business and get to know them from a professional perspective. I’ve always appreciated
the product, I’ve admired the visual merchandising and furthermore respected the ethics of the
brand. The atmosphere in both stores are a cosy, vintage, and cultured vibe. I love the up-cycled
style of the furniture, the rustic setting and products, and the globally inspired designs.
2. Visit the store in 2 different times: on the same day, a week day and a week end.
Visit 1: Thursday 5th November 2015
Visit 2: Sunday 8th November 2015
3. Standards: replenishment, vistas, shop floor cover, VM, fixtures, and store building in
general.
Home wear store: There weren’t exactly shelves of products, it was more to do with room sets
done to a particular plan, so replenishment wasn’t really a priority. However the floor was filled
with additional sales such as scarves on coat hooks, throws on sofas, notebooks on desks etc.
The visual merchandising was really impressive, the products were definitely shown in their best
light. It was even roughly set out like a house, as you go in there are coat hooks, the main room
had sofas, the other had predominantly lighting fixtures; the upstairs had bedroom furniture.
The products were something you could probably make yourself by up cycling second hand
purchases, but the luxury is that it’s all done in a beautifully rustic and unique way. Very trendy,
aesthetically, wood painted furniture almost like something in a Farrow & Ball brochure; the
light fixtures all had eccentric bulbs (like Habitat sell), but the old wood beams used as shelves
and the old fashioned ropes creating the lights true to the brand identity of old to new really
sold them. The slightly quirky feel to the place gave it a unique feel, if I had the money I’d
definitely decorate my home like this. The shop felt like it was kept clean and tidy despite the
‘lived in’ styling, the surfaces were cleaned and dusted and the place was well lit. The POS were
all placed perfectly and all the additional sales were priced so nothing needed questioning.
Lifestyle store: Placed more centrally in Truro, this store has definitely got the majority of their
demographic in, however their homeware store is advertised within the shop and on the
Facebook page. The shop floor was heavily stocked, for Christmas I imagine, and the upstairs
coffee shop keeps people coming back, a very ‘please stick around, we have more to offer’ feel.
The standards were high, a clear vision of how products were displayed was executed well.
Everything was priced, everything seemed to be in the right place which made me think it had
been tidied throughout the day, not just the night before. Their window display was enough to
bring anyone, capturing the nostalgia of Autumn using leaves, day/night aspects, and fairy
lights.

2. 4. Did the staff approach you? How? How long before they did?
Home wear store: I got a ‘hello’ not long after I walked into the shop and ‘are you looking for
anything in particular?’ So overall the welcome was quite generic but for some reason I
expected more? I was the only customer so I’m assuming he’d had a quiet day. When I asked
questions about how busy they were his response was ‘last month went really well’, so from that
I’d assume he’d want to work a little harder to make sales and keep up the momentum of that
success, or even beat it! I got the impression he was a little shy, so maybe that was a downfall,
but otherwise friendly and helpful when I asked questions.
Lifestyle store: Really friendly sales assistants, one girl behind the till I recognised from a
previous visit and another girl I think was quite new. Both very friendly and I was greeted only a
couple of minutes after I came into the store. Personally I don’t like being hounded the moment
I walk into a shop, so I appreciated having a moment to take everything else in before talking to
staff. I was greeted with ‘hi, how are you, having a good day?’, to which I responded and moved
further into conversation.
5. Enquire about an item that’s not on the shelf: did they check the stock room? Do they
know when back in stock? Did they offer you extended range online?
Home wear store: I enquired about a bedside unit I admired, I described it quite well but he
lead me through to ensure he knew what I was talking about (lots of their products are quite
similar). He told me immediately that the product was clearance and available to take away
today at the price shown on the POS. However the POS didn’t say clearance. I also asked about
a throw on the sofa and if it came in another colour scheme, but he said there will be more to
browse through when their website is up and running. Nothing said ‘out of stock’ on it, so it was
hard to know what to ask about, especially as furniture is primarily available to order.
Lifestyle store: I admired some of the jewellery they had on display and enquired about the
necklaces that had a pendant with different letters on them. They didn’t have the one I wanted
and asked when it would be back in stock, they let me know it wouldn’t be back in for a while
but offered to take my name and number/email so they could let me know when it was back in.
I didn’t leave it as I wasn’t fussed but it was nice to be offered. I don’t even know if they have a
stock room but no one went to look. They also pointed out a few pieces that were similar but
obviously not what I wanted.
6. Did the staff engage you in conversation?
Home wear store: the guy obviously felt a bit awkward, and wasn’t much of a talker. I think I
would have felt more comfortable getting into conversation if we was more enthusiastic about
the brand or more lively. Seemed to just be his personality though, which is fine, but I think the
business could bring more people in if customers know they’ll have someone really friendly and
engaging to talk to - especially about the product. He did seem to know his stuff though but I
got the impression he was just there because it was his job, not because he liked it.
Lifestyle store: really friendly girls behind the till, both talked to me about their loyalty scheme (a
stamp card for every time you spend £25+ in store) and got to chatting about the products I was
buying. They seemed to know what they were selling and felt like ‘brand enthusiasts’ which was
really encouraging. I prefer buying off people when they like what they sell, there’s a better
sense of confidence in the product and the brand. They asked if what I was buying were gifts, if
I wanted them wrapped, talked about their newspaper bags, and said to keep checking back on
the website as it might be re-launching soon. They also suggested heading upstairs for a coffee if

