↳ Retail activation & trade marketing
Retail activation: strategy, all the way to the store.
Retail activation and trade marketing connect brand strategy to the place where the customer chooses: the store, the flagship, the pop-up store, the retail shelf, the trade fair. I define channels, range, activations and shopper marketing, then deliver them with a network that scouts the location, fits out the space and launches the project.
01 Retail activation
The store as a brand tool.
A store, a flagship or a pop-up store is not just a sales channel: it is where the brand is put to the test. It deserves the same care as a product launch.
- 01
Retail strategy
The role of the store in the business model: selling, letting people try, owning a city, testing a market. Objectives, budget and KPIs before the location.
- 02
Stores and flagships
City, street, size, frontage: the location weighs on results as much as the product. Scouting and negotiation with Bechis & Partners.
- 03
Pop-up and temporary stores
Openings of weeks or months to launch a product, own a season or test a city before a permanent store.
- 04
Concept and retail design
Experience, customer journey, identity and materials, designed with Bechis ADV and built with Carattere.
- 05
In-store technology
Infrastructure, connectivity, contact capture into the CRM and measurement tools, handled by BECHIS TECH.
- 06
Launch and measurement
Opening campaign, event and content with Bechis ADV, and a KPI dashboard: footfall, conversion, average transaction value, contacts captured.
02 Trade marketing
From brand to shelf.
In retail chains the best product does not win on its own. The winner has a clear proposition for the retailer and an obvious reason for the shopper.
Getting into retail chains
Choice of retailers, from grocery chains to department stores and premium food halls; commercial proposal, arguments for the buyer, a visibility and promotion plan the margins can sustain.
Growing on shelf
Range, pack formats, shelf position and price: the levers that earn rate of sale and space.
Shopper marketing
What the shopper decides in front of the shelf, and how packaging, point-of-sale materials and in-store activity help them choose.
Promotional plan
Which promotions create value and which simply buy volume at zero margin. Calendar, mechanics, post-evaluation.
In-store visibility
Materials, displays and fixtures at the point of sale, designed and produced with Carattere.
Alignment with sales
Marketing, key account management and the sales force aligned on objectives, arguments and tools for each retailer and each country.
03 The network
From strategy to the shop floor.
Five capabilities, five companies, one point of accountability. Whoever set the strategy follows the project through to opening day, with no hand-overs between suppliers who never talk to each other.
- 01
Strategy
Role of the store, objectives, budget and project KPIs.
Alberto Bechis - 02
Brand & digital
Concept, identity, launch campaign, content and video.
- 03
Technology & AI
In-store infrastructure, CRM, data capture and analysis.
- 04
Retail locations
Retail location scouting: stores, flagships, temporary and pop-up stores.
- 05
Fit-out
Windows, stands, retail design, large-format print, installation.
↳ An example
A brand opens a pop-up store in a new city.
- StrategyObjective (sales, awareness or testing the city before a permanent opening), audience, timing within the season, budget and KPIs.
- LocationShortlist of areas, site visits and negotiation of the space with Bechis & Partners.
- ConceptIn-store experience, identity, range and launch plan with Bechis ADV, with materials in the languages of the market.
- Fit-outDesign, production and installation of windows, graphics and fixtures with Carattere.
- Launch and measurementCampaign, opening event, contact capture with BECHIS TECH and a results dashboard.
Bechis & Partners handles retail location scouting: stores, flagships, temporary and pop-up stores. Each project follows the same four-phase method as strategic engagements: understand, decide, activate, measure.
04 Trade fairs & events
Trade fairs and events, with measurable goals.
A trade fair is a temporary store, with its costs concentrated into a few days. Whether it is held in Italy or abroad, it deserves the same method: objectives first, then the stand.
Objectives and KPIs
Who to meet, how many qualified contacts, which agreements: objectives written down before choosing stand size and position.
Stand and fit-out
Design, large-format print, furniture and installation with Carattere, consistent with the brand identity.
Invitations, content, campaigns
Meeting schedule, sales materials, video and campaigns before, during and after the event, with Bechis ADV.
Contacts and follow-up
Contact capture into the CRM with BECHIS TECH and a sales follow-up plan for the weeks after. That is where the return is measured.
In Italy, experiential marketing is growing faster than traditional advertising: +8.6% against +2.9% in UNA's estimates for 2026. More budget for events means a greater need to measure their return.
05 FAQ
Straight answers.
What does retail activation include?
Retail activation turns brand strategy into an experience in a physical place: a store, a flagship, a pop-up, a shop-in-shop, an event. It covers the role of the space and its KPIs, location scouting, concept and retail design, fit-out, the launch campaign and measurement. Here it runs under one direction, from the first objective to opening day.
What does trade marketing consulting do?
It translates brand strategy into choices for sales channels: which retailers and channels to focus on, with which range, price, visibility and promotional plan, and how to help the shopper choose. It aligns marketing, key account management and the sales force on shared objectives, and measures results on shelf, retailer by retailer and country by country.
What is the difference between a pop-up store and a temporary store?
In practice the two terms are often used interchangeably. Pop-up store usually means a very short opening, of days or weeks, sometimes inside another space or event; temporary store tends to mean an opening of several weeks or months in a proper retail unit. In both cases objectives and KPIs are decided first.
Do you handle location scouting?
Yes, through Bechis & Partners: retail location scouting for stores, flagships, temporary and pop-up stores. The search starts from the project's objectives: footfall, audience, visibility, cost and lease length.
How do you measure whether a pop-up store worked?
Against the objective set before the opening. A pop-up built to sell is judged on footfall, conversion and average transaction value; one built for awareness or to test a market on contacts captured, coverage and the quality of conversations with customers and partners. The dashboard is agreed in advance and reviewed weekly while the store is open.
Can we work with our own suppliers and agencies?
Of course. The network is available, not compulsory. I can lead the strategy and coordinate your usual partners, or bring in only the missing capabilities, such as location scouting or fit-out production. What matters is a single direction, with clear objectives and responsibilities.
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