We’re excited to welcome a new Creative Director to our team! Bill Masto joins us from the March of Dimes where he was the Director of Creative Services, working on the initiative to lead the fight for the health of all moms and babies. Bill is an accomplished creative director, well versed in strategic brand development and positioning, and we are looking forward to his joining our team.

We speak to Bill about what inspires him and what he’ll be bringing to the In-Store team!

Tell us a little more about you...
I am an experienced Creative Director and Visual Designer with over 20 years of art direction and award winning designs. Extensive understanding of marketing and brand objectives and the value of effective communications. I am a strong conceptual thinker and strategically focused visual designer. I have expertise in transforming and refreshing brands by developing creative solutions for identities, products, packaging, websites, digital experiences, advertising and communications. I work with strategy, account, marketing and creative teams to forge solutions that help to define and activate brands.

What inspires you?
Growing up I was always into the arts — at all times I found myself doing something creative like drawing, painting, collage and writing. I received my B.F.A after taking a combination of fine art and design classes which continued to feed my passion for creativity. I have always been intrigued by the marriage of words and images, which lead me to focus my career on design. My main source of inspiration comes from experiencing other people's creativity — whether it's walking through an art exhibit, viewing a digital design portfolio, listening to music, or being moved by a well crafted video.

What will you be bringing to the In-Store team?  
In-Store Experience is modernizing the retail experience by strategizing, creating and enhancing consumer engagement — I am thrilled to be part of an impressive team and collaborative culture. My goal as the Director of Multimedia Design is to offer powerful, innovative and effective creative solutions as part of the continued evolution of this highly successful company.

What's your most memorable instore experience?
I am an in store shopper — always been, and always will be. The experience of feeling and learning about a product before purchasing it has given me confidence and loyalty with many different brands — and at the top of my list is Apple. Many may think of them as a product focused company, but in fact they have revolutionized and transformed in store into a destination to have meaningful and educational experiences.

As one of the world’s major sports footwear manufacturers, New Balance has expanded their product line over the years to include other sports related products, such as apparel. Bringing their footwear and apparel together into a visual merchandising solution was the task on the table for In-Store Experience team.
New Balance needed to display 4-6 pairs of shoes, as well as a mannequin who would showcase related apparel.
Another requirement was building a solution that could be used at product introduction events as the New Balance teams conducted roadshows across the country.
This involved constructing a solution that was light and portable, easy to assemble and disassemble multiple times with no tools, and be able to fit in a vehicle for easy transport.
The In-Store team’s first submission of creative was immediately approved, and went on to production. This visual merchandising solution is being used at product introduction events across the country.

s a leading designer and manufacturer of a full range of golf equipment, Bridgestone golf was looking for an innovative way to merchandise their golf balls, clubs and accessories. The team at Bridgestone Golf challenged three display companies to meet this task. They had a few requirements:

• Interchangeable graphics to support different products and marketing campaigns
• A modular design with various configurations to fit or expand into diverse retail floor plans as needed.

The winning design was the concept presented by In-Store Experience. Manufactured from sheet metal and wire, then powder coated in a gun-metal grey, the angular shapes and mesh texture echoed Bridgestone Golf’s dynamic brand and innovative products. A variety of modular merchandising elements were developed which allowed everything from golf balls and clubs to apparel and bags to be displayed on each floor-stand. Heavy duty casters were utilized for easy moving within the store, and the need for easily interchangeable graphics was fulfilled through digital printing on styrene with removable black Sta-Fast fasteners which continue the tech-inspired aesthetic.
The results? The display empowered retailers to merchandize various product mixes and to maximize floor space, with several retailers seeing a sales lit by as much as 25%!

Knowing that other people (like you) have made the same decision you’re about to make and have had a good outcome is very persuasive. It’s the concept of ‘social proof’ - coined in Cialdini’s book “Influence: The psychology of persuasion’. It’s something we often see online - but how does this manifest in in-store experiences?

Enter Amazon’s new store which opened in Soho recently.  We wrote about this recently in our blog. The concept is that only products rated 4-stars or higher are featured - allowing consumers to trust in the curated assortment of products. Add to ihat the ability for consumers to physically see the products in-store - something we know that customers look for - and you have a winning combination.

Jason Goldberg highlighted the impact of the store on retail in a recent Forbes article where he pointed to how Social Proof was being used in the store - and how it’s a powerful tool for the purchase process. “This model is upending competitors’ ideas about assortment, social proof in-store, and new discovery experiences.” he writes.

While social proof in the form of ratings and reviews has become one of the most important factors in driving online purchase behaviors (above and beyond branding!), it’s almost always devoid in in-store experiences. So this new format introduced by Amazon is changing that. Furthermore, they have added the element of live, up to date updates, by replacing traditional paper fact tags, with electronic shelf labels reflecting reviews and ratings in real-time.
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This store format is not a novelty, but will be around for a while, and gives retailers ideas on how to integrate social proof into their in-store experience.