brand and merchandising guidelines

brand and merchandising guidelines
contents
goal
To create consistency around product and brand
representation through strategic sales partners.
This document will serve as an inspirational tool
for partners to effectively plan and execute
their lululemon product merchandising and
brand communications.
trademark usage
2
print, signage, social & digital media
3
web logo usage
3
visual merchandising guidelines
5
visual merchandising education & tips
6
basic tips
6
your hot spot
6
bras, tanks & jackets
7
shorts, crops & pants
8
accessories
9
experience
9
sell-through
brand guidelines
1
11
what is sell-through?
11
sell-through strategies
12
recommendations for pricing
12
trademark usage
How did you find out about lululemon athletica? Most often the answer
is through a friend, at class or an instructor/teacher was wearing the
product. We’ve grown brand awareness through creating community
relationships, connecting with great athletes, providing the best product to
sweat in and focusing on authentic word of mouth. This allows guests to
discover the brand on their own and create a personal connection through
our product. Taking a community approach to promoting our brand, you’ll
notice that we use minimal traditional advertising or marketing tactics in
print or outdoor advertising materials.
We partner with your business because we like your brand! You offer
amazing classes, have great instructors and an authentic connection with
your community. Your business is known as the go-to hub for your area
of expertise whether it’s yoga, fitness, barre or Pilates. Highlighting your
core business and focusing on your brand will ensure your guests and
community have a strong connection to you that creates a clear identity of
who you are as a business. When you focus on bringing new guests into
your studio to experience your classes, they will discover the lululemon
products that you carry, they’ll connect with seeing their instructor
wearing their favorite lululemon pieces, and chat with staff and fellow
students learning why they love lululemon so much.
trademark usage | brand guidelines
2
what you need to know:
Our company name, lululemon athletica, and logo are registered
trademarks and we exclusively own the right to use them. Outlined in
your contract, you will notice that strategic sales partners are prohibited
from using our lululemon athletica trademarks, trade names or logos,
including the stylized A, in any manner whatsoever without prior written
consent. We take this very seriously as an organization and this stipulation
is non-negotiable. Any breech can result in the immediate termination
of our wholesale relationship. It is imperative anyone on your team who
creates any form of communication abides by these guidelines and that, as
business owners and managers, you are accountable for any breaches of
the contract by any of your staff members.
• please refer to ‘TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF APPOINTMENT’ in your
Partnership Agreement for further detail
print, signage, social
& digital media
WOM. Word of mouth. We make products that are worth talking
about. They inspire authentic conversation focused on the innovation
or features that make our technical garments special. Promoting your
business and brand will increase your athletic guest base and the more
people you have sweating at your studio the more word will spread that
you are offering lululemon in your retail boutique.
Your print, social and digital presence is a reflection of the main focus of
your business – your amazing classes, studio and teachers. Although you
may choose to highlight your retail offering, it’s essential you abide by
our branding guidelines. When in doubt about our branding guidelines,
please reach out to your account manager; but remember that you are
prohibited from using lululemon athletica trademarks, trade names or
logos, including the stylized A, anywhere.
Please do not use our trade name lululemon athletica or our logo,
including but not limited to:
print, signage, social & digital media | brand guidelines
3
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newspapers
PR publications
posters
sandwich boards
window decals
newsletters
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs
email communication like e-newsletters and email blasts
press releases
studio promotional material: flyers, schedules, postcards,
business cards
best practices:
• If you do wish to highlight that you offer apparel in your boutique,
be creative by simply saying you ‘offer the best in technical
athletic apparel’
• Circle communications back to your business – use photos of your
staff in an athletic pose and take the opportunity to promote their
class: ‘Amy is wearing her favorite tank for yoga – join her every
Tuesday at 7:30pm for her Happy Hips class!’
