A great Shop-in-Shop execution starts with you determining the information you need to know about your space. A current As-Built Architectural Survey will tell you what your physical space looks like today, not when the space was first taken over by your team or when the building was first built. An accurate Survey empowers you to make confident decisions and control installation costs of your Shop-in-Shop projects.
IMPORTANCE OF ACCURACY
Success of your Shop-in-Shop installation projects depends on how well you are able to stay ON-Time and ON-Budget. An accurate as-built survey will facilitate planning and will save time and money throughout the Shop-in-Shop installation. Inaccurate surveys can cost you tens of thousands of dollars in unplanned and unbudgeted expenses for additional installer hours, delivery costs, new fixtures, and fixture modifications as well as costly delays in opening. On average an inaccurate survey ends up costing retailers 6 times as much as they would have spent on an accurate survey. The investment in an accurate survey is worth it!
COLLECTING THE RIGHT INFORMATION
The creation of your Scope of Work for your As-Built Survey is critical. Take the time to think about the decisions you need to make about your space and what information you need in order to make these decisions. Once your Survey Partners understand why you are asking for each piece of information and what you intend to do with that information, they will be able to refine their Scope of Work for your project. This will ensure the information you need is collected from the site on their first site visit.
Consider The Following Questions To Discuss With Your Survey Partner:
What are you planning to do with the survey?
What decisions will be made about the space?
Who are the stakeholders and what information do each of them need from the survey?
Will this survey give all teams the information they need? If not, how can this request be incorporated into the scope?
USING YOUR DELIVERABLES
For Shop-in-Shop projects cross functional teams are often looking for information from As-Built Architectural Surveys to be delivered in multiple formats: an AutoCAD (or CAD) Drawing, PDF of the CAD drawing, Photos of the space, and Checklist of various other information points. Each deliverable offers unique opportunities for your team to find efficiencies and the information you need.
CAD Drawing
The CAD Drawing accurately captures the dimensions of the sales floor, backwalls, columns, ceiling, wall standards, and outlets. Depending on the vision for the project, it might also capture cash wraps and fixtures.
PDF Of The CAD Drawing
The PDF of the CAD drawing is provided to assist stakeholders who do not have CAD on their computers. It is common for cross functional team members to use PDFs only. The pages of the PDF should be in order of drawings/ elevations ensuring your team can use the document efficiently. Talk to your Survey provider about what information the users are looking for and what information you need on the cover of the PDF.
Photos
Photos allow stakeholders to visualize the space without physically going to the store. They give you an opportunity to better understand the rules of the retailer you are working with by getting visuals to your adjacent tenant’s Shop-in-Shops. This creates an advantage in your design process to help you stand out from the competition. Photos also confirm the Survey teams drawing accuracy ensuring your fixtures fit and are right for the space.
Checklists
Checklists provide an opportunity to identify other details in the space that may not be included in a traditional survey. These checklists often include information about fixture delivery and limitations due to door frames, tucking docks, delivery areas, etc.
At DedON we are committed to giving you the tools to have a successful Shop-in-Shop project. Our team has worked with world renowned brands on their Shop-in-Shop projects bringing our tools and experience to projects. If you are looking for more information on how an accurate Survey can impact your Shop-in-Shop projects contact DedON. Together we will Work Smarter to bring your Shop-in-Shop vision to life.