Using Semiotics in Retail - by Rachel Lawes (Paperback)

About the Book

Boost sales, increase brand recognition and create engaging shopper experiences with this practical guide to applying semiotic insights to both online and in-store retail.

Book Synopsis

WINNER: Business Book Awards 2023 - Sales & Marketing

Boosting retail sales is more important than ever. Stand out in a global, digital marketplace, grow customer loyalty and evolve your brand by leveraging the power of semiotics online and in physical stores.

Practical, accessible and based on 20 years of global marketing experience, Using Semiotics in Retail shows retailers of all sizes how to upgrade and empower their marketing, today and for the future. Discover step-by-step how to recognise and design for emerging consumer needs and create meaningful shopper experiences. Learn how to surprise and delight consumers, increase engagement and make shopping easier for everyone. It features case studies and examples from Unilever, Freshippo, H&M, Google, Toyota and many more.

Using Semiotics in Retail shares game-changing marketing insights in categories such as FMCG, fashion, technology and entertainment, drawn from China, India, Mexico, the US and the UK. The book is supported by online resources that include templates and interactive exercises. Using Semiotics in Retail equips readers with a set of powerful tools which readers can use straight away to create engaging and successful retail marketing.

Review Quotes

"Rachel Lawes is one of the most provocative and unique thinkers in the field of marketing I've ever encountered. Her approach to semiotics is weapons-grade insight for modern marketers. Her writing is not only clear and immediately helpful, it's also entertaining - something one rarely encounters in marketing literature."-- "Bhavin Pabari, Strategy Director, Mother"

"Rachel Lawes takes us on a journey of semiotics, encouraging us to ask and address the killer consumer questions through this engaging read. She propels our understanding of the consumer, enabling an improved retail experience with a revenue-driving focus at the root."-- "Hugo Proffitt, Head of Ecommerce, Singapore, adidas"

"Rachel Lawes's book is as fascinating as ever in terms of her bottom-up semiotic analysis. What makes it vital though is the top-down cultural analysis. She details a cultural milieu riven with anxiety, loneliness and depersonalization but, critically, provides the thinking, tools and ideas for companies and brands to start to take remedial and ameliorative action. A vital read for the times we now live and work in."-- "Richard Warren, Director, Marketing Communications, Lloyds Banking Group"

"Using Semiotics in Retail is a potent cocktail of knowledge on retail and shopper behaviour. Offering a much-needed reality check, the book helps readers see the bigger picture and understand the power that semiotics can wield. Deep diving into digital ecosystems, behavioural futures markets, and decentralized economies, it is not only sensitive to emerging digital culture, diversity and inclusivity, it is an excellent follow up to Rachel Lawes' first book, Using Semiotics in Marketing."-- "Muchaneta Kapfunde, Founder of FashNerd.com"

"An essential guide for retailers and marketers looking to leverage the competitive advantage that comes from gaining a deeper understanding of customers and how they see your brand. Rachel Lawes provides some great insights, backed up by examples from her work with brands from across the globe and provides a toolkit that allows you to apply the principles to your role right away."-- "Gareth Lloyd, Head of Marketing, Pricing, Morrison Supermarkets"

"An insightful, surprising and highly enjoyable read. Rachel Lawes explains the theory and practice of semiotics with an energy that makes the pages turn themselves. But beyond that, it's also a brilliantly useful tool, because she never takes her eye off the end goal - how can all of this be used to create a competitive advantage?"-- "Ruth Chadwick, Head of Strategy, Lucky Generals"

"Finally, a book about semiotics in retailing by a semiotics veteran who lists Unilever, Procter and Gamble, Diageo, Boots, Morrisons and Mondelez among her present and former clients. Rachel Lawes knows the industry well! If you're a retailer, you need to read this book. If you're studying marketing, branding, retail UX and/or consumer behaviour, you need to read this book. In fact, if you're in any way, shape or form part of a digital ecosystem, you must read this book."-- "Zubin Sethna, Professor of Entrepreneurial Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, Regent's University London, Co-Author, Consumer Behaviour"

