Retail Activations
Activations / Retail
In store live customization is the smartest thing a brand can do with its floor space. We turn a sales floor into a live customization studio, in one flagship or in every store on the same weekend.
There is a reason shoppers will stand in line down the block to get a cartoon dog engraved on a boot they just bought. A product you helped make is not a product anymore. It is yours. Retail activations put that moment right at the point of sale.
What an in store activation looks like
A compact station on the floor, staffed by an operator who can talk to guests while they work. Depending on the product it might be a laser engraver, an embroidery machine, a heat press or a screen printing press. Customers buy, pick a design or bring their own idea, and walk out with something personalized minutes later.
No shipping. No come back Tuesday. The making is the show.
Three ways brands run it
Every store, same weekend
One coordinated push across the whole fleet. When UGG launched UGG Season with Peanuts, our teams were engraving in all 15 UGG stores across the US on the same weekend, with identical kit and an identical playbook, so the guest in Chicago got the same experience as the guest in SoHo.
One crew, many cities, over weeks
Flagships and key doors one at a time, each stop building hype for the next. Great for collection launches, anniversary moments and brands that want depth in each market instead of a single day splash.
One store, a season
A standing customization station in a flagship for a launch window or a holiday season. Staffed by us, scheduled with you, restocked without anyone shipping a machine.
Why retailers keep booking it
Traffic, sell through, social, zero inventory risk
Foot traffic with a reason
This weekend only, in store only beats any banner ad. People line up down the block to get a cartoon dog engraved on a boot they just bought.
Sell through on the spot
Customization is tied to purchase, and a personalized product does not get returned. A product you helped make is not a product anymore. It is yours.
Organic social
Every finished piece is a post. Guests do the marketing on their way out the door.
Zero inventory risk
The product already exists on your floor. We make each unit special. Nothing to forecast, nothing to mark down.
Pick the method that fits the product
Laser engraving
Boots, bottles, leather goods, metal. Names, monograms, licensed characters. The UGG and HOKA crowd favorite.
Embroidery and chain stitch
Names and icons stitched onto denim, hoodies, hats and totes while the customer watches.
Patch bar
Patches, chenille letters and numbers pressed onto the product they just picked up.
Screen print and heat press
Limited run graphics and full color prints on tees, denim and totes, pulled or pressed live.
Retailers who have put us on the floor
- UGG
- Levi's
- Urban Outfitters
- Macy's
- JD Sports
- Dick's Sporting Goods
- Lululemon
- HOKA
- Ulta
- Rabbit
- Nordstrom
- Gap
- Athleta
- Kendra Scott
The work ranges as wide as the brands: laser engraved water bottles, screen printed tees and denim, embroidered patches and chain stitched hoodies, and festival booth one of ones. We are also the quiet secret weapon behind a lot of agency run retail moments we cannot name.
What we bring
- Equipment hubs and trained operators across the country, so an entire fleet can activate on a Saturday without the brand shipping a single machine
- Licensed artwork handling, Peanuts level approvals included
- Materials testing on every substrate before day one
- Our own ordering app for receipt checks, data capture, live inventory and a client dashboard
- Staff who are as good with a crowd as they are with a laser
Running a national program? See how we handle enterprise merch management for multi city tours and the largest trade shows.
Good to know
How much floor space does a station need?
A compact station runs in as little as 50 square feet. One operator, one machine, a small display of what guests can choose. It sits near the product it customizes so the purchase and the personalization happen together.
Can you cover every store on the same day?
Yes. We keep equipment hubs and trained operators across the country, which is how we cover an entire retail fleet on a Saturday without the brand shipping a single machine.
What about licensed artwork and approvals?
We handle it. Peanuts level licensed artwork approvals are part of our normal process, and every design is tested on the actual product before day one.
Who staffs it?
Our people. Operators who are as good with a crowd as they are with a laser or a needle, briefed on your brand, in your store uniform if you want them in it.
How does it tie to purchase?
However you want. Free with purchase, free over a threshold, a paid add on, or loyalty members only. Our ordering app can check a receipt code or capture an email before the customization starts.
How far ahead do we need to book?
A single store can come together in a couple of weeks. A fleet wide weekend or a multi city tour needs a few weeks more for custom artwork, materials testing and scheduling across markets.
Thinking about activating your stores?
Tell us the product, the doors and the dates. You get a real, all in quote within one business day. No travel fees, no hotel line items, in every major US city.
One store or one hundred. Same playbook, same crew quality, same weekend if you want it.