‘Visionary’ Impact Centre reaches over 3,500 visitor mark
More than 3,500 customers, retailers and business analysts have visited DS Smith’s ground-breaking Impact Centre following its opening seven years ago.
Brands such as McVities and Young’s Seafood have all used the centre in Ely, which is similar in scale to an average sized high street convenience store, to help them understand retail trends and how they influence packaging design. The Impact Centre works as part of DS Smith’s overall objective, to help customers generate more sales and reduce supply cycle costs.
Laid out as a complete retail store, the centre enables retailers, marketers and packaging buyers to explore what the right packaging can achieve whether in store, at the moment of truth with shoppers or at all stages of packing, storage and distribution.
The practical environment helps customers to visualise how well-designed corrugated packaging, that is tailored to their individual needs and supply cycle challenges, can reduce complexity, bringing down waste levels and overall cost, as well as improve product identification and boost sales.
Tony Foster, sales and marketing director for DS Smith’s UK packaging division, said: ”The response we’ve had for our Impact Centre has been overwhelming. A recently introduced feedback method confirms 100 per cent of our visitors have rated their experience as outstanding and we’ve received comments from customers such as ‘thought provoking’, ‘visionary’ and ‘inspiring’.
“Through visits and workshops we work closely with customers to identify and clarify the opportunities available to them for their particular challenge. Collaboratively, the group then explores how packaging can support marketing, how to drive sales through in store availability, range or fit and how to reduce costs in packing, warehousing and distribution – stretching across the whole supply cycle. We’re committed to continuous innovation and our 60-strong team of designers across the UK are focused on developing new packaging designs every day.”
Matt Brown, Brand Director at United Biscuits, said: "The Impact Centre at Ely is an excellent facility. During our visit as a United Biscuits team we were able to get an in depth (and 360 degree) understanding of best practice in terms of retail ready packaging (RRP) design and the store environment allowed us to explore its application in a ‘real’ store environment. This importantly enabled us to put ourselves in the shoes of our consumers and so we were able to gain key insights in terms of how we need to develop our current RRP solution."
Richard Parker, Head of Packaging at United Biscuits, said: "A great experience day for a multi-functional team - stimulating discussion supported by excellent samples of current reality and competitor benchmarking in a retail environment. Excellent stimulus which visualised challenges and options, exploring solutions through prototypes and samples that helped us shape and drive our future customer packaging agenda forward."
Stuart Caborn, Purchasing Director at Young’s Seafood Limited, said: “We recently spent some time at DS Smith’s Impact Centre in Ely. What DS Smith has created with the Impact Centre is a virtual world that allows free thinking, thought provoking creativity with a commercial focus. Combine a virtual store environment, with great creative professionals, whilst maintaining the focus of reducing waste, increasing sales and reducing costs is truly innovative.”
Proving more inspirational than ever and hosting all types of customers, the Impact Centre never fails to generate new ideas. The facility provides the perfect opportunity to learn about the complex challenges within the supply chain and how DS Smith helps customers increase sales, reduce cost and manage risk.