"I've had the pleasure of working directly with Rachel Lawes, collaborating on research projects conducted all around the world. Having the opportunity to not just tell a story about data, but instead tell a story about people, is what continues to drive me towards semiotics and collaborate with THE expert herself."-- "Dana DiGregorio Global Managing Director, MESH Experience"

"Part semiotics bible, part personal diary, this is a fascinating account of all those delicate touches in malls and markets that subtly win us over. Using Semiotics in Retail will compel you to analyse every shelf, aisle and shop window in an attempt to uncover the layers of social intelligence that went into their design. This book has - quite literally - opened my eyes, and will probably make me money, thanks to all the new knowledge I have. No one knows the subject better, and for the insider intel alone, it's an absolute must for every communications student and marketer."-- "Amy Charlotte Kean, Founder and CEO, Six Things Impossible"

"Rachel Lawes' personal writing style is engaging, evocative, and enjoyable. She guides you through what was and what is now retail and marketing and the total experience of shopping, as well as the rise of consumer activists. More importantly, the book highlights the power of semiotics to influence individuals and society beyond consumerism towards responsible living. This resonates with current viewpoints in design practice and education, which is why I will be using this book to underpin learning and teaching in my Undergraduate and Postgraduate modules."-- "Dr George Torrens, Senior Lecturer in Industrial Design and Assistive Products, Loughborough University"

"Semiotics can often feel daunting and un-accessible; this book will unlock understanding in how you can practically harness this methodology. I especially loved the case-studies which really help to bring the theory to life - a must read for anyone interested in how consumers assign meaning to colours, signs and symbols - then importantly how you can harness this insight to create meaningful experiences."-- "Hayley Ward, Director of User Research & Insight, Deliveroo"

"This book will get you thinking differently about things you see every day. As someone who works in the creative side of advertising, this is the greatest gift I could ask for. Lawes' whirlwind tour through human behavior, psychology and the shop aisle deepens your understanding of what it means to shop both in person and online. A must read for everyone in marketing who wants to stay forever curious."-- "Audrey Madden, Creative Strategist Huel"

"What a fantastic read, full of thought-provoking insights for retailers, providing a great balance between theory and real-life application of semiotics in the commercial world. It was hard to put it down!"-- "Kamila Cedro, Insight Manager, Boots"

"Whether you are a retailer, a retail marketer or a brand marketer who relies on consumers for brand engagement, affinity, advocacy and sales, Rachel Lawes has written the playbook to inform your future success. Lawes is not only a leading global authority on semiotics, but a futurist who shares her vision for the future of retail and shopper marketing. Using Semiotics in Retail is required reading for every executive who conducts business at the intersection of retail, shopping, consumers and marketing."-- "Mark Beal, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in Public Relations, Rutgers University, Author, Engaging Gen Z"

"With 95% of purchase decisions being habitual, it is important to understand the rules your customer's brain uses to make a choice (so you can help them choose you). The subconscious buying brain is constantly looking for signs, symbols and other associations to help it make those decisions and Using Semiotics in Retail does a fantastic job of showcasing how to apply this skill. Everyone working for a retail brand needs to read this book so they can make it easier for customers to do business with them."-- "Melina Palmer, Founder & CEO, The Brainy Business, (R) LLC"

"Wow! I loved the first book and this one is even better. I couldn't put it down. Entertaining, gripping and humorous - this book is all those things and still manages to be a serious, solid dive into the way shoppers shop, coupled to straight-forward, practical advice that every marketeer can use. Rachel Lawes combines the literary style of a novelist with no-nonsense advice on actions every marketeer can do to improve sales, brought to life with real world examples. Learning about Semiotics has never been more engaging for non-academics, nor more practically valuable for everyone."-- "Andrew Cowen, Founder, Bluespark Commercial Strategy"

About the Author

Dr Rachel Lawes is recognized as one of the original founders of commercial semiotics. Based in London, UK, she is a Fellow of the Market Research Society, and for 15 years has convened its Advanced Qualitative Methods Masterclass. She supplies brand and marketing strategy to businesses such as Unilever, P&G, Kraft, Nike and Diageo, as well as clients in specialized sectors such as pharmaceuticals and finance. A regular international conference speaker, she is the author of Using Semiotics in Marketing, also published by Kogan Page.