End-to-End Service: No “Handoffs,” from Ideation to Installation

Some companies do retail research. Some offer environmental design. Others focus on print, décor, POP or hardware production. Still others focus on digital kiosks.

While these businesses might be good at what they focus upon, they present many of their clients with an unavoidable complication: handoffs.

Handoffs create gaps where inefficiencies grow like a fungus. Handoffs often create unexpected costs. And, after a poorly executed handoff, there’s finger-pointing and rarely a quick solution.

When clients work with Miller Zell, there are no handoffs.

You get true end-to-end solutions for branded environments

Whether the project is a one-off flagship or involves thousands of stores across the country, Miller Zell is your partner, adding value to every step of the program.

We provide expertise and guidance from concept to completion, from research, strategy & design, to procurement and production, to project management, to installation and follow-up. We also offer REACH™, a proprietary and centralized, web-based logistics platform that is an intuitive and customizable one-stop shop that enables transparent access to your project.

Our diverse talent and services provide clients expertise and support for all aspects of their projects under one roof. We offer a single point of contact and accountability who becomes an extension of the client’s team, understanding its internal processes while focusing on providing solutions, efficiency and cost savings.

Our goal is not only to complete a project but also to build a long-term partnership that delivers ROI through cost-saving ideas and proactive solutions.

For example, our longtime client Walmart wanted to execute a national in-store signage program during the back-to-school/college season that celebrated the major universities nearest each store location. The signage needed to adhere to the school’s licensing agreement requirements, and Walmart wanted the program executed in just 10 weeks.

The project engaged several of our Retail Marketing Solutions capabilities: Creative Design Extension, Campaign Management, Print & Color Management, Procurement and Logistics.

Across the U.S., Miller Zell created, tracked and printed 1,974 different designs — 64 percent with variable print components — for 3,965 stores. And we delivered 100 percent on time.

“It takes a large collaborative team to make these in-store initiatives come to life, and I could not be more honored to be a part of the visual merchandising team with Miller Zell,” said Walmart’s senior director, visual merchandising.

Adding value with expertise, collaborative skill

Sometimes it’s not about efficient delivery at scale but precise execution of a single, critical project. Southern Methodist University (SMU) told Miller Zell that it didn’t just want to renovate its Hughes-Trigg Student Center. It also wanted to create a modern, purposeful and inviting gathering space where students could socialize, study and be a part of the university community.

This required a multi-pronged collaboration with SMU administrators, architects and general contractors, while Miller Zell focused on Research, Branding/Sub-branding, Design, Procurement, Production, Décor, Digital and Installation.

No problem.

Said Michael Molina, SMU’s Associate VP & Chief Architect, “The Miller Zell team perfectly aligned with our effort to change the paradigm on project approach and delivery here at SMU. The insight and experience from conceptual brand development through design and implementation were efficient, imaginative, creative and powerful.”

Providing diverse, purposeful services, agile execution

When Church’s entered the Chicken Sandwich Wars, it asked Miller Zell to take charge of logo design, packaging, copywriting, photography, interior and exterior signage, POP, menu boards and direct mail, as well as a pre-launch kit to energize executives, owners and associates.

The launch was an overwhelming success, with Church’s executives celebrating the “outstanding POP” that tantalized customers with the new product.

Miller Zell’s end-to-end expertise makes us particularly adept at completing complex projects under demanding or difficult timelines or conditions.

COVID-19 challenged every business. More than a few turned to Miller Zell specifically because of our reputation for delivering under stressful conditions.

One retailer faced a tight timeline on a complicated project just as the pandemic created supply chain chaos. Its vendors said it couldn’t be done.

Except one. Miller Zell consolidated 122,000 pieces of hardware that came via 35 containers from Asia. We also kit-packed and shipped the displays for 1,728 stores.

Logistical experience, longtime relationships with vendor partners and great communication between project management, procurement, shipping and distribution ensured 95 percent of the displays were delivered on schedule, and the remainder arrived one business day later. 

Success hinged on daily communication among our operational teams to ensure that each part of our supply chain adapted and reacted quickly to the changing conditions of the program.

Optimized branded environments that connect with customers

Our tenacity, expertise and teamwork — our end-to-end certainty — serve one purpose: providing our clients ROI and 100 percent satisfaction.

We want to be your trusted end-to-end partner for creating an optimized branded environment.