3. I had the time.
7. First impressions
Home wear store: Very quiet but cosy (rainy day) quite an awkward guy but he knew his stock well, knew
about clearance products and what's available soon. Beautifully merchandised, really quirky, cosy and up-cycled
feel to the products. I feel if the staff were more attentive and alert, more lively and energetic (especially when
talking about the products) they’d bring more people in and more people back. Word of mouth is important in
marketing a brand and I think if people talk about good service in a shop, people will respond to that and want to
experience it for themselves. The products sell themselves, I have now noticed as I’m in a professional role that it’s
so important to talk to customers and use more than just the generic ‘hi, can I help’, engaging in conversation is
more than just asking how someone is and if they need help, being more enthusiastic about the brand in question
gets people excited and interested and sticks in people’s minds. I would only go back for the products, not
particularly the serivce. I think I’ll apply this revelation to my own approach on customer service. I found the guy
quite awkward, and sometimes I feel like if I’m too OTT in talking to customers it can be a bit cringey, but I
think I’d rather embarrass myself in trying to engage with customers, keeping them happy and possibly gaining
loyalty than just fobbing them off with ‘give me a shout if you need anything’.
Lifestyle store: Kept up with the aesthetic of the home wear store, but a more intimate feel to the shop. The
merchandising was done beautifully and the brand has really followed through on a particular vision. Upstairs
cafe has lots of laughter and noise filling the rest of the shop which immediately gives a good impression. The
products are placed well, it’s clearly been kept tidy and neat, everything is priced and displayed well. The staff
were attentive and asked how my day was and if I needed anything at all which again was quite generic but a
little more friendly than the homeware store. The products do sell themselves, and I didn’t feel like I was hounded
but a little more conversation could have sold me a lot more I feel. I was in there to buy presents so if that was in
conversation they could have asked about who else I could buy for etc. and that definitely would have sold more.
Their loyalty scheme is great, as simple as a stamp card, and ready on the till and dotted around the shop as
subtle reminders if you have one, or easily grabs your attention if you don’t already. Very home-made, up cycling
cosy feel to the shop keeps in theme with the brand and the products and little add-on sales I recognised from the
other shop were dotted around. They used their own furniture I noticed from the home wear shop as their own
furniture which made me think ‘waste not want not’ and their bags are made from old newspapers, and provided
by a non-governmental organisation ‘who’s main objective is to provide education and shelter to street children.’ I
found this quite impressive and definitely a reason to admire the business, supporting a charity in a really simple
way, the bags are also eco-friendly, and made with recycled Indian newspapers. Having good morals is great in
any case but in a business that really stands out to a consumer, especially in this climate.
8. Second impressions
Home wear store: Different staff on the weekend, slightly more friendly and more keen to make sales as she
spoke about the products. She wore an apron which gave the impression she was more hands on with her job.
When enquiring about products she clearly knew a bit of background - i.e. what inspired the design or making of
the product. She also knew more about product availability and stock levels. Most things are available to order or
made to order but she knew about the lighting fixtures and gave a good amount of info on them (e.g. that it was
ideal to get an electrician in, even offered contact info on local/good value people). Knowing her stuff and having
enthusiasm for the products really impressed me as a potential customer. I definitely would go back if she served
me, I feel she’d deserve more custom/commission (if that’s offered to staff) as there’s a lot more confidence in
buying things (especially with a heavy price tag) when you’ve been given more information, or if you feel like your
custom actually means something to them. For me this indicates that professionally I’m aiming to improve my
product knowledge, always be up-to-date on product availability, and recommend service such as furniture
building, local electricians for light fixtures (also brush up on my knowledge on light bulbs), and also get to know
more about customer’s homes and what would be best suited to them.

