Strategic Program Director
Company Event Boutique
Let me tell you
about this project
Challenge
Avalara, a leading provider of tax compliance automation software, wanted to create a more engaging and unified atmosphere at their annual employee conference. One of the goals of the event and marketing teams was to boost company pride and camaraderie by making branded apparel and accessories easily available to employees. They take their orange very seriously!
Avalara wanted to offer a wide variety of apparel, accessories, and swag that employees could purchase on-site at the event. The key challenge was ensuring that we could:
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Bring a wide variety of inventory without overstocking or understocking.
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Provide easy and quick sales options on-site.
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Accept online store’s gift codes
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Create an engaging experience that encouraged purchases during the event.
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Provide the shopping experience in 2 event locations over the span of 5 days with 2 hours to count and move inventory across the city.
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Break down boutique, count and pack inventory, and manage logistics to ship inventory to online store warehouse within 3 hours.
Key Results
Increased employee engagement with branded merchandise + apparel
Significant sales volume:
Over 70% of attendees made a purchase
Avalara stakeholders and their employees provided positive feedback on selection + experience
Future business opportunities through new custom projects, and additional online store inventory investments
Highlights
Apparel + Hardgoods
Over 3,000 Items were received, sorted, inventoried, and prepped for the retail floor.
Stylized Retail Experience
Created a welcoming flow utilizing custom displays, textured rugs, lighted mirrors, signage, and a whole lot of orange.
320+ Transactions
Over $35k in company branded merchandise was purchased by employees traveling from all over the globe.
Brand Immersion
The retail floor plan, displays, decor, and lighting were designed to create an Avalara-Orange-Immersion encouraging shoppers to add to their closet.
Product Knowledge
Consistent flow of shoppers allowed the account sales person and myself to provide personal-shopper experiences leading to significant increase in ticket totals.
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Approach
To address Avalara's unique challenge, I developed a tailored solution focusing on inventory management, logistics, and creating a memorable on-site shopping experience.
Pre-Event Inventory Strategy: Using Avalara’s past data and employee preferences, the sales team and I selected a product mix that balanced variety with demand prediction. This ensured the right balance of inventory across apparel, accessories, and hardgoods, minimizing both overstock and understock.
Streamlined Sales and Payment Options: We set up mobile point-of-sale (POS) systems that we took to both event locations, which allowed for fast transactions and multiple payment methods, including Avalara’s online store gift codes. This provided a smooth, efficient shopping experience for Avalara employees.
Dual Location Coordination: We operated in two locations over five days, ensuring that inventory was managed seamlessly across both sites. With only two hours to count and move inventory between locations, a real-time tracking system and a team committed to data integrity enabled efficient transitions and accurate stock management.
Engaging and Branded Shopping Experience: The pop-up boutiques were designed with Avalara’s branding in mind, especially their signature orange color. We created a welcoming flow utilizing custom displays, textured rugs, lighted mirrors, signage, and a whole lot of orange!
Efficient Breakdown and Logistics: After the event, we efficiently dismantled the pop-up shops, counted and packed inventory within the three-hour window, and ensured all remaining products were swiftly shipped to Avalara’s online store warehouse.
This comprehensive approach ensured a successful on-site sales experience, met Avalara’s logistical demands, and contributed to the event’s goal of boosting company pride and camaraderie.