• Create a powerful merchandise display using mannequins and key
outfits. The beautifully merchandised apparel will speak volumes
• Host a fit and function event for your members to educate about new
apparel. Share testimonials of instructors or members talking about
products they love to sweat in for specific activities
web logo usage
If you wish to identify lululemon as a brand carried in your retail
boutique, please reach out to your account manager to get approval
for web logo usage.
visual merchandising
guidelines
visual merchandising guidelines | brand guidelines
4
visual merchandising guidelines
Visual merchandising is an important part of your retail boutique.
Powerful merchandising is the best way for you to showcase lululemon
product in your space.
At lululemon, we follow certain standards and best practices to create
a powerful guest experience and representation of our brand. In
accordance with the terms of our partnership agreement, we require
that all strategic sales partners follow the merchandising guidelines
listed below:
• Partners must create a lululemon only retail section and refrain
from mixing our product with other brands on retail display tables
and racks
• If using mannequins to showcase the lululemon brand refrain from
mixing lululemon products with other brands on the mannequins
• Mannequins will be positioned near your lululemon only retail
section to highlight the available products
• In accordance with our logo usage guidelines, refrain from using the
lululemon name or logo in any studio/retail signage
visual merchandising guidelines | brand guidelines
5
visual merchandising
education & tips
Visual merchandising is a valuable education tool. By grouping product
together based on function, e.g., yoga product together, run product
together, your guest is being educated through their visual experience.
For educational speaking points, know that you can reference our “why
we made this” hangtags, lululemon.com and our seasonal catalogues
for a wealth of information. In the next few pages, we’ve compiled some
of our best tips and tricks for your studio to try. Please share them with
your studio’s staff and explore the many different ways you can create a
beautiful presentation of our product for your guests.
basic tips:
• organize product in groups of colour and from smallest size to largest
size for easy shopping
• create a story: centre your display on a sport and choose your favorite
pieces to feature
• feature new colours and new products by changing displays regularly
• think of your space as a pyramid, heavier pieces (sweaters, jackets,
pants) below, lighter pieces (tanks, shirts) above
visual merchandising education & tips | brand guidelines
6
your hot spot
The hot spot is a section in your shop designed to display new goods that
have just arrived or a new style that you want your guests to know you
have. It is also a great place to pair slower selling items with new, seasonal
product. We know there is minimal space in your boutiques, so a hot spot
is a great way to highlight your newest lululemon product!
why this hot spot is great:
• product is well organized – it maximizes the space while keeping it
easy to shop
• bright colours and new product draw your attention as soon as you
enter the door
• outfit driven: jacket, tank, bra and pant – one stop shop
• bags are stuffed giving them more of a premium look
• accessories destination: all relevant accessories are placed in one area
visual merchandising
education & tips
bras, tanks and jackets:
• hang bras upside down on a pant hanger with
the tags towards you
- the bras stay in place better and are
easier to handle when shopping
• merchandise bras and tanks moderate to
most supportive
- product education is enhanced when
displays are created
by function
• hang tanks and jackets on a top hanger
with the hangtag facing you and group
colours together
- easy to shop and identify colors and
styles. Cups in tanks make it difficult to
fold or lay flat
visual merchandising education & tips | brand guidelines
7
• showcase jackets’ finishing touches by doing
up zippers and ensuring collars lay flat
- neatly merchandised jackets save
space and draw interest to the
jacket’s features
visual merchandising
education & tips
shorts, crops and pants:
• merchandise shorts, crops and pants in
cubbies or on hangers
- easier to shop and easier to keep tidy
• side hang shorts on a pant hanger
- shows the features and helps
differentiates between styles
• merchandise pants and crops from tightest
to loosest fit
- easier to educate your guests on
what type of pant they’re looking for
visual merchandising education & tips | brand guidelines
8
visual merchandising
education & tips
accessories:
Get creative in merchandising by making your
own accessory destination. Here are four things
to look for when merchandising our accessories
in your boutique. These strategies are tried,
tested and true:
• place accessories with intention: group yoga
product together, run product together, etc.
