In-Store Asia 2022 opens up new perspectives & impetus for retail industry

In-Store Asia 2022 came at a time when the Indian retail business is bouncing back after a long and challenging period of pandemic-induced lockdowns and uncertainties. In keeping with this, art, technology and emotions converge to reboot the retail experience at In-Store Asia Convention.

The three days of the event were composed of an expo and convention, culminated with the VM&RD Retail Design Awards. The event witnessed the convergence of senior decision-makers from the retail eco-system, including brands, retail consultants, retail service & solution providers, store designers, architects and VM professionals.

Thomas Schlitt, Managing Director, Messe Düsseldorf India Pvt Ltd, said, “In-Store Asia is a melting pot of the latest ideas and developments in retail and its focus is on important domains like tech innovations, shopper marketing, future predictions, VM, retail experience design, sustainability and store designs.” He added that in the post-pandemic times, the event is even more important as a platform to leverage the collective expertise of all stakeholders in the retail eco-system to take on the new challenges in the market.

Highlights of the expo included the Tech Village Pavilion and a host of key exhibitors showcasing the latest in retail technologies as well as retail graphic applications. ColorJet Alliance, a retail branding unit of ColorJet Group, showcased retail branding requirements such as in-shop/out-shop graphic solutions. The company boasts of a pan-India network of 5000+ retail branding partners. Nishant Tiwari, Business Head, ColorJet Alliance, said, “Being a reliable partner we are ready to offer innovative and technologically advanced printing solutions to help brands grow by leaps and bounds.” During the event, ColorJet Alliance introduced various sustainable solutions printed with ColorJet & Roland machines.

Monotech Systems was yet another printer provider at the event showcasing the innovations and ideas which its range of PixelJet printers could offer in the retail domain. Manoj Kumar Garg, Business Head – WFG (Wide Format Graphics), Monotech Systems Limited, said that they are helping the brands and brand owners with new ways to promote themselves with ‘green printed’ graphics and solutions using Monotech PixelJet printers.

Showcasing a whole gamut of applications using Massivit 3D machine and EFI VUTEk printers, Arrow Digital revealed new solutions for retail environments at its well-crafted stand during the event. Ekta Punjabi, Brand Manager, Arrow Digital Pvt Ltd, mentioned that the highly innovative applications are the need of the hour in the retail sector in the post-pandemic period and that’s what Arrow Digital showcased in its exhibits.

Vibgyor Creations India, which is the channel partner of Display Flash in India’ used the In-Store Asia 2022 as key platform to introduce its range of innovative modular signage systems for in-store branding and promotional graphics. Mohammed Muddassir, Partner, Vibgyor Creations India, mentioned that the event is the right networking spot where the filtered crowds from different corporate domains turn up.

Gallant, one of the leading retail solution providers in Mumbai, is a regular participant in In-Store Asia and the company in every edition of the expo brings new innovations in in-store display solutions and graphics. The company boasts of working with a host of premium brands like KFC, Starbucks, etc. Hetul Thakkar of Gallant said they are showcasing some UV-printed premium graphics and a range of in-store solutions and applications like lit boxes, sky signs, block-out prints, etc.

With its strong presence in the international market, Creative Concepts is a leading signage and visual merchandiser. “We have a branch in New York to serve some clients in the US as well. We manufacture our signage and visual merchandising solutions in our Mumbai production facility to serve both domestic and international clients,” said Shankar Walvekar of Creative Concepts. Creative Concepts is a regular participant in every edition of In-Store Asia.

The Sign Co from Bengaluru pulled crowd during the three days of the expo. A source from the company mentioned that the expo is the right platform to meet with the potential people from the retail sector. The company displayed a line of signage and retail branding solutions which are designed for innovative applications that can enhance the retail environment to make a difference in the challenging post-pandemic times.

Yet another crowd puller at the expo, Circle One displayed a whole range of fabric applications for in-store displays and graphics. The portfolio consists of flags, uni-pole fabrics, t-shirt printing, etc. Ravi Patel of Circle One, said that the fabric media plays a vital role in ‘green’ and ‘innovative’ print productions. He added that the retail branding is excellent with applications on printable fabric and textile media.

Illuminati, an expertise in fabric + frame systems, showcased a range of applications for the in-store and out-store promotional solutions. Amit Kanodia, Director, Illuminati, mentioned that the overall showcase from the company at the event consisted of fabric frames among which the Mobile Light Box was the key highlight at the company’s stand. Illuminati is one of the regular participants in every edition of In-Store Asia.

At In-Store Asia 2022, VM&RD Retail Design Awards 2022 received more than 170 entries across 22 categories that included the felicitation of the winners of VM&RD Awards 2020.

The next 14th edition of In-Store Asia will take place from May 11-13, 2023 in Mumbai.