4. Lifestyle store: Understandably a lot busier during the weekend, especially being more central and a lot of
people being in town on Remembrance Sunday with the crowds gathering to pay their respect and the marching
band going through town. They’d re-done their window VM to fit the
occasion which as a business that obviously shows pride in their ethics
wasn’t all that surprising! The crowds drew in more customers and
they were obviously working hard to keep everyone happy. They were
chatty with the people they served and smiled at the people who came
in - not hounding customers, letting people get on seems to be their
policy (which I actually prefer as a customer!) Despite the big waves
of customers, they’d managed to keep the shop floor relatively tidy and
presentable (either that or their customers don’t throw their stuff
around as much!) There seemed to be a lot of people in the cafe
upstairs, so the noise gave the impression the shop was busier than it
was, however it was still tricky trying to manoeuvre around such a
busy, cosy little shop! I noticed one customer in particular who’d come
in quite moody and irritable being served and by the time she left she
was laughing - to me this is a sign of great customer service, and I
think talking to people and getting to learn even a tiny bit about them
when serving them makes a world of difference, even if it is just
talking about the rubbish weather or asking how their day is going, simple gestures of friendly communication can
make a big difference. I’ll definitely continue to apply this method in my own role.
Additional comments
I’ve noticed that their website isn’t currently up and running, however they keep their customer base
interested with their Facebook page. This is clearly working well as a few people respond to their
posts. They seem to keep a lot of their posts visual using platforms such as Instagram to post well
composed photos of their shop floor and window displays. As far as marketing goes this is a positive
way to keep their customer base interested and excited about their business.
This screen shot gives a good impression of their online influence. Using their products to visually
create something linking to a social event captures people’s attention and a certain level of creativity
also gain’s respect and admiration. I was really impressed with this as someone who’s interested in
visual merchandising. If we had more control over our online presence I’d love to be doing stuff like
this! (One day?!)
I’ve also taken some photos of my own (yes I was one of those customers!) around both stores of
things I thought were particularly impressive, VM-wise…

6. The home wear store was presented beautifully,
although I was slightly more impressed with the
lifestyle store…
I found a lot of similarities to Habitat in their lighting set ups, so if a customer likes the look of our
industrial-style bulbs, but doesn’t know how to present them, we can direct them here for some
inspiration if there isn’t any on the shop floor.

7. They used the same stacking idea like Habitat for
ceramics, however the use of furniture in this
makes it look unique to their brand. I like how one
idea or technique in presentation can be versatile
between two completely aesthetically different
settings.

8. This cabinet in particular definitely
caught my eye. I noticed that the little
handles they sell have a similarity with
the selling point of the Fleur furniture
range in Habitat. I think this could be
used to our advantage when selling.
For example, if a customer loves the
design, but wanted different handles,
they can still buy the product but
recommend looking in Uneeka for a
different pattern of handle, and then
they have a wider range to choose
from. Customers always like a lot of
choice, even if they’re indecisive, but
most who are buying furniture are
living with someone who can help
make the decision and give their input.
This is also ideal if the colour scheme
of the Fleur handles don’t go well with
the colours in their house: they can
still buy the product and have handles
that would go even better with their
home!