• label baskets or shelves with size, where
needed, for easy shopping
• power of plenty: group headbands of the
same colour together so stock looks plentiful
• Show all colour options of one style together
experience:
visual merchandising education & tips | brand guidelines
9
• a clean space is an inviting space and it keeps
product from becoming damaged
• ensure the lighting accentuates the product
and quickly replace burnt out bulbs
• plants, flowers and props should match the
quality of your shop and our brand
sell-through
sell through | brand guidelines
10
sell-through
what is sell-through?
Sell-through is a calculation, commonly represented as a percentage,
comparing the amount of inventory you receive against what is sold over a
period of time.
sell-through % = units sold / (units on-hand + units sold)
A higher value is better, indicating strong sales and appropriately planned
inventory. If sell-through is low, this indicates either poor sales or too
much inventory.
The exception to this is your core items that carry through month to month
and never age. These core styles in black and/or white will have a slower
sell-through than your seasonal items. When looking at sell-through of
your seasonal goods, take your core styles out of the equation in order to
get a true idea of how your seasonal product is performing.
example 1:
At the end of October, you want to see your sell-through on your October
seasonal order. In October-specific product, you have sold 34 units and
you still have eight on hand. Your sell-through would be 34/(8+34)= 0.81.
You have had 81% sell-through on your October future order. This is an
example of strong sell-through.
example 2:
sell through | brand guidelines
11
At the end of November, you want to see your sell-through on your
November seasonal order. In November-specific product, you have sold
10 units, and you still have 28 on hand. Your sell through would be 10/
(28+10)= 0.26. You have had 26% sell-through on your November future
order. This is an example of poor sell-through.
You can use this formula to dissect your business in any number of ways:
by class (like women’s tanks), by style (like Wunder Under Crop) by size
and so on. These numbers help you to determine the flow of product in
your space. This will aid in forecasting your sales and help you answer
the questions:
• what product do I order?
• how much and how often?
• what are my top sellers?
• what are my slow sellers?
The answers to these questions will help you to focus on moving
through the product you currently have, before ordering more. If you
are proactive with calculating sell-through and acting accordingly, the
result will be better sales at full price.
sell-through strategies
recommendations for pricing
Our number one sell-through strategy is education. All other sell-through
strategies only come into play when we know we’re providing amazing
education on the product. Each situation is different and strategies that
worked for one style may not be appropriate for another. The result of
effective sell-through strategy is to be out of all sizes and colours at the
same time.
While we recognize that strategic sales partners are free to set whatever
price they want for the products they offer, in an effort to honour the
integrity of our brand, we have created some recommendations around
items where markdowns would not be an appropriate sell-through
strategy. This would be on our core styles in black or white and on any
fresh new seasonal items.
1. education and product knowledge
our core styles include:
•has your staff tried on every garment?
•has your staff read the “why we made this” product hang tags ?
• as soon as new product arrives encourage your staff to do a fit session
•ask staff if they feel confident educating on all fit, function, fabric
and features
2. visual merchandising
•is it merchandised beautifully and effectively?
•is this item getting noticed by guests? Is it front and centre or is it
tucked away in the back of the studio?
• is it on mannequins and in your window?
3. community awareness
•consider offering a discount to your staff (staff and instructors
only please)
sell through strategies | brand guidelines
12
•try gifting a slow selling style or colour to a superstar instructor or
a key member of your community; if your guests see their favourite
instructor wearing a new style, they might be inspired to purchase
•Power Y Tank
• Flow Y Bra
• Cool Racerback Tank
• Scoop Neck Tank
• Define Jacket
• Stride Jacket
• Scuba Hoodie
• Groove Crop
• Groove Pant
• Wunder Under Crop
• Wunder Under Pant
• Boogie Short
• Run Inspire Crop
• Run Response Short
New seasonal items would be considered anything within the 60 days
following the date of our invoice on each style that you purchase, unless
your account manager provides you information otherwise in writing.
For US partners- for more detailed information on this please refer to
schedule B of ‘TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF APPOINTMENT’ in your
partnership agreement for further detail.